In addition to creating an Active Transportation Plan that will meet the State's guidelines, and identifying high priority bicycle and pedestrian projects, this effort will also focus on analyzing key gaps in the existing and proposed bicycle and pedestrian networks, identifying opportunity sites for innovative bicycle facility design, and designating areas for enhanced regional and local connectivity.
In May 2016, Committee members from the Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee and the Technical Advisory Committee participated in a mapping activity to identify bicycle and pedestrian improvements throughout Monterey County. In August 2016, Committee members provided input on the list of projects identified in the May mapping exercise. From September to December 2016, TAMC staff set up an online mapping public input tool. Members of the public were able to provide feedback on: barriers to bicycling/walking, routes that they currently walk/bike, and routes that they would like to bike/walk if improvements were made. Approximately 300 people submitted 430 comments via the Wikimapping tool. Staff collaborated with the Monterey County Health Department to gather input from their Greenfield Leadership and Civic Engagement group. Staff also collaborated with the City of Gonzales to host a South County public workshop for the Plan.
Since the public outreach phase of this project, TAMC staff has met with city and county staff to review the comments received during the public outreach phase and to discuss city priorities. TAMC staff has also refined the project ranking criteria to develop draft ranked project lists for each of the Monterey County jurisdictions. The refined project criteria reflect input that staff obtained from both the Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee and the Technical Advisory Committee, but includes a measurement methodology and data sources as well as a refined scale for how points are distributed among these categories (attachment):
- Safety
- Connectivity
- Comfort
- Active Transportation Trips (Demand)
- Equity
- Complete Streets Opportunity projects
- Quality Facilities
Staff has developed draft project list rankings for the proposed active transportation plan improvements. An interactive map of the projects as well as draft ranked project lists for the cities and the County of Monterey are posted on the Active Transportation Plan website:
http://www.tamcmonterey.org/programs/bike-pedestrian/bike-ped-plan/
Since the last Committee meeting, staff has received input on the prioritized project lists, which is summarized in the executive summary of the Active Transportation Plan (attachment). Staff has also conferred with local jurisdictions on potential projects that will be submitted as candidates for the competitive State Active Transportation Program. Based on this input, the following high-priority projects will be developed into conceptual designs:
- Marina: Reservation Rd protected bike lanes/cycletrack (Salinas Ave - Del Monte Blvd)*Regional Priority
- Marina: Cardoza Ave bike lanes/cycletrack (Beach Rd – end of Cardoza Ave)
- Monterey: E. Downtown Bike Boulevard (Class III on Third and Pearl from Sloat to Van Buren
- Monterey: Hawthorne Van Buren bike connection New Monterey Bike Boulevard Class III on Laine, Hoffman, Reeside, and Hawthorne
- Pacific Grove: Sinex Ave bike lanes (Forest Ave - Asilomar Ave)
- Salinas: Class I or IV bike lanes along East Alisal Street (between Bardin and Skyway Blvd) *Regional Priority
- Salinas: E Laurel Dr protected bike lanes/cycletrack (Adams St - Williams Rd) *Regional Priority
The intent of the conceptual designs is to advance these high-priority projects into project development and make them more competitive for ATP grant funding. Alta Planning + Design is tasked with developing 15 conceptual designs, which is enough for approximately 1 design per jurisdiction and 2-3 concepts for projects with regional significance. Staff seeks input on additional projects for conceptual design.
Following Committee input, staff will present the draft Active Transportation Plan to the TAMC Board of Directors on April 25, with adoption targeted for June.