The 2018 Transportation Agency for Monterey County Active Transportation Plan is an update of the 2011 Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, which identified all existing and proposed bicycle and pedestrian facilities in Monterey County. The goal of the Monterey County Active Transportation Plan is to meet State's Plan guidelines, document existing conditions for biking and walking in the County, identify bike and pedestrian safety issues, identify high priority bicycle and pedestrian projects, and identify opportunity sites for innovative bicycle facility design, and designating areas for enhanced regional and local connectivity.
Public Outreach:
The development of this Plan started in 2016. 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.
Plans, Proposed Projects and Ranking:
Following the public outreach phase for this Plan, TAMC staff met with city and county staff to review the comments received during the public outreach phase and to discuss city priorities. TAMC staff then developed draft ranked project lists for each of the Monterey County jurisdictions based on criteria that mirrors State Active Transportation Program grant scoring criteria with input from the Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee and the Technical Advisory Committee. The Plan identified sidewalk gaps, pedestrian intersection improvements, bike lane, bike path and bike route improvements to help create a more complete network:
| Type |
Existing |
Proposed |
| Class 1 - Bike/Pedestrian Paths |
43.7 miles |
26.3 miles |
| Class 2 - Bike Lanes |
115.1 miles |
286 miles |
| Class 3 - Bike Routes |
54.5 miles |
255.1 miles |
| Class 4 - Protected Bike Lanes |
1 mile |
26 miles |
| TOTAL |
214 miles |
593.4 miles |
The proposed miles of bikeway improvements are in addition to the existing bikeway network. Additionally, 7.3 miles of sidewalk gaps in the unincorporated communities of Castroville, Chualar, San Lucas and San Ardo were identified. Pedestrian intersection improvements were identified throughout the County.
Based on the scoring criteria, with local input, staff developed a ranked, draft project list for all the proposed active transportation plan improvements. Alta Planning + Design developed maps showing existing and proposed improvements for each of the jurisdictions and the County's unincorporated communities. 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/
Staff received input on the prioritized project lists, which is summarized in the executive summary of the Active Transportation Plan (see attachment). Staff also conferred with local jurisdictions on potential projects to be submitted as candidates for the competitive State Active Transportation Program. The projects identified as regional priorities are those that scored in the top 25% of all projects countywide.
During the public comment period of the draft Active Transportation Plan, staff received comments from Carmel-by-the-Sea requesting the deletion of a Class 3 bike route along Ocean Ave between Scenic Rd and San Carlos St. The project has been deleted from the final plan list. A proposed connection between the new Palo Corona Regional Park, Rancho Cañada and Point Lobos was also added.
Environmental Review:
The Environmental Impact Report for the Regional Transportation Plan and Metropolitan Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy provides program level CEQA review for the Active Transportation Plan. Further environmental review will be needed at the project-level as the proposed improvements are implemented in order to develop appropriate mitigation for individual projects.
Next Steps:
Alta Planning + Design is developing conceptual designs, planning-level cost estimates and photo renderings for the high-priority projects listed in the attached executive summary. Once the Plan has been adopted by the TAMC Board of Directors, staff will work with partner agencies to help prepare grant funding applications for this cycle of Active Transportation Program grants. Staff will continue to work with partner agencies to identify opportunities to include bike and pedestrian improvements as part of future street and road maintenance projects.