The Caltrans District 5 Active Transportation Plan for the Central Coast of California has been completed. This plan is the first of a series of district-level active transportation plans that are being developed for each of the twelve Caltrans districts in California. The plan was developed in collaboration with partner agencies, advocates, and members of the public. It includes a prioritized list of bicycle and pedestrian needs for travel along, across, and parallel to the State Highway System in the five Central Coast Counties of District 5.
California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) District 5 includes the California Central Coast and encompasses the counties of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz. District 5 is home to many coastal and rural communities and fewer larger urbanized areas, and therefore the State Highway System often serves as a "main street" and primary connector between these communities.
The Caltrans Active Transportation Plan followed a data-driven process that included an extensive inventory of the existing bicycle and pedestrian facilities in Monterey County. A comprehensive gaps and barriers analysis was conducted to identify needs on, across, and parallel to the State Highway System. Data was also incorporated from local and regional plans. Throughout the process, engagement activities with communities, partner organizations, advocacy groups, and the public informed the Plan. The District 5 Planning Team attended one outreach event in Monterey County, King City Ciclovía, and presented the plan to the Transportation Agency in-person and online.
The Plan is not a comprehensive list of specific bicycle and pedestrian construction projects and improvements. The needs identified in the Plan will inform the project development process, during which specific improvement concepts and related priorities will be evaluated. The Plan methodology included prioritizing locations based on need. The Location Based Needs (LBN) list was then ranked by tier.
The plan includes three deliverables: A Summary Report, an online Story Map, and an interactive Explorer Map showing existing conditions and prioritized needs for bicycle and pedestrian travel on the Central Coast. The six goals of the District 5 Active Transportation Plan are safety, equity, mobility, preservation, corridor context, and partnership.
For more information and to view the Caltrans District 5 Active Transportation Plan, visit the website at: https://www.catplan.org/district-5. For questions or comments please submit an email to d5bikeped@dot.ca.gov.