The Active Transportation Plan will identify high priority bicycle and pedestrian projects in accordance with the State guidelines. In addition, 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.
TAMC staff collected stakeholder and public input from Spring 2016 to Winter 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 provided 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 in December 2016.
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 (attached) 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:
- 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 trasnportation plan improvements. An interactive map of the projects as well as draft ranked project lists for the cities of Carmel-by-the-Sea, Del Rey Oaks, Gonzales, Greenfield, King City, Marina, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Salinas, Sand City and Soledad are posted on the Active Transportation Plan website.
Staff will be uploading the remaining draft project lists and the overall Monterey County list as they are available for the remaining jurisdictions, Seaside and Monterey County, on the Active Transportation Plan website as web attachments:
http://www.tamcmonterey.org/programs/bike-pedestrian/bike-ped-plan/
High-level planning cost estimates have been developed by Alta Planning + Design, and these are also posted on the Active Transportation Plan website.
Staff requests Committee input on these draft ranked lists, and the proposed high-priority projects. The purpose of the ranking exercise is to identify high-priority projects. TAMC recently contracted with Alta Planning + Design to develop conceptual designs for up to 15 high-priority projects throughout the County. Alta Planning + Design will also develop cost estimates for these projects, and for the remaining projects in the Plan.