MoDOT Long Range Plan – first in history to completely integrate biking and walking – is open for public comment through Dec 23rd

Submitted by Brent Hugh on Wed, 12/18/2013 – 10:45am

 

MoDOT has released a new long-range transportation plan that will guide the spending of the proposed new $8 billion MIssouri transportation funding initiative over the next 10 years if the initiative passes–as well as the remainder of MoDOTs spending over the next several years. 

The plan is open for public comment through December 23rd, 2013.  

 

The plan is groundbreaking in its inclusion of biking, walking, transit, and other transportation modes as one of the four core values of the plan.  MoDOT needs to hear from citizens like you that you strongly support this new direction.

 

If you'd like to make a brief comment on the plan, you can do so on the MoDOT web site:

 

 

If you would like to make a brief comment, our suggestion is to emphasize the first point below–the importance of and your support for MoDOT's new direction to "Give Missourians Better Transportation Choices".

 

If you have time to write a longer comment, you may wish to address some of the other elements in our suggested comment below.

 

• We strongly support MoDOT's choice of emphasis to "Give Missourians Better Transportation Choices" and to fully incorporate bicycling, walking, transit, and other modes into our transportation planning and funding.
   
• We would like to see the new emphasis on Transportation Choices fully integrated throughout the entire long-range plan.  For instance, in the sections on Safety, Maintenance, and Economic Development, examples and statistics about bicycling, walking, and transit should be incorporated throughout, putting these modes on an equal basis with roads and highways within the planning document itself–which is the first step in putting these modes on equal footing within MoDOT itself.
   
• The plan should give emphasis to transportation's effect on the public health, sustainability, land use, and creation of vibrant, livable, healthy communities across Missouri.  Particularly, transportation's very large impact on the public health is nowhere mentioned or documented; MoDOT's embrace of the multi-modal transportation paradigm has the potential to have a huge positive effect on the health of Missourians.
   
• "Consideration" vs actually providing facilities and connectivity: Consideration of bicycle, pedestrian, and transit early in the planning process is important, but MoDOT needs to go beyond consideration of bicycle and pedestrian needs to actually provide those facilities that are needed and appropriate.
   
• Turning high level concepts into reality via stakeholder process, including statewide and regional bicycle, pedestrian, and trails plans: The draft plan incorporates a major shift in thinking within MoDOT and its regional planning partners by fully incorporating a multi-modal view of Missouri's transportation future.  Many important details of this process are outlined in the LRTP using broad phrases such as "impacts to other modes must be considered," "consider and prioritize needs across all transportation modes," "MoDOT has modified the project development process to consider bicyclist and pedestrian needs and facilities early in the project development state," and the like. Right now, different MoDOT Districts and planning regions around Missouri appear to have very different conceptions about what these broad phrases and concepts mean.  Developing bicycle, pedestrian, and trails plans statewide, in each MoDOT District, and with each of MoDOT's regional planning partners, and then following up with training for MoDOT staff and contractors based on the plans that are developed, will create a definite, time-limited, stakeholder-driven process for turning these broad concepts into definite plans, processes, and institutional changes.

More details about the plan and how to submit more detailed comments