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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Thought this would be of interst.—Susan<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>LJWorld.com | City seeking input on new study of bike, transit, and other multimodal transportation options<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>LJWorld.com<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>City seeking input on new study of bike, transit, and other multimodal transportation options <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>May 27, 2013 <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>If going to a public meeting to talk about plans for biking, carpooling and public transit systems in Douglas County doesn’t sound like as much fun as<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>it used to, local officials have a new gadget for you. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>As part of its multimodal planning study, Lawrence and Douglas County officials have launched a new <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>interactive mapping system<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> that allows members of the public to make suggestions to the county’s transportation system simply by clicking on a map. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“We have heard a lot of positive feedback about it,” said Jessica Mortinger, a city-county transportation planner who is working on the study. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The map allows people to do a flyover of the entire county, and then pinpoint a location on which they want to leave a comment. For example, if a bicyclist<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>wants to highlight concerns about a particular intersection, she can mark it on the map, write a specific comment and then submit it for everyone else<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>to see. Other viewers can then click on the entry, add additional comments or simply hit a “like” button to indicate support for the sentiment. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“We have heard from people that it is great to see what everybody else is saying,” Mortinger said. “We think it adds to the transparency of the process.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The city and its consultant have created three interactive maps for the project: One is for comments on the community’s bicycling infrastructure, one is<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>for park and ride commuter issues, and the third is for the city’s public transit system. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The maps can be accessed at lawrenceks.org/mpo/studyinput. The system requires you to create an account and register your e-mail address. The city also<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>will host a traditional public meeting to gather input on the plan from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on June 5 at the Union Pacific Depot, 402 N. Second Street.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The interactive maps are part of the information gathering process for the city and county’s first-ever multimodal transportation study. The study is designed<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>to take a specific look at the systems that need to be in place for people to travel in ways other than an individual vehicle. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The study will focus on three areas:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>• Creation of a new countywide bicycle plan. Currently the city of Lawrence has a bicycle plan, but a countywide plan isn’t in place. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“We know that people don’t just stop at the city limits when they are looking for bikeway connections,” Mortinger said. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The study is expected to help identify potential capital improvement projects that could be funded in the future to help improve the local transportation<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>system for bicyclists, Mortinger said. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>• Examination of potential sites for park and ride lots. A handful of park and ride commuter lots have sprung up in the city and the county over the last<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>few years. But Mortinger said most of those lots are lacking any formal structure to ensure they’ll exist in the future. The study seeks to do planning<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>for a more formal system because the idea of ride-sharing is expected to be more widespread in the future, Mortinger said. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>• Review of the city’s transit system, with a particular emphasis on whether the system can be improved for pedestrians who are walking to and from bus<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>stops. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“We want to do what we can to improve people’s ability to get to bus stops,” Mortinger said. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The study is expected to be completed by late 2013. Mortinger said the department decided to undertake the broad planning effort because the community<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>likely will rely more heavily on alternative modes of transportation in the future. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“We feel like having more transportation choices really is critical to ensuring a good quality of life,” Mortinger said. “Active transportation can be<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>the answer to a lot of issues, whether it easier access to services or improving health or a host of other issues.” <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>As for the interactive mapping system the city is using for this study, it may end up being the answer to another often-asked city question: How to increase<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>public input on a host of city plans and issues?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Megan Gilliland, communications manager for the city, said the city is likely to look at whether there are ways to used online-based commenting sytems<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>for other technology. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>“I think as technology evolves, we need to look at ways to make it easier for people to talk to us,” Gilliland said. “One of the things I like about it<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>is you don’t have to show up at a public meeting to comment and participate. You can log in from home. We think it is going to be a convenient way to communicate<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>with City Hall.” <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Originally published at: <a href="http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2013/may/27/city-seeking-input-new-study-bike-transit-and-othe/">http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2013/may/27/city-seeking-input-new-study-bike-transit-and-othe/</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>