<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div>Ghank you Susan for posting this. I hope you're doing well.<br><br>Chikako<div>Sent from my iPhone</div></div><div><br>On May 27, 2013, at 3:38 PM, "Susan Tabor" <<a href="mailto:souljourner@sbcglobal.net">souljourner@sbcglobal.net</a>> wrote:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 14 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--><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"><a href="http://LJWorld.com">LJWorld.com</a> | 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"><a href="http://LJWorld.com">LJWorld.com</a><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 <a href="http://lawrenceks.org/mpo/studyinput">lawrenceks.org/mpo/studyinput</a>. 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></div></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><div><span>_______________________________________________</span><br><span>Jayhawk-chapter mailing list</span><br><span><a href="mailto:Jayhawk-chapter@nfbnet.org">Jayhawk-chapter@nfbnet.org</a></span><br><span><a href="http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/jayhawk-chapter_nfbnet.org">http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/jayhawk-chapter_nfbnet.org</a></span><br><span>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Jayhawk-chapter:</span><br><span><a href="http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/jayhawk-chapter_nfbnet.org/extremepositiveness%40yahoo.com">http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/jayhawk-chapter_nfbnet.org/extremepositiveness%40yahoo.com</a></span></div></blockquote></body></html>