The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization is seeking public input on a new bike and pedestrian plan for the area.
An open house was held Thursday at Jefferson City Hall to begin collecting comments. Sonny Sanders, senior transportation planner, said the plan is part of the organization's purpose in developing long-range transportation plans that include all forms of transportation and how they should connect with each other. Sanders said the process has only just begun and the organization will continue to seek as much public input as possible.
"We're trying to get a lot of public involvement," Sanders said. "We're trying to involve people in the beginning of the process."
Sanders said previous comments have shown some see U.S. 50 and U.S. 54 as barriers to walking or biking in Jefferson City, which led to staff reviewing pedestrian access on the bridges and overpasses in the area. Sanders pointed to the recently reopened Chestnut Street bridge as an example where sidewalks were widened to help accommodate that type of traffic.
"We're hoping to maybe identify more larger needs, or groups of needs," Sanders said.
The final plan will be used to make recommendations for communities within CAMPO, such as Jefferson City, St. Martins and Holts Summit. Sanders said each of those communities have some type of plan or goal for pedestrian paths, but the CAMPO plan will be a more overarching plan that seeks to provide guidance for all communities within the organization.
"The local members have these plans and that's great, but we're trying to have sort of an overarching plan that includes more," Sanders said.
Another aspect of the plan is education, he said, and encouraging people to walk and ride bicycles more. On that side of the plan, Sanders said the organization may try to get involved with school districts and other local jurisdictions to come up with the best ways to educate people on how to be safe while walking or riding.
"A lot of it is going to be awareness as well as infrastructure," Sanders said.
As part of developing the plan, Sanders said CAMPO has a committee meeting monthly to discuss issues that need to be addressed in the plan and anything that may be discouraging people from walking or riding bicycles. He said the committee members even have taken wheelchairs, a bicycle and a stroller down Capitol Avenue or onto a JeffTran bus to try and understand what issues people may face.
"We were just trying to experience what it's like to put the bike on or if you have a stroller, what some of the issues are," Sanders said.
For more information on the development of the plan, to take a survey or to sign up to receive notices of meetings and new updates, visit www.jeffcitymo.org/pps/campo/BikePedPlan.html.