The game is on. The Spokane Regional Transportation Council has developed an online game for your feedback on transportation projects. Questions range from the completion of the North-South Corridor to light rail and a big part of this game is how you choose spending on priority projects. For example: How about a registration tab fee of $45 a year on vehicles up to 6,000 pounds that could potentially bring in $24 million annually? Want more bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure? Your voice matters: This is part of a broader effort to assess community sentiment and establish a “Unified Regional Vision” for Spokane transportation for the next 30 years. From Staci Lehman at SRTC:

As part of its effort to create and consolidate a long-term regional transportation vision for the greater Spokane region, the Spokane Regional Transportation Council (SRTC) is launching a unique online survey tool in the form of a transportation planning game.  The game will help pinpoint the goals and priorities of the region when planning for the future of transportation infrastructure.
 
 “A Thousand Visions” – A Transportation Planning Game, is available online at www.spokanetransportationvision.com.  It allows players to choose the level they are willing to be ‘taxed’, which determines how much money they have to spend on transportation improvements.  Players are then challenged to ‘fund’ projects they prioritize as highest for the region, much like buying properties in the game Monopoly. The goal is to make it through all available projects, funding those players consider most important, without blowing their budget. The game takes approximately 20 minutes to complete.

SRTC hopes that at least 1,000 people, but preferably many more, will use this opportunity to help shape the region’s transportation vision.  “This exercise, while certainly fun, is much more than just a game,” says SRTC Transportation Manager Glenn Miles. “It will help the everyday person understand the priorities and trade-offs taken into consideration when planning for future transportation investments. It also helps our team determine public priorities and preferences when it comes to specific projects and modes of transportation.”
 
The game is part of a larger effort called the Transportation Vision Project, in place to develop a long-term regional vision for the future of transportation. SRTC is partnering with consulting firm MIG, Inc. to coordinate ongoing efforts, identify strategies for achieving the vision that is identified through this process, and deploy resources to accomplish regional goals.
 
A diverse pool of elected officials, local business leaders and civic leaders are helping to shape the vision process and overseeing the project by serving on a Vision Process Team.
 
For more information on The Transportation Vision Project or A Thousand Visions game, please visit the project website at http://www.spokanetransportationvision.com, the project Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Transportation-Vision-Project/129748873726777 or call Staci Lehman at (509) 343-6370.
SRTC is the government agency responsible for transportation planning for the area covered by Spokane County. Any metropolitan area that has a population of more than 50,000 is required to have a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO).  SRTC partners with other government agencies such as the City of Spokane, Spokane County, Washington State Department of Transportation, Spokane Valley, and small cities and towns to encourage coordination and collaboration between planning and transportation departments at those jurisdictions.

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