Your input needed on future of regional transportation

Remember making a Christmas list for Santa as a kid? If you were like most kids, you probably asked for Barbie dolls, action figures, a bike, roller skates, or video games. Well, get out your pen and paper. While it’s not Christmas, Spokane Regional Transportation Council is asking you to make a ‘wish list’ of transportation improvements you would like to see in the next 30-50 years. SRTC is the government agency that does transportation planning for Spokane County. Any metropolitan area that has a population of more than 50,000 is required to have such an agency, called a Metropolitan Planning Organization. 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. Some of the services SRTC provides to these agencies and the public include transportation monitoring/modeling, census data collection and analysis, travel demand forecasting, geographical information services, and air quality modeling. SRTC is in the midst of a ‘Transportation Vision Project;’ an extremely in-depth process to identify a unified regional plan for a transportation system to be developed in the long term (30-50 years) that includes all modes of transportation: bicycling, walking, personal vehicles, rail, freight, etc. This process also includes developing a plan on how to implement this ‘vision.’ The word ‘unified’ means a plan that the entire community can get behind. This project isn’t just aimed at finding out what politicians and local elected officials want to see when it comes to transportation, but also what the folks would prefer who use the area transportation system every day. Regional transportation planning is critical when addressing issues such as economic development, land use, growth management, and environmental sustainability. Because the transportation network is the circulation system of a region, providing mobility to a variety of users, it is important to plan carefully for the future. This planning could mean the difference between a system that balances the need to move people efficiently and safely while considering other community needs such as historic preservation and the creation of vital public spaces and a transportation network that makes it difficult to get around unless you are driving a vehicle. As you probably already know, transportation has been in the spotlight locally in the past few years, with a lot of people calling for more transit options, more bike lanes and trails, and safer roads for children to walk and ride their bikes to school on. At the same time, there have been a lot of local improvements to transportation infrastructure in recent years, such as expansion of the airport, expansion of the transit system, and development of the Centennial Trail. In order to consolidate these past transportation investments and set the stage for future success, our community needs to work together to develop a plan for long-term improvements. This involves creating a regional vision that coordinates ongoing efforts and identifies strategies for achieving that vision. This process will enable the region to compete more effectively for state and federal funds, which in turn improves the economic and environmental health of the entire region.  The success of this project is dependent on public input. Project staff would like to know what problem areas members of the public see when it comes to transportation, their ideas for fixing those issues, and what they would like to see down the road. Is light rail or high speed transit the way you would like to get to work in the future? Or would you prefer to ride your bike there through a system of bike trails and lanes? Maybe you just want something simple, such as for the North Spokane Corridor to be completed in a timely manner. Whatever your ‘vision’ is, SRTC wants to hear it. There will be a series of workshops and public meetings hosted throughout the duration of the Transportation Vision Project, plus other opportunities to submit your comments and thoughts. To find out how you can be involved, log onto SRTC’s new Transportation Vision Project website at www.spokanetransportationvision.com/index.php. The interactive format of the site allows for the exchange of information about the project and related events. You can sign up to receive updates via email and Twitter, participate in project events, post comments, and link to the Spokane Vision Project Facebook page. The Spokane Transportation Vision Project is expected to be complete by the end of 2010.