New statewide bicycle, pedestrian long-range plan begins

The Iowa Department of Transportation is seeking public input into the development of a new statewide plan for bicycle and pedestrian transportation at six public input meetings and online.

One of those meetings is in Fairfield, from 5-6:30 p.m. Nov. 12, at the?Iowa Department of Transportation?s District 5 Office?Materials training conference room.

IDOT is committed to expanding opportunities and further improving conditions for bicycling and walking across the state. The new Bicycle and Pedestrian Long-Range Plan is a major step forward for this effort.

This plan will build upon IDOT?s long-range strategy for multimodal transportation throughout the next three decades, Iowa in Motion ? Planning Ahead 2040.

The Bicycle and Pedestrian Long-Range Plan has three key objectives:

? Align with national best practices, including the federal transportation funding bill called Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century?  (MAP-21) and national guidelines for trail development.

? Develop a list of priorities to expand the trails system between and within cities.

? Help state and local agencies to put the plan in place by providing tools for funding and design.

Upon its completion, this plan will serve as the primary guide for statewide decision-making regarding bicycle and pedestrian programs and facilities, including sidewalks, trails, bike lanes, paved shoulders, and other trail elements.

It also will help achieve a better level of statewide coordination and continuity for all levels of bicycle and pedestrian mobility through regional, county, and city plans and programs.

In addition, this plan will serve an important role in improving safety for all road users, reducing crashes, and bringing Iowa closer to achieving the goal of zero fatalities on Iowa?s roadways.

A primary goal of this project is to engage citizens during the development of the plan.

Involvement can include following IDOT?s Facebook page or following @IowaDOT on Twitter, or visit the project website at http://www.IowaDOT.gov/BikePedPlan to sign up for project progress report emails.