Memorandum

TO:	Craig Weinaug, Douglas County Administrator David L. Corliss, Lawrence City Manager Mike Press, Eudora Interim City Manager Chris Lowe, Baldwin City Manager Lynley Sanford, Lecompton City Clerk
FROM:	Todd Girdler, MPO Senior Transportation Planner Jessica Mortinger,  MPO Transportation Planner
Date:	May 10, 2013
RE:	3-part Multimodal  Planning Study underway for improved multimodal transportation

The Lawrence-Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), in coordination with the City of Lawrence, Kansas, kicked off the Multimodal Studies Project this spring. The goal of this planning effort is to identify and prioritize transportation needs for commuters, pedestrians, cyclists and transit riders for the next 5-to-10 years and develop a range of short and long-term improvements to support a more multimodal region. The planning process is anticipated to conclude by the end of 2013. A consultant team consisting of URS Corporation, Vireo, and Toole Design is assisting with the effort.

This summer the study team will seek input from the Douglas County community on the studies. The input will be blended with land use and transportation planning analyses and used to develop three transportation studies: Commuter Park-and-Ride, Fixed-Route Transit and Pedestrian Accessibility, and Countywide-Bikeway System Plan. The public will be asked to comment on existing conditions and concerns connected to the transportation system, such as obstacles to carpooling, riding the bus, and riding a bicycle for trips to work, school and other utilitarian trips in the region. 

The studies will be created simultaneously and describe a detailed vision for greater multimodal transportation opportunities in the Lawrence-Douglas County Region that are easy to use and accessible to all residents. The studies will outline policy changes, short-term capital improvement projects, and long-term improvement concepts that would contribute to making the vision a reality. Implementation of the studies’ recommendations will happen as funding becomes available. 

A public open house will be held on Wednesday, June 5 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Lawrence Union Pacific Depot (402 N. 2^nd Street) in Lawrence to discuss the Multimodal Studies. Members of the project team will be at the meeting to discuss the three elements of the multimodal planning studies. An online, interactive-mapping tool (additional information provided below) is now available at the MPO website and will also be available at the open house to allow attendees an opportunity to identify deficiencies, gaps, and other mobility issues.

Residents unable to attend the open house can use the online, interactive-maps to identify deficiencies, gaps, and other mobility issues within the region. An online map has been developed for each of the three multimodal planning elements which you can access by clicking on the following links. Once you have accessed the first map, you will be able to access the other maps within the program, or you can return to this page to access the other maps. The maps also allow registered users to review comments that other people have provided.

Countywide Bikeway System Plan: http://tinyurl.com/DouglasCoBike

Fixed-Route Transit & Pedestrian Accessibility Study: http://tinyurl.com/TransitPedAccess

Commuter Park & Ride Study: http://tinyurl.com/DouglasCoPark-Ride

For more information, visit the project web page at www.lawrenceks.org/mpo/study.