A view of riders boarding a Bloomington Transit bus.
(Adam Pinsker, WFIU/WTIU News)
Balanced transportation plans and improvements to infrastructure are two of the top priorities for citizens in Monroe County.
The Bloomington-Monroe County Metropolitan Planning Organization policy committee approved a plan Friday that maps out transportation goals for the next two decades with additional public feedback gathered throughout last year. The committee gathered online survey results from 206 citizens throughout Monroe County.
Those citizens say they want to see all forms of travel, including vehicles, bikes and public transit, prioritized in transportation plans. They also prefer maintaining and improving current transportation facilities over expansion.
The online survey data, provided by the committee, shows 44 percent of citizens felt safe on public transit, 16 percent felt safe while cycling, and 73 percent felt safe walking.
Survey data also revealed what conditions would encourage people to walk, bike or use public transit more often:
People would walk more if there were improved sidewalks, more trails and safer pedestrian crossings
People would bike more if there were more protected bike lanes, more trails, and better-connected networks
People would use public transit more if there were reduced trip times, increased bus frequency, and more convenient stops
The online survey results also show people prefer affordable housing closer to transportation services to incentivize walking.
The committee plan also includes a list of planned metropolitan transportation developments (estimated cost included):
College Avenue and Walnut Street Corridor Improvement Project – Phase 1 - $7,200,000
College Avenue and Walnut Street Corridor Improvement Project – Phase 2 - $7,00,000
High Street Intersection Modernizations and Multiuse Paths - $6,400,000
North Dunn Street Multiuse Path - $3,500,000
The plan also includes projects labeled “illustrative”, which are long-range plans not currently built into the program. An estimated cost is included for some illustrative projects:
East Third Street and East Atwater Street corridor redesign - $40,000,000
East Tenth Street corridor redesign (Walnut to State Road 45/46) - $25,000,000
South Curry Drive corridor redesign (Constitution Avenue to West Fullerton Pike) - $30,000,000
Kirkwood Avenue corridor redesign (Adams Street to Indiana Avenue) - $15,000,000
The plan next goes to the Indiana Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration and Federal Highway Administration for review.
