Speak Up Now for Complete Streets: Needs Assessment for Monterey County

Update:  For Marina-Salinas multimodal corridor info on the TAMC website, click here. Sign up for their email list so you won’t miss such things as the Feb 5-6, 2014 workshops held at CSUMB and the National Steinbeck Center.

COMPLETE STREETS

NEEDS ASSESSMENT FOR MONTEREY COUNTY 2013

Bicycling Monterey has talked about Complete Streets in the past, and now it’s your turn to talk about Complete Streets: Let TAMC know what is needed in Monterey County.

Why Complete Streets

Complete Streets are roadways designed to meet the needs of all users regardless of age, ability or mode.  The major benefits of complete streets projects are enhanced safety, better transportation options for non-drivers, and improved air and water quality [as City of Monterey points out]. Complete streets are also associated with higher real estate values, economic sustainability and enabling physically active lifestyles.

Complete Streets Needs Assessment

The Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC) is in the process of conducting a Complete Streets Needs Assessment for Monterey County to identify potential complete streets projects and inform the development of the 2014 Regional Transportation Plan and Sustainable Communities Strategy. [Need ticklers to remind you about challenging areas? See photo notes below.]  The assessment will focus on corridors within each priority area identified by the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments/ AMBAG:

Carmel-By-The-Sea	Fort Ord Reuse Area	Marina	Salinas
Castroville	Gonzales	Monterey	Sand City
Chualar	Greenfield	Pacific Grove	Seaside
Del Rey Oaks	King City	Pajaro	Soledad

 Needs Assessment Timeline

Get Involved!

TAMC has limited time to collect data and as such, our efforts will be focused on one, two or three corridors per priority area.  In order to ensure we have captured corridors that are significant in terms of existing and future transit [think MST “bike-and-ride“], bicycle and pedestrian safety and access, please provide the following feedback:

• Greatest barriers to bicycling and walking in your community and gaps in sidewalks and bicycle infrastructure
• Examples/pictures of existing complete streets in your community and what features you like about the street
• Ideas for complete streets projects

For more info, see “Bike Salinas: Tell TAMC where street improvements are needed.”

Next Steps

In March/April, TAMC will work with jurisdictions to begin drafting complete streets policies that can be adopted into city general plans to bring them into compliance with California Complete Streets Legislation (AB 1358).

In April/May, TAMC will seek input on the development of complete streets guidelines which will be a useful tool for evaluating and implementing complete streets projects in Monterey County.

Contact Us

Ariana Green, Transportation Planner

Transportation Agency For Monterey County

831-775-4403 Ariana@tamcmonterey.org

Thanks to Ariana Green for providing the guest post above.

About the photos in this post

CARMEL – Above: Children are learning their street skills under Mom’s close supervision. While many people enjoy Biking Carmel, there’s much room for infrastructure improvement in Carmel-by-the-Sea and surrounding areas, as Velo Club Monterey member Alex Cappelli and others have pointed out.

CASTROVILLE – Below (1): Castroville is Monterey County’s second oldest city, and it is 88.4% Latino/Hispanic. Savvy touring cyclists know Castroville makes a great stop–including its places that give discounts to cyclists. And of course, Castroville bursts at the seams during its annual Artichoke Festival. But what else do residents know? Did you know that more kids skateboard to school in Castroville than bike or walk? That’s the buzz from people most in the know:  Castroville librarians! Learn more about biking in Castroville; click here.

SALINAS – Below (2): Biking Salinas is one of Monterey County’s best-kept tourism secrets. Beyond the National Steinbeck Center, Steinbeck House, and dozens of HER Helmet Thursdays spots, there’s much more:  Ninety-five miles of connected bikeways, which include many wide, flat streets. There are diverse neighborhoods to explore by bike, with lots of friendly people and locally owned businesses.  And many Salinas residents are eager for more complete streets–a ciclovia/open streets proposal is among the ideas being promoted. Participants at Salinas Bike Party, a courteous social bike run, are among the many people who know that in Salinas, it’s great to get on a bike and have fun! For more on Complete Streets input for our county seat, see “Bike Salinas: Tell TAMC where street improvements are needed.”

SEASIDE – Below (3): Seaside has the highest number of bike commuters in Monterey County. Yet many residents–especially parents traveling with children–don’t feel comfortable due to lack of bike lanes. It’s challenging for some residents to bike to school, or even walk there, when streets are geared more to motor vehicles rather than pedestrians and bicyclists. The Transportation Agency for Monterey County wants to help improve that!

Bike Castroville

Bike Salinas

 Bike Seaside

For related news at Bicycling Monterey

• Look through the Local Bike News section.
• Find some related posts by typing “infrastrucure” in the search window.
• Feel free to contact Mari for help.
• Check out Bicycle Advocacy: What you can do!