Planning Department

Memo

To:       Dave Corliss, Acting Lawrence City Manager

Craig Weinaug, Douglas County Administrator

From:  Bill Ahrens, Transportation Planner

Date:  May 9, 2006

Re:      Transportation 2030 Internet Forum

Federal regulations require that areas develop/update their mandated long-range transportation plans not less than every five years. The Lawrence/Douglas Co. MPO will be required to have a transportation plan in place by Sept., 2007. Transportation 2030 (T2030) will be the long-range transportation plan for Lawrence and Douglas County through 2030 and will identify future transportation investments for all modes of transportation—automobile, public transit, pedestrian, and bicycle transportation. The Lawrence/Douglas County Metropolitan Organization (MPO) is responsible for developing this plan, with input from local, state, and federal officials and the general public. The MPO chair designated a T2030 Committee to provide oversight and receive input for this effort.

Citizen participation is essential for developing any community’s long-range transportation plan and is also a requirement under federal regulations.  For past plans, Lawrence has relied on face-to-face public information meetings to obtain input.  We will continue to offer such meetings, but the T2030 committee also wished to add an internet forum as another way to hear from our citizens. Interested persons can access the internet forum at http://www.lawrence-t2030.org/ and read information of regional issues and posted comments or they can register and provide comments and input that will be used as the plan is developed.

Links to the forum are posted on the Lawrence Planning Dept. and Douglas County websites and will be added to the City of Lawrence home page as well. Following issuance of a press release and possible media coverage, T2030 hopes that public interest will be stimulated and input and discussion will be received through this new venue.