Updating Smart Moves
BRINGING THE PLAN UP TO SPEED
In mid-2007, the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) began a comprehensive update to the Smart Moves plan in response to recent transit activity in the region and the community's desire for better public transportation solutions.
Updating the plan will strengthen a regional context for designing local transit options in the metro area. The update will happen alongside light-rail planning in Kansas City, Mo., and help identify new connections and services throughout the region. Major goals of the update are to:
- Coordinate with communities and transit agencies.
- Educate citizens and policy makers about the plan and the benefits of transit use.
- Engage the public in identifying priority service needs in their local communities.
Recent transit planning
A number of recent planning efforts need to be brought into the Smart Moves plan, including:
- Light-rail Alternatives Analysis underway in Kansas City, Mo.
- Creation of a community master plan for Wyandotte County.
- Johnson County Transit’s new Five-Year Strategic Plan.
- Nearly completed I-35 and I-70 Alternatives Analysis corridor studies.
- Bus Rapid Transit study of Troost Ave. in Kansas City, Mo., and State Ave. in Kansas City, Kan.
Involving the public
With the help of a grant from the Federal Transportation Administration, this fall MARC will conduct more than two dozen community discussions with citizens and local governments around the region through the innovative One KC Voice citizen engagement alliance. The early events will focus on identifying transit needs, and later ones will evaluate alternatives and solutions. This will help make sure Smart Moves reflects current public opinion and desires.
The public feedback will also be incorporated into the light rail Alternatives Analysis study the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority is conducting in Kansas City, Mo.
MARC expects to complete the updated Smart Moves plan by early 2008.