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Smaller and Rural Community Transportation Planning

Do you live in a small town or rural area? If you do, the transportation picture can be murkier than it is for big cities.

There are no national rules on who gets to do transportation planning in small towns or rural areas. In some places, it's done by the State Department of Transportation; in others, these functions are taken care of by "Rural Planning Organizations" (RPOs) – local agencies created under agreements with the state. And in some places, decisions are made by local officials, particularly for local streets and roads.

As a rule of thumb, bigger decisions, especially those involving state-controlled routes, tend to be handled by the state, in "consultation" with local government.

To do: Find out how your area's transportation decisions are made by calling your city or county engineer. If there are formal rules established, ask for a copy. If not, ask how things "generally" work. Then start by getting copies of the minutes and agendas for local transportation meetings. Attend some of the meetings to get to know the players and how things work.

NOTE: In many small towns, the main street is a state highway. In this case, the state will have a great amount of say over what happens on it. So, for instance, if you want to get bike lanes striped there, you will probably have to convince the state's decision-makers in the district office. This can be more difficult than convincing local officials to do the striping. Start by contacting your state bike-ped coordinator. Use the state resources jump box in the left-hand column of this site.