Your Community - Community Master Planning

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The Transportation Plan

In order to use federal money to build or modify streets and highways, a community must have a Transportation Plan. It may be part of the Comprehensive Plan, but it often has so much detail and such an involved process that it's published separately. The plan may be done by the state (with local help), or by local planners in your town, city, or county. No matter who does it, call your local planning or public works department and ask how you can get a copy.

The Transportation Plan gives direction for street and highway projects that will happen in the future. Federal law REQUIRES these plans to have a bicycle and pedestrian section. This doesn't mean it has to be a really good section, but you will probably find some ammunition for your agenda. And, since these plans are updated regularly, you can work to make the NEXT edition better than the current one.

Big point: To get funded, transportation projects must be "consistent with" or included in the Transportation Plan. So, if you want to see bike lanes and sidewalks, the plan should at least say something about encouraging bicycling and walking.

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