Greenville NC Urban Area MPO Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan

Rocky Mount NC Pedestrian Master Plan Steering Committee Kick-off Meeting March 9, 2011

Introductions

The meeting began with introductions of all Committee members. The Committee members in attendance were: Bob League, CRM Ivo Dernev, NCDOT David Griffin, CRM Andy Holland, CRM Ann Wall, CRM Archie Jones, CRM Dale Smith, CRM Todd Gardner, CRM Jimmy Eatmon, NCDOT Steve Yetman, CRM

The Consultants in attendance were: Matt Hayes, Alta/Greenways Jason Reyes, Alta/Greenways

Alta/Greenways Presentation

Matt Hayes of Alta/Greenways gave a presentation discussing the scope of work and planning process. He described the different tasks of work that would be conducted over the next few months, including existing conditions analysis, fieldwork, public involvement, pedestrian network development, design guidelines, implementation guidance, and the final plan.

Existing Plans to Review  CRM Comp Plan (Online)  CRM Parks and Recreation Plan (Hard Copy - Email David)  Bicycle Plan (Online)  Collector Street Plan (Online)  Land Development Plan (Municode, Appendix A)  Raleigh Road Corridor Plan (Email Ann, she noted this one as important)  Small Area Plans (Email Ann about the Northern Connector Plan/Land Use Plan, Sunset Ave Plan, and ask if there are other relevant small area plans)  Community Transit Service Plan by Tar River Transit (Hard Copy)  LRTP (Online)  Sidewalk Priority List & Intersection Improvement List (Email City Engineering)  Traffic Management/Traffic Calming Policy (Email City Engineering)  Main Street Streetscape Plan (Both sides of RR from Thomas to Nash - Email Public Works)  Parks & Rec Greenway Grant from CMAQ (Already awarded - E-mail Dale about this and other ongoing greenway efforts that are not in current plans)

Visions, Goals, Objectives Session

Jason Reyes of Alta/Greenways led a discussion on visions, goals, and objectives for the planning process. He recorded comments on flipcharts. Comments from Committee members included:

 Simple overarching vision: We want to see more people walking more.  Make the city a more friendly environment for walking  People should not have to drive to the locations where the walk, such as parks and trails - they should be able to walk from home.  Inner-city neighborhood residents do not have access to vehicles; the plan should focus on serving the walking needs of under-served areas.  Sidewalk development should become an integral part of development itself. The current UDO policy says one side only; there needs to be an incentive to build on both sides.  Every transit user is a pedestrian at some point in their trip; there needs to be better pedestrian access to bus stops, especially in lower income areas where transit and walking are primary elements of daily transportation.  Pedestrian crash data and worn foot paths can direct the plan to where improvements need to be made for walking.  The plan should have an educational component for SRTS that includes close coordination with the school system.  Emphasize safety at railroad crossings.  Walking for transportation may increase with increases in oil prices; this plan may help the City be better prepared.  Increased health and fitness is an important goal of this plan.  Explore regional trail opportunities with neighboring jurisdictions.  Tie walkability into overall sustainability, especially in the context of current regional efforts for sustainable development.  Explore park and ride opportunities, especially from major employment centers just north and east of the CRM.  Overall connectivity for pedestrians is an important overarching goal.  NCDOT perspective is that this plan will help them know what to aim for in terms of pedestrian infrastructure improvements. Public Input Discussion Committee members discussed opportunities to receive public input. Mr. Hayes discussed the fact that it is often more successful to conduct workshops at events (intercept method). It was tentatively determined to use the following approach:

Public Input Session #1: Ped Plan Booth at Downtown Live (1st Thursday in May, from 5-8 PM). Alta/Greenways will have a booth with public input maps, comment forms, and newsletters to collect input and offer outreach for the plan. For the same day, at 4 PM, Archie will help coordinate a meeting with the neighborhood group presidents. Alta/Greenways will send some basic questions to Archie for distribution to the presidents in advance of the meeting so that they can come prepared to discuss the pedestrian needs of their neighborhoods.

Public Input Session #2: July 3rd Celebration (on a Sunday). Alta/Greenways will have a booth with draft plan maps, comment form results, and a second newsletter to collect input and offer outreach for the plan.

Both sessions and the online comment form will be publicized with flyers, press releases, and the assistance of the CRM public information officer.

Finally, Ann Wall suggested we ask Megan Hinkle, the CRM public information officer, to spread the word about this project. Megan sends a monthly newsletter and handles a Facebook page. This will be an excellent way to get word out through her.

Map Work Session Committee members gathered around an existing conditions base map to identify key pedestrian destinations and areas and locations in need of pedestrian improvements. Some notes from this discussion include:

 Consultant to do a gap analysis of existing sidewalk network  Many intersections were identified as being important to consider for improvements  Destinations, including grocery stores, were identified on the map as being places many pedestrians travel to.  Steve Yetman to provide a list of sidewalks under construction or set for CMAQ funding; Steve also has a list of intersections where countdown signals are recommended; Steve also has a plan for intersection improvement at Buck Leonard/Forest Hill  Consultant to get TIP list off MPO website  David discussed the fact that the City owns much of the FEMA floodplain along the Tar River  The Goldrock area, even though it is on northern edge of town, is important because there are many hotels/restaurants with pedestrians crossing the road, especially at NC 4 and Goldrock Road.  Al Gillikan to provide bus stop GIS data (which he is currently finishing)

Next Steps

Committee Members -Steve Yetman to provide sidewalk projects, intersection improvement projects, etc. -Ann Wall to determine which small area plans to provide to consultant (based on relevance) -Committee members to help provide some of plans listed above. -Committee members to review the online comment form and give comments back to Bob League within one week. -Committee members to spread the word about the project and get friends, neighbors, and colleagues to complete the online comment form. -Committee members and Consultant to be in touch with Megan Hinkle about spreading the word. -Bob League and Consultant to finalize public workshop in May. Archie Jones to set up meeting with neighborhood presidents.

Consultant -Alta/Greenways to begin their existing conditions analysis by collecting and reviewing existing plans, collecting final GIS data, and conducting fieldwork over the coming two months. -Alta/Greenways to make website links active for online comment form and Facebook. -Alta/Greenways to formulate a vision statement and list of goals/objectives based on Committee input. -Alta/Greenways to update mapping based on Committee input during map exercise.