The county's long-range transportation planners are going high tech to get public input on what improvements need to be made in the next 20 years. The Metropolitan Planning Commission is holding a series of meetings throughout the county using what it calls a visual preference survey to see what people think. The survey takes local photos and enhances them with computer simulations to show possible future transportation alternatives. Respondents will be asked to rate each picture on what they think is the best way for the county to improve the movement of people and goods. The MPO compiles a long-range transportation plan listing all major road, public transit, bicycle, pedestrian and other projects to be built in the next 20 years based on predictions of available funds and projected traffic and travel problems.
Federal law requires it to be affordable, or tied to realistic funding forecasts.
It also requires local boards to update the plan every five years. The current update will extend the plan to 2025. The meetings will end by June. Clarendon said the MPO staff will then tabulate the results. At the same time the MPO is seeking public comment, it is also doing a technical analysis, including computer traffic projections.