Road Zombies in Lee County: The Invasion of Bad Planning in the 2040 Long Range Transportation Plan

The Lee MPO is in the midst of developing the countywide 2040 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP),which sets the direction for the County's transportation future. Last week's discussion at the MPO's Citizens Advisory Committee meeting about the Tice Community's connectivity plan as an alternative to 4-laning Ortiz Avenue was a preview to the upcoming 2040 LRTP decisions overall. It was a reminder that if we do not remain focused on the MPO Board's agreed-upon goals and objectives and the good planning that went into the Board's adopted land use Scenario "C" we are at risk of falling victim to bad planning – the outdated and dangerous paradigm that single-mindedly pursues ‘lanes’.


By Dr. Margaret Banyan*

At last Thursday’s Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) meeting of the MPO I wondered whether I had wandered onto the set of the 1968 zombie movie, The Night of the Living Dead. In this cult classic, zombies are driven by the single-minded and relentless pursuit of ‘brains’. An equally formidable foe was at the CAC meeting: road planners whose sole goal is ‘lanes’.

At the meeting, the Tice Historic Community Planning Panel presented a well thought out community-led request to model a connectivity plan as an alternative to the multi-laning of Ortiz Avenue. The proposal, which has been vetted many times over the past three years, is to expand the community’s grid network and reduce the planned Ortiz to a smaller footprint. The many benefits of this include greater economic development, safer transportation, lower construction and life-cycle costs, and enhanced emergency access and hurricane evacuation.


Tice community complete streets vision for Ortiz section

It was this proposal that piqued the anxiety of road planners who countered with a discussion solely about moving cars quickly around the county. A relentless zombie-like paradigm of ‘lanes’ persists, despite that the explicit 2040 Long Range Transportation Plan’s goals are to shift to a safe, multi-modal, financially feasible, community-oriented, and connected system that enhances economic development and embraces non-automobile access to jobs, retail, recreation and other community amenities.

Something is seriously wrong. The fault may lie in our collectivity inability to consider a different approach. Instead we do what we’ve always done whether it works or not – in this case the well-worn approach is making decisions solely on traffic models. Even more concerning is the possibility that the LRTP goals and objectives have been hijacked and that the traffic model has once again become the single most important element of the LRTP. Our collective discussion ignored that out of a list of 7 goals and 10 objectives only 2 speak to traffic or congestion. The remainder of the LRTP goals reflect sound planning principles that provide transportation access at the lowest financial and human cost.

It was three years ago when I reported on the community’s approval and significant benefits of the Tice Connectivity Plan in a BikeWalkLee blog post. The alternative plan now makes even more sense when we consider its alignment with the 2040 LRTP goals and objectives. It is consistent with the MPO adopted Scenario “C”, it enhances safety, offers meaningful transportation choice, is financially feasible, is sensitive to the community character, it enhances economic competitiveness, it manages congestion, and it encourages quality growth. And if that is not enough, the alternative plan is a complete streets proposal. Given that Lee County, the MPO, and the Florida Department of Transportation all have complete streets policies and provisions, we should welcome such a project.

Thanks to the thoughtful deliberation of the CAC members, this alternative Tice Connectivity Plan will be modeled. However, even with this vote, the traffic model only has the capacity to measure 2 out of 17 criteria that should inform the 2040 LRTP.

We are in trouble if applying the goals and objectives of the LRTP is as problematic as it has been with the Ortiz Avenue and the alternative Tice Connectivity Plan. This experience is but a preview to the upcoming 2040 LRTP decisions overall. If we do not remain focused on the agreed-upon goals and objectives and the good planning that went into the development of Scenario "C" we are at risk of falling victim to bad planning – the outdated and dangerous paradigm that single-mindedly pursues ‘lanes’.

In zombie movies, the only survivors are those who are vigilant to danger and utilize good defensive tools. That is the case here as well. To stop the road zombie scourge and correct the mistakes of bad planning, the 2040 LRTP must maintain its vigilance and focus on its already agreed-upon goals and objectives – luckily these are tools that we already have at our disposal.

*Dr. Margaret Banyan is a BikeWalkLee Steering Group member, FGCU professor, Tice Historic Community Planning Panel Chair, and MPO Citizens Advisory Committee member.

Want to get involved? Apply to serve on MPO and Lee County advisory committees

 There are openings on several committees for citizens interested in getting involved in bike/ped and transportation issues--from the MPO's Bicycle Pedestrian Coordinating Committee (BPCC), the MPO's Citizen's Advisory Committee (CAC), the County's Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC), to the Fort Myers' Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Board (BPAB).  Here's your chance to make a difference in your community.  

(blog post updated on 12/17 to add Fort Myers BPAB)

MPO's Bicycle Pedestrian Coordinating Committee 

 The BPCC consists of the local and state agency personnel and citizens who are responsible for bicycle and pedestrian planning for their agencies. Based on the recommendations in the MPO's 2011 countywide Bicycle Pedestrian Master Plan, the BPCC bylaws were amended to expand the membership to include citizens and broadened the mandate of the committee.  The committee is now responsible for leading the implementation of the Master Plan, and is currently overseeing the implementation of the Bicycle Pedestrian Safety Action Plan (BPSAP), the TIGER grant complete streets initiative project, and will be updating the Master Plan, among other initiatives.  The committee coordinates local agencies' bicycle/pedestrian planning activities, reviews provisions for pedestrians and cyclists in state and federal-aid surface transportation projects, and advises the MPO on the development of the bicycle and pedestrian element of its transportation plan and the programming of bicycle and pedestrian facilities.

The committee meets monthly (forth Tuesday of the month at 10:00 a.m. in Cape Coral MPO office).  It reports directly to the MPO Board at each MPO monthly meeting.

There are two open seats for citizen members of the BPCC.  Interested individuals should apply directly to the MPO staff and the BPCC was make the recommendations to the MPO Board for approval. If you have questions, contact Ron Gogoi (MPO staff) or Dan Moser, the BPCC Chair.

A big thanks to Karen Solgard, a citizen member from Cape Coral for her service on the CAC over the past two years.  She came from MN and brought great ideas to the table.  Although she had to resign from the CAC due to the demands of her new job, we look forward to her continued involvement in bike/ped issues in Lee County.

MPO Citizen's Advisory Committee

  This committee consists of 24 appointed citizens who make recommendations to the MPO from the public's perspective on proposed long-range transportation plans, project plans, priorities for state and federal funding and other transportation issues. The MPO is now working on the Long Range Transportation Plan for 2040 so this is an excellent time to get involved. There are currently 5 vacancies on this committee, whose members are nominated by MPO Board members from the various jurisdictions.  This committee meets on the first Thursday of every month from 3-5 p.m. in the MPO office in Cape Coral.  If you're interested in serving on this committee, contact Johnny Limbaugh (MPO staff).  For more details, see the website. 

Lee County's Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee 

BPAC is an 11-member committee, appointed by the Lee County Board of County Commissioners, which evaluates and recommends bicycle and pedestrian facilities (bike paths, bike lanes, sidewalks, shared-use paths, etc.) to be built in Lee County.   There are currently four vacancies.  The committee meets every third Wednesday from 3-5 p.m. in the Lee County Public Works Building in downtown Fort Myers.  For more information, check out the BPAC webpage.  If you are interested in applying, contact Kim Kirton with Public Resources. 

So, don't just make a New Year's Resolution to become more engaged in your community, volunteer NOW to serve on a committee that is working to make Lee County more bike/ped-friendly, with complete streets and a more balanced multi-modal transportation system.

Fort Myers' Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board (BPAB)

Fort Myers Mayor Randy Henderson has an appointment open for the BPAB. 

The board is comprised of 7 members who serve 3-year terms by appointment by the City Council.  To qualify, the member should have knowledge in the area of bicycle and pedestrian patterns, and be a resident, work, own property or own a business in the city. BPAB meets every third Thursday of the month at 3 p.m. at City Hall.  If you're interested in serving on this committee, contact Anne Crowley.

MPO's Citizen's Advisory Committee letter re: pedestrian safety issues at Edison Mall

 Kudos to the MPO Citizen's Advisory Committee (CAC) for asking Simon Malls (who manages the Edison Mall in Fort Myers) to address pedestrian safety issues.

April 5, 2012

Simon Malls

To Whom it May Concern:

Our Citizen’s Advisory Committee (Citizen Volunteers that reside in Lee County) of the Lee County Metropolitan Planning Organization received a presentation on the new LeeTran Transit Transfer Facility located on the property of the Edison Mall in Fort Myers, Florida, and our Committee members expressed great concern for the safety of pedestrians having to cross the parking lot to walk from the Edison Mall facility to the LeeTran transit facility.  Our Committee members strongly recommend the following actions be taken:

  

 Edison Mall property manager Simon Properties construct improvements that enhance the safety of pedestrians traveling between the Mall and the LeeTran transit facility,

2.   

    That said improvements should include a signed and designated walkway protected from vehicles, with applicable designated crosswalks and ramps that meet the current requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA),

3.    

    That heat island effect should be reduced through the use of shade trees or other shade structures over said designated walkway,

4.    

c  That consideration is given to protect said designated walkway from other weather elements, specifically precipitation that occurs most afternoons from June through November.

Thank you for your consideration in this matter.

Rick Anglickis

CAC Chairman

cc:       Lee County MPO Board Members

            Steve Myers, LeeTran Director

Want to get involved? Openings on two MPO committees

 

 There are openings on two MPO committees for citizens interested in getting involved in transportation issues.  First, the Citizen's Advisory Committee (CAC) has openings for their Cape Coral and Sanibel seats.  If you're interested, contact the City Manager's office in the respective city. These seats are recommended by the City Council of the respective jurisdiction and then approved by the MPO Board.  Below is a description of the CAC:

Citizen's Advisory Committee

Consists of 23 appointed citizens who make recommendations to the MPO from the public's perspective on proposed long-range transportation plans, project plans, priorities for state and federal funding and other transportation issues.

Second, there is one open seat for a citizen member of the newly expanded Bicycle Pedestrian Coordinating Committee (BPCC).  Click here for our September post about this position.  Interested individuals should apply directly to the MPO staff and the BPCC was make the recommendations to the MPO Board for approval.  Below is a description of the BPCC:

 Bicycle Pedestrian Coordinating Committee

Consists of the local and state agency personnel and citizens who are responsible for bicycle and pedestrian planning for their agencies. It coordinates these agencies' bicycle/pedestrian planning activities, reviews provisions for pedestrians and cyclists in state and federal-aid surface transportation projects, and advises the MPO on the development of the bicycle and pedestrian element of its transportation plan and the programming of bicycle and pedestrian facilities.

If you have questions about either of these committees, contact Meghan Marion at mmarion@leempo.com.