CAMPO close to finalizing capital area pedestrian and bicycle plan
Jefferson City and the surrounding area will soon have a plan on how to increase safety for pedestrians and bicyclists.
The Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, or CAMPO, has been working on the plan since April 2015.
Since then, CAMPO has taken input from 20 different entities or organizations and the public.
One last open house is set for this Thursday from 3:00-6:00 p.m. at city hall. The plan could finally be approved shortly after that, according to Jefferson City Transportation Planner Alex Rotenberry.
From 2006 to 2013, there were 121 crashes involving pedestrians or bicyclists in the surrounding area.
Most recently, ABC 17 News reported a man was hit by a car last month at the intersection of Highway 50/63 and Missouri Boulevard.
The Capital Area Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan is looking for ways to make it safer for those pedestrians and bicyclists.
“Small cities, large cities, I think we’re all starting to realize that we need to start thinking about more than just the automobile,” Rotenberry said.
This summer, CAMPO conducted a safety assessment of pedestrian, bicycle and transit access along Missouri Boulevard. You can see ABC 17’s report on the findings of the assessment here.
But the assessment was just one small part of the all-encompassing plan.
Rotenberry said sidewalk improvements is one of the area’s biggest needs.
“The core of the city has sidewalks available, and many of them are in pretty good shape,” Rotenberry said. “But as you get further and further away from the core downtown area… you’ll find that there are fewer and fewer pedestrian infrastructure available, and of that even less ADA accessibility.”
Jefferson City recently added bike lanes along Bolivar Street along with a regional wayfinding program.
The CAMPO plan includes finding more ways to make bicyclists feel safer on busy roads.
“We’ve been talking a lot about implementing some sort of on-street signage, painting bike lanes if we can to make people feel safer,” Rotenberry said.
More than 250 people have given input on the plan so far, according to Rotenberry.
You can view the full draft of the Capital Area Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan here.
