Long-term Columbus, Phenix City transportation plan underway. But what does public want?

Reality Check is a Ledger-Enquirer series digging deeper into key issues and focusing on accountability. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email mynews@ledger-enquirer.com .

The clock is ticking for Columbus and Phenix City residents to add input to the regional Metropolitan Transportation Plan that will set a priority for mobility and transit projects over the next five years.

Only 33 people had contributed 89 comments as of Thursday on an online, interactive map with ideas to improve transit throughout the Columbus and Phenix City region. The comments include suggestions on where bike lanes should be, areas where residents would like to see safer pedestrian crossing, or where they might want a “Welcome to Columbus” sign. The user-friendly map was published at the end of June.

Atlanta-based company Pond & Co. won the Master Transportation Plan bid for $373,684 and is working on the 2025 plan alongside Columbus Planning Director Will Johnson and a myriad of stakeholders. The finalized plan will extend long-term steps to 2050, guiding Columbus’ transportation and mobility priorities.

Kat Onore, the planning operations director at Pond who is managing the map and the dedicated website for the master plan, is hoping for more public weigh-in. The option to give input will cease “sometime at the end of August.”

The plan update is required every five years by the Federal Highway Administration, as the agency recognizes updates are created through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, a trillion-dollar bill putting money into U.S. transportation and infrastructure. The five-year time frame allows for changing demographics or land use changes to be accounted for.

“The new laws from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law emphasize connecting bike lanes and transit to affordable housing,” Onore told Columbus City Council on Tuesday while presenting the latest project milestones.

There is a heightened emphasis on climate, resilience and equity, thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law which influences requirements for the Federal Highway Administration.

The Justice40 initiative will seek to ensure at least 40% of the overall benefits from certain federal investments into infrastructure go to disadvantaged communities, delivered through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

“There is also a focus on safety, a prioritization of complete streets to accommodate all users, and an emphasis on web-based outreach techniques,” Onore said.

With much to consider as Pond & Co. and the Planning Department make this transportation plan, Onore said stakeholders and public weigh-in help prioritize needs and wants before they deliver the final plan to the Federal Highway Administration in the fall.

“Having good public input makes our jobs a lot easier,” she said.

The signed-off plan by the Federal Highway Administration is due Dec. 16, and the federal agency needs a 30-day review period.

“This (timeline) is one of the reasons why next month is so crucial to have any possible projects added to the draft document,” Johnson said in an email.

But the communication channels the city has used haven’t brought in a lot of attention.

The only way the public can find out about meetings or adding comments to the map is through the Columbus Communication Department’s newsletter.

Teasha Hollis, director of communications and community affairs, said she has not sent a newsletter with this information yet because she is “just one person in the department, but plans to by the end of the week.”

She sent a news release to members of the media and city employees on June 26. Additionally, she posted to the Columbus Consolidated Government Facebook page on June 26 , where about 5,600 people would see the release. She added, the media releases are also on the home page of the CCG website .

Hollis said “not many” people are signed up for the city’s newsletter.

A chance for crucial change

Dozens of projects that are either planned or under construction will add sidewalks and bike lanes to Columbus because of the 2045 transportation plan that was crafted in 2020.

University Avenue, Buena Vista, Steam Mill Road, Whitesville Road, and South Lumpkin will have complete streets, meaning they will have safe, accessible, and convenient streets for walking and biking. These were funded by the 2022 TSPLOST and in the 2020 plan. The Transportation Local Option Sales Tax taxes a penny on the dollar to fund road projects and gives money to the city immediately.

“To give you an idea of how important this 2050 MTP project is, almost every 2022 project that is in the TSPLOST referendum was pulled out of the 2045 MTP,” Johnson said to Columbus City Council on Tuesday.

This is adding more bike lanes to a city that earned a 24 and a 20 out of 100 on engineering and equity/accessibility from the American League of Bicyclists scorecard . Additionally, only 31% of Columbus roads have sidewalks, according to recent reporting .

“There are a lot of roadways with public transit that don’t have sidewalks and don’t have frequent crosswalks,” Onore said. “Crossings are half a mile or more apart. A lot of those corridors are the ones we’ve prioritized complete street improvements.”

The map does not have a label to add bus or public transit comments.

Onore said she has not had conversations with METRA, Columbus’ Transportation Agency. Right now METRA bus ridership hovers around just 1% of the population , 1,500 average daily riders.

METRA and PEX, Phenix City public transit, are part of the technical team for the transportation plan. The technical team is one of the stakeholder groups that Pond & Co. meets with.

Adding bike lanes, walk lanes and enhancing public transportation accessibility help the triple threat to the public: climate change, air pollution and inactivity.

The transportation sector is a significant contributor to both climate change and air pollution, while also influencing physical activity levels through urban design and infrastructure. Researchers found that incorporating “active transportation” can help reduce this triple threat that the environment and public are facing.

Pond & Co. will host an open house on Aug. 1 at 5 p.m. in the Columbus Public Library to discuss public input thus far.