CORE MPO Solicits Feedback for 2050 MTP

The Coastal Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (CORE MPO) is in the process of developing the 2050 Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) for the Savannah metropolitan region. The 2050 MTP, called Moving Forward Together 2050, is a comprehensive “blueprint” for the Savannah region’s transportation improvements aimed at meeting mobility needs through the next 20+ years.

Public involvement is crucial in the 2050 Metropolitan Transportation Plan update! You are the transportation system users and all the decisions made will affect your everyday life. The CORE MPO need your input on updating the 2050 MTP. Your input will provide recommendations that reflect real world solutions to improve the overall quality of life for you and other residents in the region.

Surveys are now open in English, Spanish and Chinese. The survey should take approximately 10 minutes to complete, and responses will remain anonymous. The survey is split into multiple sections, covering roadways, bicycling, pedestrians, public transportation, equity, and resiliency.

Make sure to take the survey now, and share with your friends! The survey will remain open through Oct. 31.

A variety of public meetings will also take place to solicit feedback and give you the opportunity to speak directly with the CORE MPO transportation planners.

  •  September 12, 6 p.m. (In-person) First African Baptist Church, 23 Montgomery St, Savannah, GA 31401
  •  September 13, 11 a.m. (Virtual) https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86713926236
  •  September 19, 6 p.m. (Virtual) https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84940194921
  •  September 20, 5 p.m. (In-person) Effingham County Ga Administrative Complex, 804 S. Laurel St, Springfield, GA 31329
  •  September 20, 5:30 p.m. (In-person) Richmond Hill City Hall, CC Chambers, 40 Richard Davis Dr, Richmond Hill, GA 31324
  •  More public meetings coming in October!

Click here to take the 2050 MTP Survey!

Participate in the SR-21 Access Management Study!

The CORE MPO, in collaboration with the City of Garden City, is undertaking a State Route 21 Access Management Study from I-516 to Grange Road. The study will provide a vision for SR 21 and a set of recommendations to address the corridor’s operations and safety, and provide mobility improvements, streetscape elements, and increase economic development.
There are a few ways to join in the process!
ONLINE SURVEY
You can participate in an online survey by visiting www.surveymonkey.com/r/SR21Phase1 or texting “sr21phase1” to 833-382-1387.
VIRTUAL COMMUNITY MEETING
Tuesday, May 25, 2021 from 6-7 p.m.
https://bit.ly/2Q7foP8
Meeting ID: 954-4050-2374
Passcode: 983669
COMMENT ON THE INTERACTIVE MAP
Have an idea on how they can improve State Route 21 in Garden City? Use the online tools to add feedback or specific comments. https://wikimapping.com/SR-21-Access-Management-Study.html

Walk, ride your bike or take the bus to Parking Matters open house meetings on March 3 and 4

parkingmatters
The Parking Matters Plan is a collaborative effort between the CORE MPO, through the Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission and the City of Savannah. Public open house meetings will be held on Thursday, March 3, from 4-7 p.m. (Presentation at 6 p.m.) at the Holiday Inn Express, 199 Bay Street and on Friday, March 4, from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. (Presentation at Noon) at the Metropolitan Planning Commission, 112 E. State St.

Improving bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure is a key part of the Parking Matters plan, so please make plans to attend one of the meetings to emphasize the critical need for investment in safe facilities for walking and bicycling. It’s critical for leaders to hear from citizens who travel by bike. More information is available on the Parking Matters website.

Savannah Bicycle Campaign will give free bike light sets to anyone who arrives by bike, Healthy Savannah will give free pedometers to people who walk to the meetings, and Chatham Area Transit will have bus passes on hand for people who take transit.

The plan is intended to:

Identify the existing conditions with regards to parking supply and demand in greater downtown

Incorporate feedback and suggestions for improving existing parking and transportation mobility options in Savannah from members of the community

Develop strategies for Downtown Savannah’s parking and transportation system that bolster economic development, provide mobility options, and enhance the overall quality for life for residents, employees, and visitors alike.

Nov. 12 Victory Drive Corridor Study meeting will provide update on “West End Victory”

Screen Shot 2015-10-27 at 4.14.06 PMThe public is invited to a “West End Victory” Community Update on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 5:30 p.m.,  at A.E. Beach High School Cafeteria (3001 Hopkins St). The purpose of this event is to provide stakeholders an update of the progress made to date. A short update presentation will be followed by the opportunity for feedback and small group discussions.

In August the second phase of the Victory Drive Corridor Study began, concentrating on an approximate 0.8-mile focus area of the corridor between Ogeechee Road and Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, referred to here as “West End Victory.”

The Victory Drive Corridor Study is a multi-phase planning study that aims to preserve, revitalize and maintain Victory Drive’s historic commemorative landscape and prominence as a signature boulevard. Through a public-private collaboration, this study seeks to develop an implementable plan incorporating context sensitive solutions to balance the transportation and land use demands of a contemporary street.

For more information visit the Corridor Study page on the Coastal Region Metropolitan Planning Organization website.

Volunteers needed for annual “bicycle census”

newscycle1-1Over the next two weeks, the Savannah Bicycle Campaign and the Coastal Region Metropolitan Planning Organization conduct pedestrian and bicycle counts at locations in Savannah and elsewhere in Chatham County. The data gathered is critically important. We need volunteers to help gather this crucial information.

Jane Love, a transportation planner at the CORE MPO, said the information collected by citizen volunteers is used for a variety of purposes, including “before and after” comparisons that can identify changes in traffic patterns resulting from infrastructure improvements such as new sidewalks or bike lanes.

For example, Love said past counts revealed bike traffic on Price and Habersham streets suggest the Price Street Bike Lane “attracts some southbound trips off of Habersham Street but also attracts some new trips that weren’t captured previously in the selected count locations.”

Conducting counts can also reveal the presence of people on bikes and on foot in places where some may presume they are not likely to be, Love said. When new infrastructure is proposed, sometimes residents question the need by claiming they never see people walking or riding bikes, and don’t dare to do so themselves. Because of this tendency to underestimate bicycle and pedestrian trips “that are in fact occurring in spite of bad conditions,” Love said, data is helpful in ensuring that “decisions are not based on conjecture.”

The information gathered during the counts is also used beyond Savannah, through an effort called the National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project.

Volunteers receive instructions on how to conduct the counts, necessary forms and a SBC volunteer t-shirt. Sign up to count bicycles today!

Victory Drive Cooridor Study seeks input from public

Victory Drive Corridor StudyThe Victory Drive Corridor Study focuses on the preservation and restoration of the historic, commemorative landscape and incorporates contemporary, complete streets solutions while balancing the need for continued mobility.

Study documents may be viewed on the Coastal Region Metropolitan Planning Organization website. Comments may be submitted online or via email. The deadline for submitting is Nov. 21

For more information, email Denise Grabowski, project manager. The Victory Drive Corridor Study is conducted by the Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission on behalf of the Coastal Region Metropolitan Planning Organization.