The following is a list of the major tasks involved in the master plan process and a brief description of what each of these tasks will entail.
TASK 1 – DATA COLLECTION, INVENTORY AND REVIEW
The first task in the project will be to assemble existing bicycle and pedestrian facilities databases by collecting GIS data and maps from the MPO, local municipalities, FDOT and documents from local volunteer organizations within Lee County. The baseline data will be supplemented by ground-truthing in order to have an update and uniform existing conditions database.
TASK 2 – REVIEW OF BEST PRACTICES
An essential part of this project is assembling relevant national, regional and local information from various sources that provide a sense of context and connectivity for bicycle and pedestrian investments. This task will bring a broad national and state perspective to development of the plan, which will be complemented by the local policy framework, accomplishments and initiatives by the Lee County Department of Transportation and its municipalities.
TASK 3 – ENCOURAGEMENT AND SUPPORT OF BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN ACTIVITY
This task will involve a discussion of activities and strategies intended to encourage and support bicycle and pedestrian travel. It will start with a review of MPO objectives and policies to indicate what current strategies the MPO is pursuing to accomplish this objective. This includes current and future efforts to expand the existing network of bicycle and pedestrian facilities. Safety and education are key elements in the MPO’s efforts to encourage and support bicycle and pedestrian activity.
TASK 4 – DEVELOP A BICYCLE/PEDESTRIAN NEEDS PLAN
The challenges, needs and opportunities will characterize and frame the continued development of the countywide bicycle and pedestrian system through planning and development trends, community outreach findings, policy imperatives and funding.
A public workshop will be held to review the preliminary needs plan developed. Members from the public will be given the opportunity to provide input that will be used to revise, refine and finalize the needs plan.
TASK 5 – DEVELOP an ESTIMATE OF COST FOR A FEASIBLE PLAN/MASTER PLAN IMPLEMENTATION
The Consultant will develop a prioritization process that will be used to prioritize the Bicycle and Pedestrian Needs Plan project list; as well as, provide a methodology for the MPO to use in prioritizing the Bicycle/Pedestrian funding sources. This prioritization process will be vetted through the MPO staff and Project Advisory Committee (PAC) for approval.
TASK 6 – PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT AND COORDINATION
The Project Team will hold meetings and work sessions with the MPO, the Project Advisory Committee and the public.
An important component of the public involvement effort is the utilization of a Project Advisory Committee (PAC) this committee is comprised of MPO staff, current MPO TAC, CAC, BPAC members, representatives from various local municipalities and bike/ped advocacy groups. This group of community leaders will meet throughout the process and will provide feedback to the consultant team as the Master Plan is developed. Click here for a list of the PAC members.
TASK 7 – JURISDICTIONAL CONSISTENCY
The Consultant will make recommendations on how all agencies within Lee County should update their individual Bicycle/Pedestrian Master Plans to become consistent with the County wide multijurisdictional Plan. The Consultant will identify contrasts, discrepancies and conflicts between the various jurisdictions and will recommend options to resolve some of these issues. The consultant will make recommendations related to database consistency and how best to keep the baseline data collected up to date.
TASK 8 – DOCUMENTATION
The consultant will prepare a final report with an Executive Summary that provides a concise and visually appealing summary of the findings from each task, which clearly defines a countywide bicycle and pedestrian system.
