Take the survey and share feedback on this key regional plan before May 30!
The Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) works at the regional level to guide the development and implementation of strategies related to major issues such as housing, economic development, and transportation. One of the main documents they use to guide their transportation efforts is the Connected KC 2050 Plan. As MARC explains, this federally-required document “serves as a blueprint for managing the region’s transportation system.”
MARC has been working over the last few months to update the plan so that it can help to guide the region’s transportation efforts for the next 25 years. They’re missing one more critical element: feedback from everyday people like YOU.
Click here to take the Connected KC 2050 Update survey.
The survey has only seven questions, but there are some elements you’ll need to know about to provide more effective feedback:
- Question 2 asks about “financially constrained” projects, or projects that need additional funding to move forward. You can see the full list of constrained projects by clicking here. Some of the key projects on this list that BikeWalkKC is watching closely include (with Project ID in parentheses):
- Noland Road Complete Streets (Project ID 1261)
- Rainbow Boulevard Complete Streets (Project ID 1456)
- Gillham Road Reconstruction (Project ID 1530)
- Metcalf Avenue from 75th to 83rd (Project ID 1342)
- Question 3 asks about “illustrative” projects, or projects that need something beyond funding alone in order to move forward. You can see the full list of illustrative projects by clicking here. Some of the key projects on this list that BikeWalkKC is following include (with Project ID in parentheses):
- Rock Island Trail Projects (Project ID 1712)
- University of Kansas Health System Mobility Hub (Project ID 1732)
It’s especially important that we fill out this survey by May 30 and urge regional leaders to prioritize walking, accessibility, biking, and transit. The more that MARC hears that these modes of transportation are important, the more policy elements, planning studies, and funding they will work to allocate for those modes. This will also play a critical role in shaping how MARC prioritizes active transportation under the current administration.
Surveys like this are a prime example of why we often say that advocacy is a contact sport; if we want our leaders to take more steps to create places for people, we have to get involved to make that message clear. Taking surveys like this helps BikeWalkKC to demonstrate to our region’s leaders that walking, biking, accessibility, and transit are priorities that deserve better policies, more dedicated planning, and increased funding.