The Columbia Area Transportation Study Organization (CATSO) recently extended its existing Long Range Transportation Plan from 2030 to 2040. The plan will outline the future of Columbia’s transportation regarding current transit, alternative modes of transportation and non-motorized transportation for the next 27 years.
Mitch Skov is the senior planner for the Community Development Department of Columbia and a CATSO staff member. The plan is mandated by the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration, and Skov said it is vital to have a grasp on future transportation finances.
“We have a financial section with what we project to be the revenues available for transportation projects in the future, and we need to match that up with the projects we have listed,” Skov said. “This will potentially show that if these projects were to be done we do have the funding to actually accomplish them.”
Ian Thomas is the 4th Ward City Council Representative for Columbia and has noticed that one of the issues that need to be addressed by the plan is the bus system, which is underfunded and needs to be expanded.
“We really need to expand our public transit system in Columbia,” Thomas said. “The way we have our funding stream set up, we put about a third to a fifth as much public funding into our transit system as cities like Aimes, Iowa, Champagne-Urbana, Ill., and Lawrence, Kan. As I’m looking ahead at the long range transportation plan, I’m looking to see if there are ways we can structure in an expansion of the funding for our transit system over the next few years.”
Thomas said while an issue like this needs to be addressed, the current plan does have strong goals and objectives for the area.
“The goals for this whole area do place a strong emphasis on reducing the need for automobiles, increasing the diversity of transportation options, improving the bus system, accessibility for bicyclists and making neighborhoods and business districts more walkable,” Thomas said.
Columbia citizens will have the opportunity to give their input on what they feel are the city’s most important transportation needs. A survey will be open to the public until Nov. 22, when the city will look at the comments and prepare a public hearing draft to be reviewed by the CATSO Committee and the community on Dec. 5.
Citizens can view the draft at: http://www.gocolumbiamo.com/community_development/planning/boards_and_commissions/catso/2040%20LRTP/index.php.
The survey can be viewed at:
