01139014

Component

In Thurston County, Washington (238,000 population), the Thurston Regional Planning Council (TRPC) who serves as the region’s Metropolitan Planning Organization, believes that planning for paved shared-use trails in the face of growth pressure and rising fuel costs is not only practical, but a fundamental component of regional transportation planning. Historically TRPC has effectively asserted its leadership role in regional trails planning through both the financing of significant trail infrastructure and its role as a convener in regional bicycle transportation planning and most recently with the development of the Thurston Regional Trails Plan (adopted December 2007). The region’s policy makers recognize trails as public rights-of-way that serve both transportation and recreation needs while touting the intrinsic benefits that trail use can provide: reduced transportation energy demands, promotion of individual and community health, and the creation or restoration of greenways in suburban environments. As such, TRPC embarked on a multi-stakeholder and multi-disciplinary regional trail planning process that engaged community members, staff, and policy makers alike. Local governments invariably face challenges with financing, designing, and constructing shared-use trail projects. Sound engineering practices combined with proper landscape architecture and sufficient funds can deliver a nice asphalt path, but the path’s function is greatly enhanced if it effectively connects people with neighborhoods, parks, schools, retail centers, and if it integrates and transitions safely and seamlessly with sidewalks, bicycle lanes, transit, and the road network. Gaining and maintaining public support is critical for the visioning process in the development of a regional or community trail plan. The visioning process could be hampered if municipalities relegate the tasks of planning, financing, and constructing shared-use trails to parks and recreation departments with limited staff or expertise. Conversely, a public works department often does not consider trail amenities and may not fully appreciate the social and recreational value that people expect from parks and recreational trails. A multi-disciplinary approach to shared-use trail planning should attempt to include staff from such fields as transportation, parks and recreation, landscape architecture, public health, public safety, natural resources, and business and industry. This collection of disciplines can provide the much needed committee of subject matter experts to readily identify and resolve issues related to trail planning. This paper highlights the region’s role in planning for non-motorized transportation with a focus on the Thurston Regional Trails Plan. This paper summarizes both the challenges and opportunities that staff encountered while working with fifteen government organizations from local, state, and tribal governments that participated in the planning process. This paper presents the diverse interests and concerns of staff from a variety of departments. Most importantly, readers will learn how the Thurston Region’s Transportation Policy Board and a Regional Citizens Trails Advisory Committee were instrumental in shaping the plan’s vision, goals and policies, recommendations, and the proposed trail routes that comprise a potential trail network with 29 trail segments totaling 145 miles.

01138544

English

11p

2008

11th National Conference on Transportation Planning for Small and Medium-Sized Communities

CD-ROM

Figures; Photos; References (4)

Bikeways; Coordination; Metropolitan planning organizations; National parks; Outdoor recreation; Recreational facilities; Regional planning; Trails; Transportation planning

Thurston Regional Planning Council (Washington)

Shared use development

Thurston County (Washington)

Highways; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning

TRIS, TRB

Aug 24 2009 1:32PM