As part of an update to its Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), the Lebanon County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is asking residents to identify “specific location concerns” in the county’s transportation system.
Feedback can be provided through this survey, which, among other prompts, asks users to identify facilities in need of more funding, specific concerns, and reasons for traffic congestion and damaged roads, as well as submit any suggestions for how to improve these problems. (Spanish-language survey form)
In addition to the questionnaire, residents can use this WikiMapping site of the entire county to highlight both specific points and stretches of road that pose problems to drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. Users can also view and comment on problems already highlighted by other residents.
The MPO “encourage[s] you to participate in either or both – local input and knowledge is critical to ensure that the LRTP is representative of your vision for the future of Lebanon County’s transportation network.”
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The surveys are part of a few new techniques that the MPO has begun to utilize, which were previously unavailable as feedback options. In an email to LebTown, MPO Assistant Director Jonathan Fitzkee said, “The goal for us is to get as much feedback as we can on areas of concerns that can be utilized to help identify future improvement projects.”
All the feedback will be taken into consideration as the MPO updates the LRTP for the oncoming decades. Updates are required at least every four years by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and the LRTP must have a minimum horizon plan of at least 20 years, according to the MPO.
Here’s a link to the 2016 version of the LRTP (PDF).
Residents can keep tabs on the plan and updates on the LRTP website, as well as by attending public meetings as the process continues. The update process is expected to be complete by June of 2020, and a draft of the plan will be available for public review in the spring.
To contact the planning team directly for questions or comments, email them at ideas@lebanoncountylrtp.com. More material on the LRTP and other MPO projects can be found on the LEBCO MPO website.
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