Multi-Modal Transportation Plan

The Evanston Division of Transportation (EDOT) kicked off the development of the City's first ever Citywide Multi-Modal Transportation Plan (MMTP) in February 2008.

Since then, an extensive effort has been underway to gather information about the existing physical conditions of the transportation system and concerns of the residents and City staff.

Related Documents

 Multi-Modal Transportation Plan

 Public Meeting #1 Minutes

 Public Meeting #2 Minutes

 Public Meeting #3 Minutes

Already completed

Community Survey

A community survey was conducted to help direct the Transportation Plan.

 

Questions about pedestrians, bicycles, transit, roadway, parking, funding, policy, and programs were included in the survey.

Sidewalk Assessment

Approximately 30 volunteers dispersed throughout Evanston to survey the conditions of the sidewalks. The results of the two-month exercise will be used to prioritize the needs for sidewalk improvements throughout the City. Also a part of the sidewalk assessment process, a survey was sent to school principals to learn about their particular concerns.
Focus Groups

Focus group meetings discussed topics including parking, transit, pedestrian, bicycle, roadway, alley, health/disability, and sustainability.

 

Overview of the MMTP

The MMTP will provide individual, yet integrated, modal plans, policies and programs for transit, pedestrians, bicycles, parking and roadways and will result in a long-range capital plan with funding strategies that will serve as a blueprint for future investments into the transportation system.

The consulting firm of T.Y. Lin International of Chicago, Illinois, will assist in developing the plan. T.Y. Lin International assisted the City in developing the Citywide Bike Plan in 2004.

The consultant team has begun pedestrian and traffic counts and a parking inventory and utilization study of commercial areas. An analysis of transit service is underway. A sidewalk condition assessment, which will be conducted by volunteers, will begin in early June. Pedestrian travel is an emphasis of the planning effort. A survey was sent to school principals to learn about their particular concerns.

Through an extensive public involvement process, the MMTP will address emerging land use and transportation issues including: fully integrating land use with transportation policies and planning, fostering environmentally sustainable practices, prioritizing transportation improvements that strengthen the connections between individual modes of transportation, and maximizing the use of new transportation technologies.

The transit component of the MMTP is funded through a grant from the Regional Transportation Authority's (RTA) Regional Technical Assistance Program (RTAP). RTAP was launched by the RTA in 1999 to offer municipalities funding for projects that increase transit usage and multi-modal connectivity, improve access and circulation in and around transit facilities, promote pedestrian and transit-friendly environments, and develop local transit options.

The City's Strategic Plan calls for the development of the MMTP to identify disconnects in the transportation system, develop strategies to make solid modal connections and provide a more balanced overall transportation system.

The MMTP will include a review of several long-standing transportation policies, programs and opportunities including the potential for developing a Comprehensive Sidewalk Improvement Program, Safe Routes to School Program, Citywide Parking Plan, Truck Route Network Signage Plan, Traffic Calming Toolbox for Pedestrian Crossings, "green" alley Paving Program, and Transit Coordination and Improvement Plan.