‘Better Transportation’ in south Peoria approaches last stop
“Let’s Go! Better Transportation in Southside Peoria” enters final stages to creating action plan
PEORIA (25News Now) - The ride to better transportation on Peoria’s south side is approaching its last stop. The state-funded project is called “Let’s Go! Better Transportation in Southside Peoria” and is now in the final phase of creating an action plan.
The three-part project began in the spring of this year, starting with the discovery phase, analyzing the existing conditions, and creating a community vision for success.
The second phase occurred in the summer, surveying within the 61605-area code to determine possible action plan strategies. The last phase of this project is creating a report of the study’s findings and preparing a step-by-step action plan identifying the community’s challenges and areas of improvement.
Key takeaways from the summer survey revealed the most challenging trips are getting to and from the grocery stores and social outings and showing a more significant need for overall pedestrian accommodations. In fact, the survey showed 27% wished walking was safer and more available.
The report shows less than half of the participants in the survey have reliable access to a car. Participants also described challenges in travel delays, lack of reliable options, and the need for better infrastructure.
Peoria County Highway Engineer Amy McLaren explains the next steps following the survey.
“We hope to incorporate [the survey results] into recommendations moving forward. We want to improve the lives of the folks that work there, people that live there, we want to make it a better place, and if we look at transportation, maybe that’s a start in the right direction,” she said.
All of this will lead to a final report that will be shared stakeholders like the city government and Citylink, which is the city’s public transportation system.
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