Updates
Updates from 2/01/05
2/01/05 -- The SAC met on February 1, 2005 at 1:30pm at the SMTC to review the Draft Final Report. The SAC had minor comments that staff will address prior to mailing the draft to the Planning Committee for their review. The SAC plans to meet again in mid-February to review the PowerPoint presentation that staff plans to give to the Planning Committee on March 1, 2005.
1/01/05 -- Staff mailed the entire draft document of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan to the SAC on January 13, 2005 and a SAC meeting has been scheduled for February 1, 2005 at 1:30pm at the SMTC.
12/01/04 -- Comments received at the SAC meeting in October as well as via email have been fully incorporated into the draft recommendations chapters of the Plan. Staff is currently preparing and organizing the entire draft document so that it can be mailed to the SAC within the next month for their review and comment. After the holidays, a SAC meeting will be scheduled.
11/01/04 -- Staff has begun to incorporate into the draft recommendations chapters of the Plan the comments received at the SAC meeting in October and sent in to the SMTC through November. In the next few weeks, staff will contact the key member agencies involved in this study to ensure that they have no additional comments to share.
10/01/04 -- Staff held a Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan SAC on October 14, 2004 to discuss and obtain comments on the draft recommendations chapters of the Plan.
9/01/04 -- Staff distributed the draft version of the recommendations chapters of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan in late September and a SAC meeting has been scheduled for October 14, 2004 at 1:30pm at the SMTC.
Summer 04 -- Staff continued to work through the summer months on the development of the draft recommendations portion of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. Staff continues to distribute the second set of bicycle maps.
5/01/04 -- Several recommendation ideas and comments were received at the April 29, 2004 focus group workshop. All comments will be considered for inclusion in the recommendations chapter, and will also be included as an appendix in the final plan. Staff has begun distributing the recently arrived second set of bicycle maps to local bike shops, various member agencies and Onondaga County
libraries.
Updates from 8/30/01 through 4/01/04
4/01/04 -- SMTC staff is preparing for a focus group workshop, to be held on April 29, 2004. At this public workshop, stakeholders and SAC members will be invited to share thoughts and ideas relating to bicycle and pedestrian related recommendations.
3/01/04 -- The Study Advisory Committee (SAC) met on February 27, 2004 to discuss the draft Issues portion of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. The SAC also began brainstorming on possible recommendations for the final portion of the Plan.
2/01/04 -- The completed draft Issues portion of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan has been mailed to the Study Advisory Committee (SAC), and a SAC meeting has been scheduled for February 27, 2004.
1/01/04 -- The draft Issues portion of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan is nearly complete and will soon be distributed to the Study Advisory Committee (SAC).
11/01/03 -- Staff met with one of the SMTC's on-call consultants that specializes in bicycle and pedestrian planning activities, seeking assistance with the format and recommendations of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan.
10/01/03 -- Distribution of the Bike Map continues as many agencies are requesting a second supply of maps. In the development of the Issues portion of the overall Plan, the SMTC decided to engage the expertise of one of the SMTC’s on-call consultants that specializes in bicycle and pedestrian planning activities on a limited and short-term basis. The primary focus
of the consultant’s contributions to the Plan will be in helping to formulate the best way to articulate the varied issues relating to bicycle and pedestrian planning, as well as to assist in drafting recommendations. Once the staff has met with the consultant, the SMTC anticipates sending the draft Issues portion of the Plan to the SAC for their review and comment in October,
with Study Advisory Committee (SAC) and public meetings to follow.
Summer 2003 -- Bike Map distribution has skyrocketed over the summer months, as the SMTC has distributed 87% of the bike maps to date. The maps are proving popular at local bicycle shops and area libraries. An electronic version of the bike map is now available on the SMTC Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan website: www.smtcmpo.org/bike-ped.
The draft existing conditions data were shared with the public in late May, followed by a July 22nd focus group workshop to discuss and bring out broad-based bicycle and pedestrian issues in the MPO area. Approximately thirty citizens participated in this successful workshop held at the DeWitt Town Hall. Staff is currently drafting the issues sections of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan,
which we expect to share with the SAC and public in November 2003.
 6/01/03 -- A public meeting was held on May 28, 2003, at the Carousel Center Skydeck. The SMTC presented the existing conditions inventory, and solicited public input on bicycle and pedestrian issues, as it
prepares for the next phase of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan project. Over 40 percent of the Bike Maps have been successfully distributed to locations throughout Onondaga County and the City of Syracuse, including shopping malls, libraries, bicycle shops and parks.
5/01/03 -- The Greater Syracuse Bike Map arrived in early April 2003. The SMTC has received numerous requests for the Bike Map and will continue to distribute the map as appropriate. Following a press release issued by the SMTC, the Bike Map will be featured on the WSTM-TV3 noon news broadcast on Friday, 59/03. The draft Existing Conditions of the Bicycle and Pedestrian
Plan have been completed and will be presented to the Study Advisory Committee (SAC) on May 8, 2003. These same existing conditions will be presented to the public at a public meeting, slated for late May/early June.
4/15/03 -- The SMTC continues to participate in the SAFE KIDS Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee meetings. The group kicked off the "Spring into Pedestrian Safety" campaign on 4/7/03 at the Peanut Butter Nursery School in the Town of Geddes.
2/15/03 -- The draft Bicycle Suitability Map has been reviewed by the Study Advisory Committee (SAC), and was subsequently approved by the SMTC Planning Committee on 2/13/03. Staff anticipates a SAC meeting shortly to review the Existing Conditions portion of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan.
1/01/03 -- The SMTC anticipates the arrival of the first draft proof of the Bicycle Suitability Map by January 27, 2003, which will be immediately followed by a Study Advisory Committee (SAC) meeting to review the proof. Staff has nearly completed the draft existing conditions portion of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan, which will be presented to the SAC in January 2003.
 12/01/02 -- Staff continues to write the draft existing conditions portion of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. A fully completed Bicycle Suitability Map was transmitted to MapWorks, Inc. in late November. The SMTC will be
working with the professional mapping company in monitoring the final stage (print production) of this project. A final product is expected to be reviewed by the SMTC committees in January/February 2003.
11/01/02 -- The SMTC is working on the final layout of the Bicycle Suitability Map. A final review meeting of the Study Advisory Committee (SAC) has been scheduled for 11/21/02.
10/01/02 -- The SMTC has received the preliminary draft bicycle and pedestrian awareness survey results from Zogby International. Staff will be reviewing the findings while it awaits Zogby's final report, which is due at the end of October 2002. The SMTC will be holding a number of Study Advisory Committee (SAC) meetings in October, solely dedicated to reviewing portions of
the draft Bicycle Suitability Map. The SMTC is in the final stages of production and will soon be turning the product over to MapWorks, Inc. – a professional map production/printing company.
7/26/02 -- Zogby International has been chosen by the SMTC to conduct a Bicycle and Pedestrian Awareness Survey. This survey will enable the SMTC to determine the public’s awareness of bicycle and pedestrian safety, the public’s knowledge of the existing conditions of bicycle and pedestrian travel, and how often the public is currently utilizing these systems. Staff continues
to work with municipalities throughout Onondaga County on a sidewalk inventory and is currently receiving updated sidewalk maps with corrections from various municipalities within the MPO area.
6/14/02 -- The SMTC has begun inputting the information obtained through the sidewalk inventory activity into the SMTC GIS mapping system. MapWorks, Inc. has been selected by the SMTC to produce the final Bicycle Suitability Map. Staff is currently reviewing proposal responses received from survey/market research companies to work with the SMTC on the Bicycle and Pedestrian
Awareness Survey.
The Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan Study Advisory Committee (SAC) met on June 11, 2002, and was very pleased with the progression and overall direction of the Plan activities.
5/15/02 -- The SMTC continues to schedule and attend sidewalk inventory meetings with various municipalities throughout Onondaga County. Data entry for the Bicycle Suitability Map is complete. Work is progressing on a Bicycle and Pedestrian Awareness Survey, to be distributed throughout the Summer of 2002.
4/15/02 -- The SMTC created and launched a project-specific web site for its Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan activity (see web site address above). This web site will increase the exposure of the Plan, and also open up more opportunities for the public to participate and submit comments. The site will also provide the latest updates on the progression of the two-year Bicycle and
Pedestrian Plan. A Steering Committee, set up to develop a bicycle and pedestrian awareness survey, met in mid-March to discuss the content and design of the survey. The SMTC anticipates administering the awareness survey this summer. The SMTC staff has also been meeting with towns and villages throughout Onondaga County to inventory sidewalks throughout the
County.
3/10/02 -- The SMTC received considerable input from the community at the first public meeting for the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan, held on 2/7/02. Staff continues to work on the Bicycle Suitability Map, and is now organizing a separate group of interested SAC members to assist in developing a bicycle and pedestrian awareness survey.
1/15/02 -- The SMTC continues to work on the Bicycle Suitability Map. A project-specific newsletter,
In Motion
,
was created and produced in January 2002. This newsletter will be produced
on a quarterly basis to promote the planning activities of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan project, and to encourage public involvement. The project's introductory public meeting has been scheduled for Thursday, February 7, 2002, beginning at 6:30 PM, at LeMoyne Manor, 629 Old Liverpool Road, Liverpool, N.Y.
12/01/01 – The SMTC held its first Study Advisory Committee (SAC) meeting for the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan on Wednesday, November 7, 2001. The draft goals and objectives, project schedule and Public Involvement Plan were discussed. The SMTC expects to hold an introductory public meeting in early February 2002, at which the project will be formally presented to the
public.
10/16/01 -- Rating materials from volunteer bicyclists for the Bicycle Suitability Map portion of this project continue to come into the SMTC office. Staff members have determined which County roads will be rated for the next step in creating the Bicycle Suitability Map, and a volunteer meeting was held on 10/11/01 to discuss and explain the process for rating these roads.
9/28/01 -- The Scope of Work for this project was approved by the SMTC Planning Committee via mail-in vote on 9/10/01. Staff will be scheduling the initial Study Advisory Committee (SAC) meeting for the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan in the coming weeks (most likely to be held in early November 2001).
8/30/01 -- The SMTC has been active in beginning the data collection activity for the Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan's Suitability Map. This process has involved creation of maps and data collection handbooks to be utilized by volunteer cyclists in assisting the SMTC in rating selected road segments for bicycle commuting throughout Onondaga County (including the City of Syracuse).
For more information on the SMTC's Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan, email Project Manager Danielle Krol (dkrol@smtcmpo.org).
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