The City of Grand Junction has completed the first two phases in the development of a citywide Pedestrian and Bike Plan and moves into Phase 3 this month with opportunities for the community to provide input on the draft plan. The city is seeking input through an online survey at GJSpeaks.org (scroll down to Phase 3) where there is also an opportunity to provide comments. In addition, city staff are hosting two meetings to gather additional input from the community. The first meeting is virtual on Tues., Feb. 21, 2023, from noon - 1 p.m. (check the city calendar for a link) with an additional Open House planned in-person at Lincoln Park Barn at 910 N. 12th St. on Wed., Feb. 22 from 5:30 - 7 p.m.
The Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan will provide a framework for the city on how and where to strategically make improvements and address gaps in the places people walk, roll, and bike, incorporating best practices in bicycle and pedestrian planning and design. This plan will also provide concrete, actionable guidance for the city to better implement its existing Complete Streets Policy.
In December of 2022, the city project team completed Phase 2 of the plan. The Network Plan Development included drafting the pedestrian and bike network maps, updating the Active Transportation Corridors, and developing recommendations for pedestrian and bicycle facilities. These documents lay the foundation of the draft plan and inform the vision, goals and objectives for implementing the pedestrian and bicycle network throughout Grand Junction. All of these documents are available for review on the city website.
Phase 1, the Community Outreach and Existing Conditions Analysis was completed last fall and included the selection of the 17-member Steering Committee comprised of community members. This was followed by a survey, numerous public meetings, and extensive opportunities for the community to participate and provide feedback online as well as in-person. The result of the comprehensive community outreach in Phase 1 was the Existing Conditions and Needs Assessment Report.
This project is expected to wrap up in April of 2023 with a final Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan that will be presented to City Council for adoption.