As a part of the Sanibel Plan update underway by the city, the Committee of the Islands\u2019 (COTI) Transportation Committee has submitted recommendations for updating the transportation element.<\/p>\n
The COTI reported that in sharing the recommendations, its committee\u2019s intent is to promote useful changes in the updated plan and encourage island residents to engage with the important process.<\/p>\n
As part of its section-by-section review, the committee submitted recommendations for the \u201cBackground Discussion\u201d and \u201cGoals, Objectives and Policies\u201d sections. They include:<\/p>\n
\u2013 Data used, in many cases, are old and inaccurate reflections of current conditions and so incomplete that they preclude addressing key questions.<\/p>\n
\u2013 The plan must consider a broader range of travel options and find strategies to reduce automobile use.<\/p>\n
\u2013 The resilience of both the roads and adjacent shared-use path segments should be evaluated simultaneously.<\/p>\n
\u2013 We should experiment with and assess small changes in the operation of specific segments of our road network as the basis for future planning.<\/p>\n
\u2013 There is an ongoing and urgent need to develop a transit system, including a community circulator service.<\/p>\n
The COTI reported that additional recommendations stressed the importance of encouraging environmental sustainability, with transportation being the largest contributor to climate-warming air pollution in Florida. Thus, the plan should reduce the need to travel by vehicle on the island and promote lower-polluting and group forms of transportation.<\/p>\n
To view the complete recommendations submitted, visit www.coti.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n For more information, contact committee Chair Bill Millar at wmillar106@gmail.com.<\/p>\n