Faculty and staff are invited to participate in a survey this month on nonmotorized transportation in Ames. The survey data will inform Walk Bike Roll Ames, a comprehensive plan to help Ames become a community where walking, biking and rolling are safer and easier for everyone, regardless of age or ability.
Scheduled for completion early next summer, the plan will have two key components:
- An overall plan, including policy, programming and projects, to improve walking (or rolling or skateboarding) and biking in Ames. This will include long- and short-term recommendations.
- Standards for wayfinding, including a robust sign series that helps people get to points of interest and common destinations.
The survey is open to people who live or work in Ames.
Walk Bike Roll Ames won't specifically address campus paths and roads, said campus planner Sarah Lawrence, facilities planning and management. But, as with many university-city shared interests, recommendations that integrate Ames and Iowa State transit plans with ease and create a seamless experience for users is the goal, she said. Via their roles with the Ames Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, Lawrence and other university staff are involved in the planning process for this comprehensive bicycle and pedestrian plan.
The city and Iowa State each have a sustainability plan with emission reduction goals, Lawrence noted. Improving the infrastructure to encourage broader use of nonmotorized vehicles is a strategy toward those goals.
Last May, the Ames city council hired Toole Design Group of Madison, Wisconsin, to assist city staff with developing the plan. The team will rely on outreach to the public throughout the project.
