Forward Pinellas determines what transportation projects should receive state and federal funding in Pinellas County with its long range plan, which identifies the major transportation needs for our communities. The plan is being revamped and Forward Pinellas wants residents to take an interactive survey to help change those plans.

PINELLAS COUNTY – Forward Pinellas creates a new Long Range Transportation plan every five years, and is in the process of developing that plan now.

Forward Pinellas determines what transportation projects should receive state and federal funding in Pinellas County with its long range plan.The plan identifies the major transportation needs for our communities and enables them to receive critical funding in the future – without inclusion in the plan, a transportation project cannot be eligible for this funding resource and may not be built.

Forward Pinellas research shows that if the community invests primarily in major roadway projects, future growth and redevelopment will concentrate in the areas with the best roadway infrastructure. Investing in roadway projects encourages land development to reinforce automobile travel, meaning more space is needed for parking, and walking, bicycling or using transit becomes more difficult. Rural areas will continue to develop, and agricultural lands may be lost.

If the county and region choose to invest in mass transportation projects, new growth and redevelopment tend to cluster around transit stations because people and employers value the access those stations provide, and many will be able to leave their cars at home (if they own cars at all) and take transit and walk to their jobs, retail and recreational destinations. A more developed transit network will preserve rural areas by focusing new growth in more compact, walkable places.

Making those choices and decisions is where Forward Pinellas says it needs residents’ help to develop recommendations about how limited regional resources should be spent and on what transportation projects  are important to residents. The responses you provide to this interactive regional survey will help Forward Pinellas develop a list of projects that will be considered for future funding and will help shape the way communities develop, and redevelop, for years to come. The results will help Forward Pinellas and other planning agencies develop the Tampa Bay area’s first tri-county plan.

Forward Pinellas | Transportation | Survey | Tampabay News

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