NORFOLK, Va. — Do you walk, bike, scooter or take public transit around Norfolk?
If you do, you’ll start to see some changes on your route based on the feedback you gave the city.
800 people submitted comments on what they want to see in the city's multi-modal plan.
"I was thrilled honestly with the level of interest and the feedback we received," said Amy Inman, Director of Transit. "Nobody knows their own needs like you do in your own neighborhood."
So, what does multimodal transportation mean?
It describes the movement of people by a variety of different modes – by car, bus, bike, walking, scooter, wheelchair, truck, train, ferry, airplane, barge, and more.
According to the city, in 2020, 25 people were killed in traffic related incidents.
On average, six pedestrians or bicyclists are killed in Norfolk each year.
Jessica Dimmick, the Consultant Team Project Manager, says the city's goal is to get those stats down to zero.
"It represents a shift in the city’s priorities. Instead of focusing primarily on moving as many cars as fast as possible, it has policies to make sure that our transportation decision put our most vulnerable users first."
Over the last two years, the city has received 800 comments from the public on where they want to see improvements.
Some of the suggestions that popped up were:
- More crosswalks
- More pedestrian signals
- More on street bike lanes
- Safer connections for bicyclists
- Better transit
- Reliable service
- Transit connections to major destinations
They say this list of projects represent over 160 improvements needed for multimodal living.
Some of the higher priority projects on the list include adding a pedestrian signal at the entry to Lafayette Park, adding sidewalks on Tidewater Drive and Widgeon Road to Easy Street and Lane repurposing on Hampton Boulevard Bridge with sidewalk widening and a buffered bike lane.
The plan also includes traffic signal upgrades and bus shelter additions and improvements around the city.
"To make it so that walking, riding a bicycle or scooter or taking transit are safe and easy," said Dimmick.
As for how these projects will be funded, some already have the money ready to go, while others will have to be approved for local, state or federal funding.
So, there’s no clear timeline on when these projects will begin.
The city says this is the first major transportation plan and they call it a “living document” so people can continue to bring different needs to their attention.
To see what improvements could be coming to your neighborhood, click here to view the city's interactive map.
For more details on the multimodal plan, click here.