VIRTUAL STAKEHOLDER MEETING

The Stanislaus Council of Governments (StanCOG) is updating their Non-Motorized Transportation Plan (NMTP) for the Stanislaus region. The updated plan will set goals, assess existing conditions, and identify opportunities to improve non-motorized travel options and increase access to public transportation with public and stakeholder input throughout the process. The plan will also identify priority bicycle and pedestrian facilities that enhance regional connectivity as well as barriers such as railways, freeways or waterways.

AIM developed a robust and multi-faceted outreach plan to effectively engage community members including stakeholder interviews, an interactive web map, social media, on-line questionnaires, and Pop-Up workshops that were organized around local community events and/or key activity centers. Collaborating with the StanCOG project team, the Public Participation Plan (PPP) placed an important emphasis on rural and underserved communities in the County. Specifically, StanCOG wanted to engage the underrepresented communities within the study area to better understand their current transportation modes, trips, and the challenges and opportunities they experience.

Targeting the underserved communities involved the identification of key organizations within the various jurisdictions already working with these groups, such as community-based organizations and advocacy groups. Representatives of these organizations were contacted and worked with the StanCOG project team to assist in understanding the barriers to public engagement these underserved groups faced in their respective communities. Strategies used to involve the underserved included building interest around the NMTP, partnering with the community-based organizations, holding workshops at key events and providing all written materials in Spanish and having a bi-lingual staff member present at all outreach events.

The project is currently in Phase II. This second phase involves data analysis gathered from the interactive web map, feedback from surveys, maps, and outreach events, to analyze the non-motorized transportation network and assess key barriers to walking and bicycling in the Stanislaus region. Phase III will occur later in 2020 and will work with stakeholders and representatives along with the community to determine which projects to prioritize.