ODOT Seeking Input About 'Active Transportation Plan'

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation wants more input from Oklahomans about its Active Transportation Plan. The Active Transportation Plan is a collection of statewide policies and resources that will support and guide local communities' active transportation efforts.

Oklahoma is one of eight states that does not have an Active Transportation Plan and ODOT felt that this was the right time to put one together. ODOT said the process would help create a better environment for people who use different modes of transportation outside of a car, including bikers, pedestrians and even people who ride things such as motorized scooters.

Engineers and designers can then work on projects that would start incorporating those modes of transportation into street plans.

"We’re really pushing this to be more of a policy based plan. We’re not gonna be publishing a list of sidewalk projects or bike lanes by any means. We are hoping to create this for our designers at the department of transportation as well as any smaller communities across the state that may not have access to engineers or designers," Shelby Templin, an ODOT spokesperson said.

The survey closes on March 1 at 11:59 p.m., but even though it's closing, it will likely be a few years before any actual projects get started as a result of any potential new policy.

"We are hoping that if we start implementing this today, we will start seeing some of those changes minimum 4 to 5 years out. But as we have the opportunity to catch projects as they are in development now, hopefully in the next couple of years that we really will see that active transportation model shift and opportunities at that point," Templin said.

You can find the survey ODOT is using at OKATP.org.