Multimodal Planning

Multimodal Plans

Multimodal Planning Studies – Completed March 2014

The Lawrence-Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Organization, in coordination with the City of Lawrence, conducted the Multimodal Planning Studies. The goal of this planning effort was to identify transportation needs and to prioritize multimodal improvements for commuters, pedestrians, cyclists and transit riders. This study process specifically focused on:

  • Developing plans for park and ride facilities within Douglas County
  • Enhancing pedestrian accessibility to fixed-route transit in Lawrence

Executive Summaries 

Fixed-Route Transit & Pedestrian Accessibility Study

Commuter Park & Ride Study

Reports

These are the final reports for the Multimodal Studies Planning Process. These reports were approved by the MPO Policy Board on their March 20, 2014 meeting. Following MPO approval, these reports will be available for local government acceptance and/or approval.

Fixed-Route Transit & Pedestrian Accessibility Study (MPO Approved March 20, 2014)

Commuter Park & Ride Study (MPO Approved March 20, 2014)

Additional Project Information

Steering Committee– Rosters, Meeting Notes and Documents

Open House Meeting Materials

The goal of this planning effort is to identify and prioritize transportation needs for commuters, pedestrians, cyclists and transit riders for the next 5 or 10 years and develop a range of short and long-term improvements to support a more multimodal region. The planning process is anticipated to conclude by the end of 2013 and will address the following elements:

Commuter Park & Ride Study – this study will involve looking at possible locations to plan commuter park & ride lots to serve the needs of Douglas County residents who work in Topeka and Metro Kansas City. The lots could also serve shuttle bus needs for special event days in Lawrence. The study will also identify opportunities to encourage carpooling and coordination with commuter bus services and local transit services will be studied.

Fixed-Route Transit & Pedestrian Accessibility Study – this study will look at obstacles that transit riders face in accessing the fixed-route system and identify locations where improvements to the pedestrian environment can and should be made to improve and/or enable people to access fixed-route transit services. Issues with streets and sidewalks that currently prevent people from accessing the fixed-route system and force them to rely on paratransit will be studied. This study will also identify possible locations for bus turnouts that could make the bus boarding and exiting process more convenient and enhance traffic operations. This study includes all City T and KU routes that are open to the general public and part of the coordinated City-KU system.

Corridor Plans

Although transportation planners are responsible for developing plans which examine the entire community, it is necessary sometimes to view certain corridors individually. A series of completed and ongoing corridor studies in the Lawrence/Douglas County Area can be found at https://lawrenceks.org/mpo/corridor_studies.

Crash Analysis and Countermeasure Identification Study

The Crash Analysis and Countermeasure Identification Study identified locations with crash records for Lawrence and Douglas County, Kansas. The analysis identified 12 locations where crash history shows that the site has a potential for safety improvements and merits further investigation and provided countermeasures for each location based on a field assessment. This study was approved by the MPO Policy Board on May 17, 2018.

Crash Analysis

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Regional Architecture Plan

ITS is the application of technologies and communications to improve the multimodal transportation system in an area. ITS includes detection systems and cameras for monitoring traffic conditions on roadways, dynamic message signs to provide real time travel information, vehicle location systems to track transit and emergency services vehicles, and a host of other technological elements and agency coordination processes. View information about the ITS Regional Architecture Plan at https://lawrenceks.org/mpo/its.


Multimodal Resources

Access Management

Access Management is the process of managing access to land development while preserving capacity and improving safety. The basic principles of access management can be found at https://lawrenceks.org/mpo/access_management.

Complete Streets

In September 2011, the MPO signed a resolution supporting Complete Streets. View information about Complete Streets at https://lawrenceks.org/mpo/complete_streets.

Air Quality

As transportation modes and land uses intensify in Lawrence and Douglas County, a new series of benefits and concerns arises. One such concern is the continued protection of the region’s air quality. View information about Air Quality at https://lawrenceks.org/mpo/air_quality.