The public comment period on the draft San Benito County Bikeway
and Pedestrian Master Plan has been extended to July 20, as
officials seek input to make local roads safer and more
accessible.
ADAM BREEN
The public comment period on the draft San Benito County Bikeway and Pedestrian Master Plan has been extended to July 20, as officials seek input to make local roads safer and more accessible.
Veronica Lezama, transportation planner for the county’s Council of Governments (COG), said she has received “great feedback from the community” in two public workshops as well as from Hollister, San Juan Bautista and San Benito County elected officials.
The master plan, which Lezama said was developed in the early 1990s and last updated in 2002, makes it easier for local cities and the county to receive grant funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects. It also sets guidelines for planners and developers to use when considering accessibility issues for new projects.
What’s more, “Caltrans requires us to have an updated plan every five years in order to be eligible for bicycle transportation account funding,” Lezama said.
An example of that funding is the $705,000 that the county received a year-and-a-half ago for the three-mile San Juan Highway Bike Lanes Project, which will create a Class 2 bike lane from the San Juan Bautista city limits to Anzar High School. That project is expected to begin this fall.
Lezama has presented the draft bikeway and pedestrian master plan to several boards, including the city and county parks and recreation committees, the county Chamber of Commerce, city and county planning commissions, supervisors and city councils.
For the full story, see the Pinnacle on Friday.
