Palouse RTPO seeks community input on Active Transportation Plan

DAYTON—Jennie Dickinson, the Executive Director for the Port of Columbia, is on the board for the Palouse Regional Transportation Planning Organization (RTPO). She is asking the community to provide input to a Regionwide Active Transportation Plan being developed by the RTPO.

Dickinson said the RPTO is developing a website for the Regional Active Transportation Plan. The site will include maps of city sidewalks, showing gaps to fill to connect walking routes. There will also be maps with regional trail locations and a water trail map, featuring places for recreating on the water and how to get from one place to another.

“They need people to let them know where there may be gaps in their information,” she said.

When Dickinson worked at the Dayton Chamber of Commerce 13 years ago, she said one of the most requested items was a recreation map.

“At that time, we had a rough map that we printed and handed out to tourists. But we never had a good, comprehensive trail map,” she said.

Recreation is a significant driver of tourism revenue, and Dickinson said the need is great for Dayton.

Many trail and outdoor apps allow people to add trails and information to the databases. Popular apps, available for both iOS and Android, include the Hiking Project, the Powder Project, and the Trail Run Project. Dickinson attributes increased activity on Dayton’s Rock Hill Trail to its placement on a trail app.

Outdoor recreation is one of the bright spots in this pandemic year.

While traditional tourism has all but come to a halt during the COVID-19 pandemic, activities like camping, hunting, boating, and skiing keep money flowing into the community, she said.

Shaun Darveshi, Palouse RTPO Director and Transportation Engineer, said almost everyone uses active transportation at some point during a trip, whether walking to a bus stop, bicycling to work, or rolling home from school on a skateboard.

“The Regionwide Active Transportation Plan helps us learn from you, and others, to shape recommendations for policy decisions, investments, and improvements. The plan will consider where we are now, where we want to go, and how we are going to get there in coming years,” Darveshi said.

People living in Columbia, Whitman, Garfield, and Asotin counties have until Jan. 15 to provide input to the Regionwide Active Transportation Plan on the survey link at http//palousetrails.palousertpo.org/survey.htm