La Porte mayor proposes multimodal street development plan

There La Porte Mayor Blair Milo detailed her proposed "Complete Streets" program, a system by which streets could be evaluated based on use and driver data and possibly expanded to non motorized modes of transportation if such changes could be incorporated when the roadways were repaired or reconstructed.

Milo said the system basically amounted to looking at a given road project and determining if said roadway could be better served by adding a bike lane or pedestrian path while the ground was being torn up.

According to the proposed ordinance, such a program would reduce infrastructure costs and future maintenance costs by planning for the other uses on the outset. The planning would also consider how infrastructure improvements could support broadband connectivity.

Milo noted that some roads, because of heavy or high speed use, couldn't incorporate such traits, but planners should be encouraged to look at each one.

The plan also called for a Complete Streets Committee consisting of the city planner, engineer and a member of the traffic commission.

While many council members said they liked the consideration of broadband connectivity, they raised concerns about the committee and the scope of the proposal.

Councilman Ron McAtee said he thought it was imperative a member of the city council sit on the committee because the council members were the ones answerable to the public for anything this organization did.

And Councilman Roger Galloway questioned why this program was needed if the city already had a greenways master plan for developing bike paths and walking trails throughout the city.

"I don't even know what this is about," he said. "We should be worried about getting our streets paved now."

The mayor said her plan had a more encompassing approach, which took everything into account before developing a roadway. This form of planning would also open the city to more federal funds.

The ordinance was only introduced at the meeting.