City of Longboat approves pedestrian and bicycle master plan with 88 proposed projects

The Lompoc City Council's recent meeting spotlighted the ambitious Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan, which aims to enhance the city’s infrastructure for non-motorized transport. Approved on June 2, 2020, the plan outlines 88 proposed projects with an estimated cost of nearly $46.6 million. Council members expressed a commitment to sharing the detailed list of these projects with all commission members, ensuring transparency and collaboration.

During the discussions, the Lompoc Streetscape Multimodal Plan was also referenced. This plan, while integral to the city’s transportation strategy, comes with a caveat: existing conditions have not been field-verified, indicating that further analysis and engineering design are necessary before any recommendations can be implemented. This raised questions among council members about the reliability of the plan, given its preliminary status.

The conversation highlighted the interconnectedness of various planning documents, including the circulation element, which integrates the bikeway plan, multimodal plan, transit plan, and street construction infrastructure. Council members emphasized the importance of looking beyond immediate needs, considering a 20-year outlook for infrastructure funding and project execution.

As the meeting concluded, the council acknowledged the need for clarity on what constitutes "new policy" within these plans, indicating ongoing efforts to refine and understand the evolving transportation strategies for Lompoc. The discussions set the stage for future developments in the city’s infrastructure, with a focus on enhancing accessibility and safety for pedestrians and cyclists.