Did you attend myregion.org’s Transportation Workshop in July? If not, would you still like your voice to be heard? Do you have the rush-hour blues and want to tell transportation officials about it? Do those little trips to the store seem to take longer and longer? Are you worried about the safety of your kids as they walk to school? Would you ride a train to work if one were available?

If any of these questions hits home, then METROPLAN ORLANDO—the transportation planning organization for Orange, Osceola and Seminole Counties—wants to hear from you. During the next 18 months, METROPLAN ORLANDO will draft a plan for transportation improvements in Central Florida over the next 25 years. The 2025 Long-Range Transportation Plan, known as Community Connections, will serve as a comprehensive blueprint for shaping the future of the region. For the plan to be successful, however, it must reflect a clear vision of what this community really needs.

Do we add more lanes to I-4, expand our toll roads, and build rail systems? Do we pursue alternatives such as more carpooling, expanded bus service or adjusted work hours for large companies? These are just a few of the questions METROPLAN ORLANDO will be asking the public in the coming months.

Maybe you feel—as do a lot of your neighbors—that you don’t have much say-so in the region’s transportation-planning and decision-making process. Because METROPLAN ORLANDO wants to make sure everyone gets a chance to speak out on these issues, community involvement is a top priority in the development of the long-range plan. An extensive community-engagement program has been developed to involve the public in making the decisions that will have a significant impact on the region. Feedback from Central Florida citizens will be gathered through numerous public hearings and meetings in communities throughout the region, public opinion surveys, and through the Internet. In addition to these activities, a Citizen Advisory Committee will play an active role in the development of the long-range plan.

At myregion.org’s Community Issues Workshops held at the Orlando Science Center in July, attendees had the opportunity to complete a survey about the condition of our transportation system, prepared by Community Connections. The information gathered provided invaluable input on transportation alternatives and implementation strategies to the project.

Increasing public awareness of Community Connections is also a critical component of the community-engagement program. Newsletters specific to the long-range plan have been and will continue to be distributed to community leaders and homeowner groups in the region. Advertisements and media coverage will help promote scheduled public hearings. Information will also be available via METROPLAN ORLANDO’s Web site, www.metroplanorlando.com. Finally, a speaker’s bureau of transportation officials will be available to speak with any interested group of citizens.

To learn more about Community Connections, contact myregion.org’s Communications Committee member Bob O’Malley, Manager of Strategic Planning for METROPLAN ORLANDO, at 407.481.5672 ext. 323 or at bomalley@metroplanorlando.org. If you want to review myregion.org’s Transportation Workshop Notes and the list of Workshop attendees, please go to the Document Center at www.myregion.org.