Community Mobility is the ability of people to travel from place to place within Onondaga County. Community mobility strategies aim to provide for more choice in the transportation system and to improve safety for all users.
Vision:
Onondaga County will enhance mobility by improving the safety, accessibility, and diversity of options for moving people within and between communities.
Components of Community Mobility:
Community mobility may be best understood at the level of an individual street. The components of a street should provide different options for people of all ages and abilities to safely move around in different ways; this variety leads to greater and safer mobility. Streets that provide for multiple modes like the one depicted below are commonly called “complete streets” (see 130). Complete Streets incorporate infrastructure that safely accommodates vehicular traffic, buses, bicycles, and pedestrians in a way that provides for connectivity between transit systems, vehicular travel routes, cycling infrastructure, regional trail systems, neighborhoods, and communities.
Community Mobility in Onondaga County:
Within Onondaga County, there are multiple initiatives that have been working to modernize our mobility infrastructure. The success of these initiatives will require consistent focus and collaboration across the County involving local municipalities, state, County, and federal agencies. Strengthening mobility systems requires a focus on pedestrian, bicycle, and transit infrastructure in response to lifestyle changes and community needs.
Pedestrian Connectivity:
The vast majority of pedestrian infrastructure currently exists within the County’s villages and the City of Syracuse. Very little pedestrian infrastructure occurs in other areas of the County despite areas that show potential demand. The Syracuse Metropolitan Transportation Council (SMTC) has identified 30 Priority Zones for pedestrian improvements within the County. The pedestrian demand model identifies “hot” areas depicted in red where pedestrian activity will most likely occur. Understanding areas of priority for pedestrian infrastructure investment is an important step toward building an interconnected system of pedestrian infrastructure.
While the pedestrian priority zones are helpful, further identification of an interconnected network of pedestrian infrastructure (e.g., sidewalks and trails) linking urban and rural areas within Onondaga County would establish a long-term vision for connectivity, building off of the preliminary analysis that was conducted for the Sustainable Streets project.
Adopt the Vision Zero framework to guide investments in the transportation system.
Implement the Complete Street projects on County and local roads to expand mobility options and improve safety for all road users.
