With its rapidly growing population and increased traffic on its roadways, Cherokee County requires a transportation system that can meet the needs of both its rural and metropolitan areas. To address this, the County engaged VHB to help develop the data-informed 2022 Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP) Update—a forward-thinking plan that includes short- and long-term goals that consider all forms of transportation, including automobiles, transit, walking, biking, freight, and emerging transportation technologies.
The process included a robust stakeholder engagement effort that incorporated feedback from residents and public groups via meetings, an interactive project website, virtual rooms, an online survey, and other engagement tactics. The team studied how well existing regional transit services connect County residents to job centers in Atlanta and provided county-wide recommendations for technology-enabled improvements powered by intelligent transportation systems (ITS), Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAV), Electric Vehicle (EV) infrastructure, and smart streetlights.
VHB helped the County prioritize future projects by scoring them based on the CTP’s goals, as well as five key areas defined by public input—improved connectivity and mobility, maintenance of health, safety, and the environment, alignment of transportation and land use planning, infrastructure preservation, and increased modal options.
VHB also contributed to the CTP Trails Master Plan and Transit Service Plan updates, recommending 28 trail/sidewalk priorities, digital walking maps, awareness days, new bicycle and pedestrian advisory committees, and pedestrian crossing improvements to promote active transportation efforts. To elevate equity and opportunity, recommendations include bus stop amenity improvements, priority corridors for fixed-route bus expansions, new fare policies, and microtransit services as first-mile/last-mile connections.
