VHB is partnered with Foursquare Integrated Transportation Planning to develop a transit development plan (TDP) for Gwinnett County that will identify transit solutions that address the county’s current and future mobility challenges and continued growth. The plan is being developed through a robust and wide-reaching engagement effort supported by detailed technical analysis and will serve as a tool to inform county officials and residents about future transit needs, the projects and technologies required to address those needs, and the cost and benefit implications of those projects, as well as potential funding sources.
VHB led the engagement effort of the TDP using an integrated communication approach to reach the County’s diverse communities, which included conducting online surveys that received more than 7,000 responses in five languages. VHB used feedback from this effort to define the vision, goals, and priorities of the TDP to establish a blueprint for the plan development. In addition, the team led two rounds of community meetings, attended in-person community events, conducted focus groups and stakeholder roundtables, engaged with riders at transit facilities, and received ongoing input from technical and stakeholder committees, the Gwinnett Transit Advisory Board, and the Board of Commissioners.
Recognizing the rapid evolution of technology and its potential to transform how people travel, VHB also led coordination with the County and project team to identify and explore specific transit-supportive technologies as part of the TDP. Recommendations from this effort will provide scalable solutions that support a range of investments in transit infrastructure and serve as a starting point for developing future policies or guidelines for technology considerations when advancing projects. These may include connected vehicle infrastructure and communications, transit signal priority, alternative fuel vehicle and infrastructure needs, fleet electrification, mobility as a service, and transit rider information technology. In addition, VHB recommended key land use strategies and tools to be considered to support TDP implementation. These recommendations aim to enhance the success of transit investments by improving federal funding opportunities and attracting high-density development, ultimately leading to enhanced walkability in station areas.
Ultimately, the overall TDP effort will result in an action-driven implementation plan that provides not only short-term transit solutions, but a vision for the next 25-30 years that identifies which development and capital priorities will best support the continued improvement and advancement of mobility for all in Gwinnett County.
