The results of the statistically valid community transportation survey conducted during the initial stages of scoping and development of guiding principles and goals are available and can be viewed at Survey Results.

The Norman City Council adopted the first Comprehensive Transportation Plan for the City of Norman on May 13, 2014.  The final draft of the report text is being made available by clicking on CTP Text.  The appendices contain all of the pages and pages of data that supported the development of the CTP Text.  The appendices have been split into three files due to their size: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

Citizens Visioning Committee

The original Citizens Visioning Committee (CVC) for the development of the Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP) vision and goals was comprised of Chris Applegate (Red Earth Group, Sierra Club), Roger Brown (Norman Public Schools), Teresa Capps (Chair--Social and Voluntary Services Commission), Nick Hathaway (OU Vice President for Administration and Finance), Harold Heiple (Norman Developer's Council), Marion Hutchison (ONTRAC Board), Doug Myers (Director--CART), Chris Nanny (Chair--CART Disability Advisory Committee), Janice Oak (Progressive Independence), Renee O'Leary (United Way--Senior Council/Positive Aging Influence), Helen Robertson (Representative--Bicycle Advisory Committtee), Tom Sherman (Chair--Chamber Transportation Committee), Joe Sparks (Chair--Norman Convention and Visitor's Bureau), Walt Strong (Administrator--Westheimer Airport), Chuck Thompson (Chair--Central OK Regional Advocacy Alliance), Larry Walker (Chair--Public Art Board), and Brad Worster (Commercial Realtor/Norman Next).

As the CTP moves forward from visioning to analysis, recommendations and documentation, the citizen involvement in the CTP is increased to include members of the original CVC plus additional citizens, organized into four sub-committees to interface with City staff as well as the consulting team.  These sub-committees include 1) Automobile Capacity and Quality of Service and Parking; 2) Pedestrian and Bicycle Mobility and Safety and Streetscape; 3) Transit Capacity and Quality of Service; and 4) Freight Movement, Airports and Emergency Response.  Each of these sub-committees will be chaired or co-chaired by a current member of the CVC in order to facilitate the flow of information between the CVC and the various sub-committees.

Steering Committee

The Steering Committee for the visioning and goal setting stage of the CTP was comprised of members of the City Council's Community Planning and Transportation Committee.  This Committee will also serve as the Steering Committee as the CTP moves forward from visioning into analysis, recommendations and documentation.

Moving Forward is the name given to the City of Norman's first Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP) adopted in May, 2014.  The Moving Forward CTP serves as the City of Norman’s long-term vision for a range of transportation options and accommodations including vehicles, bicycling, walking, and public transit services.  It identifies future transportation needs of the area, goals and policies, and short-term and long-term capital investments for improvements to existing roads, construction of new roads, bicycle, pedestrian, and transit facilities.  Community input provided during the fall of 2011 helped to provide direction for preparing goals and policies that serve as the foundation and vision for drafting the City’s CTP.  Additional community input during the summer and fall of 2013 aided in the ultimate adoption of the CTP in May, 2014.

A plan, or planning, involves looking ahead and trying to address future perceived needs, circumstances, or goals with coherent strategy or strategies assuring that the resources needed are identified and available and intelligently applied, when needed. Planning is the process by which a community assesses what it is and what it wants to become, and then decides how to make that happen. A transportation plan addresses the relationship between transportation and land use and helps implement community values and the ability to connect neighborhoods to destinations.

The City of Norman embarked on a multi-year process to develop a Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP) for our community called “Moving Forward”. The CTP identifies future transportation needs for the area, goals and policies, and short-term and long-term capital investments for improvements to existing roads, construction of new roads, bicycle, pedestrian, and transit facilities. It provides a framework for a balanced transportation system that offers choices in how people travel, supported by a realistic approach to fund improvements.  The “Moving Forward” Plan, as the CTP has been named, serves as Norman’s long-term vision for a range of transportation options and accommodations including personal and commercial vehicles, bicycling, walking, and public transit services.

Two groups were appointed to guide the development of the CTP for Norman.  These include a Citizens Visioning Committee and a Steering Committee.  The Citizens Visioning Committee assisted in developing a mental picture of what residents want Norman to look and feel like in the future.  The Steering Committee served as the liaison to the Norman City Council and kept the decision-makers in step with the plan as it progressed.  These committees provided input and recommendations and help guide the community involvement for the CTP.

Community input helped provide policy direction for decisions related to planning transportation facilities in the City.  The primary goal of this process was to plan for a well-balanced transportation system that offers choices in how people travel and is supported by a realistic plan to fund these improvements.  Guiding principles from which the project goals were developed included:  1) A Special Place to Live; 2) Mobility; 3) Maintain and Preserve Existing Infrastructure; 4) Fiscal Stewardship; and  5) Enhance Economic Vitality.

In November, 2012, the City hired a consulting team led by Freese and Nichols, Inc. (FNI), to lead the development of the plan, incorporating the vision and goals developed in the earlier efforts (led by Lochner).  FNI is a transportation, planning, and engineering firm founded in 1894 and has assisted cities in the planning and preparation of community plans, transportation plans, and infrastructure design for over 100 years.  The first CTP was adopted in May of 2014.

Planning is the process by which a community assesses what it is and what it wants to become, and then decides how to make that happen.  A transportation plan addresses the relationship between transportation and land use, and helps implement community values and the ability to connect neighborhoods to destinations.  The Plan will identify future transportation needs of the area, goals and policies, and short-term and long-term capital investments for improvements to existing roads, construction of new roads, bicycle, pedestrian, and transit facilities.  It will provide a framework for a balanced transportation system that offers choices in how people travel, supported by a realistic approach to fund improvements.  Moving Forward will consider all transportation modes including vehicles, bicycling, walking, and public transit services.

As congestion increases on area roadways due to growth, development, and more travel through the region it is clear that the current transportation network in Norman will not be sufficient to accommodate future needs and economic development opportunities.  In addition, it is important to address alternative transportation options, and ensure consistency with the regional 2030 Oklahoma City Area Regional Transportation Study (OCARTS) and federal legislation.  Beyond these reasons, long-range transportation planning makes good sense.  Planning involves citizens and key stakeholders, increases efficiency and effectiveness of investments, and promotes a broader range of transportation services and infrastructure design that is consistent with the desires and character of the community.

A Steering Committee of Norman City Council members and a Citizen Visioning Committee of community members provided recommendations and helped to guide the development of recommendations and implementation strategies for the Plan.  The City has also hired the firm of Freese and Nichols, Inc., to lead the consulting team effort to develop the Plan.  Freese and Nichols, Inc., has assisted cities in the planning and preparation of community plans, transportation plans, and infrastructure design for more than 100 years.

The community listening process, including the various community meetings and opportunities to receive information through web sites and social media including the City of Norman Facebook page, and development of the transportation planning goals and policies were completed in early 2012.  The Norman City Council approved the contract to develop the full Plan in November 2012.  A draft Plan is expected to be ready for City Council review by the end of 2013.  The final plan was adopted by the Norman City Council on May 13, 2014.

For more information please contact David Riesland, City Traffic Engineer, at the City of Norman by telephone at (405) 329-0528.