The City of Alton is asking residents to provide input about walking and bicycling in the community at an open house Tuesday, September 19, between 5 and 7 p.m. at City Hall, 101 E. Third St., in the council chambers. The meeting is one of the first steps in creating a plan for the City’s pedestrian and bicycle network.

At the meeting, residents will be asked to identify common barriers to walking and biking, important destinations and desired routes. “We’ll be asking people to show us on the map where there are opportunities to make connections within the community, as well as, barriers to walking and biking today,” said Sarah Vogt of HeartLands Conservancy, a consultant on the project. “The input we receive will be used to develop the plan’s recommendations.”

Ultimately, the plan will identify community goals for walking and biking, determine appropriate and desirable routes, set priorities for infrastructure investments and strengthen the City’s applications for state and federal funding.

In addition to the meeting, a survey is available through the end of September at http://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AltonWalkBike.  Already, over 650 survey responses have been submitted. The planning process also includes a committee of residents and other stakeholders who will review and provide input into the plan as it develops.