The Pinellas County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) completed the first year of a three-year health-related planning effort to improve access to Pinellas County parks and trails that serve minority and low-income populations. By increasing access to recreational opportunities, the planning effort aims to reduce risk factors for chronic diseases that occur when people do not get enough physical activity. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Partnerships to Improve Community Health grant program provided over $866,000 for the MPO to fund infrastructure improvements in and near Pinellas County parks that support walking and biking. The MPO partnered with the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) in Pinellas County and the Pinellas County Parks and Conservation Resources Department (PCR) to conduct this effort.
The Pinellas County Parks Access Assessment identifies areas that fall within one-quarter (purple), one-half (pink), and one mile (light pink) of parks based on connections to road, trail, bike lane, or sidewalk inventories. Image courtesy of Pinellas County Parks.Planning to improve park and trail access was borne out of a 2010 CDC grant through its Communities Putting Prevention to Work program. With this grant, FDOH provided outdoor fitness equipment and bicycle racks to several underserved parks throughout Pinellas County. This effort established relationships between the MPO, FDOH, and PCR, and was the impetus for the larger vision linking transportation planning and health concerns.
The work began with site visits to 18 county parks to assess existing conditions. The MPO selected parks in areas that have been identified as Environmental Justice communities in the MPO’s Environmental Justice: 2010 Demographic Analysis Report. The MPO then developed an Access to Facilities Level of Service (LOS) assessment technique for multimodal infrastructure around each park. The LOS describes the connectivity to road, trail, bicycle, transit, and sidewalk infrastructure present in the areas that fall within one-quarter, one-half, and one mile of the park. The MPO used the accurate and detailed sidewalk, bicycle, and transit network data that it has incorporated into geographic information systems (GIS) maps for this assessment. The MPO also used crash data to identify potentially unsafe locations near the parks.
Using LOS information, the MPO created maps showing park and trail facilities in relation to the existing transportation network to identify access gaps and high-crash locations. Then, the MPO held a workshop to discuss specific gaps with staff from PCR, the Pinellas County Planning Department, the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority, and Pinellas County Public Works. It turned out that many gaps existed due to challenges associated with existing stormwater drainage infrastructure or insufficient right-of-way. The GIS analysis gave the Pinellas County MPO a solid understanding of how the public accesses parks and trails, and led to constructive interaction and knowledge sharing with other stakeholders. The analysis identified the gaps in the transportation network—such as sidewalks, bike lanes, trail extensions—and was the basis of a preliminary list of safe-access improvements.
"We've had a very good relationship with our partners. I've told the staff in my workgroup that we need to keep a close eye for other grant opportunities to continue this sort of healthy planning work." – Rodney Chatman, Pinellas County MPO
This map shows service access within one-quarter (purple), one-half (pink), and one mile (light pink) of Joe's Creek. The yellow asterisks represent bike or pedestrian crash points. Pinellas MPO uses assessments like these to determine how to improve access to parks. Image courtesy of Pinellas County Parks.FDOH and PCR have been essential in helping the Pinellas County MPO move this planning effort forward. FDOH has provided feedback on how available funding can be used to implement certain safety and access improvements. PCR offered key insights into operations and maintenance challenges. For example, most parks in the county are not wide open; there are limited, controlled ingress and egress points so that PCR can secure their facilities at night. PCR and the MPO discussed access management policies and agreed that adding more access points was not an option. The agencies decided that to improve public access, the proper focus should be on upgrading and improving infrastructure—such as eliminating sidewalk gaps—around existing access points. Open lines of communication between the Pinellas County MPO and stakeholders involved in day-to-day parks operations increased the chances that this planning effort will result in projects that improve health outcomes.
The Pinellas County MPO convened with PCR, the County Attorney, and Public Works to establish next steps for the program while seeking implementation funding. They agreed that a plan to improve bicycle and pedestrian signage and wayfinding would enhance community knowledge of park and trail facilities in Environmental Justice communities. New wayfinding signage will include information on travel times by foot and bike to certain destinations in or through parks. Mid-block crossing treatments, such as rectangular rapid flashing beacons, will make it easier and safer for the public to access parks near wide, busy roadways.
The wayfinding plan development and installation will serve as a demonstration project that FDOH will use to assess future signage aimed at improving park access for pedestrians and bicyclists across the entire county. The Pinellas County Public Works Department will fabricate the signs during the demonstration phase. The goal of this portion of the overall planning project is to show municipalities that sign installation and maintenance will not be insurmountable funding hurdles. Simple, standardized designs will keep costs down, although signs will need to be replaced every few years due to sun damage. The fabrication support from Pinellas County Public Works will save cities money, but they will need to address long-term maintenance.
Performance measurement to determine the impacts of the improvements is this effort’s final ongoing challenge. Cars are counted when they enter and leave park facilities, but bicyclists and pedestrians are not yet tallied. The Pinellas County MPO is exploring low-cost ways to count bicyclists and pedestrians, possibly through automatic counting technology, and add it to the overall suite of data collection around parks.
The planning effort has faced few challenges, a testament to buy-in, cooperation, and a shared vision among the three lead agencies. The second year of the grant includes funding for a small number of infrastructure projects within Environmental Justice communities around several Pinellas County parks. The Pinellas County MPO will construct additional improvements based on funding availability.
Funding availability is one challenge the agencies will face in the project’s third year. The terms of the grant restrict the Pinellas County MPO from directly paying for certain infrastructure improvements. For example, funds to close sidewalk gaps will need to come from Pinellas County itself, and the Pinellas County MPO is committed to working with the county government in this second year of the grant so that government stakeholders understand the project’s goals and the health benefits of improving park access.
One potential funding source for access and safety improvements is through a Complete Streets grant program that the Pinellas County MPO is exploring. Project elements such as sidewalks, lighting, bicycle lanes, signage, mid-block crossing treatments, and others may be eligible for funding. The Pinellas County MPO Board has endorsed the concept of establishing a Complete Streets grant program.
Through collaboration, communication, and identifying small infrastructure changes that have significant impact, the Pinellas County MPO, FDOH, and PCR have an informed planning program to improve health outcomes through better access to parks and trails for minority and low-income populations. The agencies will continue to seek Federal grants to promote health through transportation planning.
