A. Project Purpose, Study Area and Overview

This Request for Proposals (RFP) is issued by City of Decatur and the Decatur Urbanized Area Transportation Study (DUATS) to solicit consultant services for a Decatur Bike Plan that will provide the City of Decatur, DUATS and Decatur Park District with policies, best practices and strategic direction for implementing a sustainable active transportation system for the benefit of Decatur residents and visitors.

The City of Decatur, Illinois is the major City with DUATS which is primarily within City of Decatur (see attached map of the study area). There are smaller towns and villages such as Forsyth, Mount Zion, Harristown, Long Creek, Argenta, Oreana, and Warrensburg adjacent or nearby. The Decatur Park District, a member of the DUATS and is the primary recreational governmental agency for the Decatur Area. Although, the City of Decatur, Decatur Park District, Village of Forsyth, Village of Mt. Zion have an existing network of completed trail projects, our goal is to connect and expand the existing trails and create a more cohesive system, using existing transportation rights-of-way where there is insufficient space to put trail completely off-road.

As a part of the plan, the City looks for guidance in creating initiatives and programs to stimulate increased pedestrian and bike activity. The Plan will provide an analysis of current bike facilities in Decatur; City and Park District polices and planning documents; review of other bike plans, state and national bicycling trends, best practices and the applicability to Decatur bicycling facilities; identify performance measures in achieving identified goals and objectives; a robust public involvement plan in coordination with the City of Decatur, Decatur Park District, the DUATS and Decatur Mass Transit System will be conducted provide insight into area bicycling needs, system gaps and the conceptual design alternatives for a connected bicycling network in the City and DUATS Study Area.

The activities for the Bike plan should support existing infrastructure and prioritize new network opportunities by looking at land use, Governmental owned property, potential development, and potential partnership opportunities with area municipalities and agencies. The ultimate deliverable will be a final report which will include a proposed prioritized Bike network, cost estimates, implementation strategies, and design strategies to encourage active living and improve community health.

The resulting recommendations and plan will need to reflect the urban, suburban and rural context of the DUATS Study Area. The outcome of the Decatur Bike Plan will provide a blueprint for Decatur's bicycling network to be built upon, provide active transportation alternatives, better connect the community and improve the quality of life. The final report should be one that anticipated the recreational needs of likely users, and the transportation needs of persons who want to reduce the use of personal automobiles.

B. Background

One of the primary functions of DUATS is to develop and maintain the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) also known as the Long-Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). MTP has fiscal constraints, which means transportation projects are based on revenue from the federal, state and local governments. An adopted Bike Plan is required to be a part of the LRTP, however an updated Bike Plan has not been completed since 1996. Without an adopted plan, the DUATS lacks a unified vision or direction for bike trails infrastructure investments and therefore is at a disadvantage for funding opportunities for bike infrastructure.

Decatur and DUATS see this plan as an opportunity to engage the community on how to improve the non-motorized transportation network and encourage more alternative transportation.

C. Project Oversight

This study is commissioned and funded by City of Decatur and federal transportation funds through DUATS and an Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) grant. City of Decatur and the DUATS staff will serve as project management for the study and primary point of contact for direction, deliverable review and approval and management of the contract. Representatives from other DUATS members and community stakeholders will assist in the development and execution of an assessment process, review of deliverables, and review of recommendations.

D. Project Budget and Schedule

The Bike Plan project has a budget of $125,000. The study should be completed by June 30, 2021. Suggestions or recommendations for the project schedule and streamlining of efforts are strongly encouraged. DUATS has budgeted $50,000 for this project and the IDOT grant will be providing $60,000 with a $15,000 match provided by the City of Decatur.