Citizens will soon have their first opportunity to provide input on a Transit Implementation Plan for the Valdosta Urbanized Area. A Transit Public Involvement Meeting will be held from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday at the Valdosta City Hall Annex, Multi Purpose Room, located at 300 N. Lee St.

The South Georgia Regional Development Center, the Valdosta-Lowndes Metropolitan Planning Organization and consultants from Grice and Associates have been meeting with key stakeholders in the community for the implementation of a public transit system.

The next step in seeing buses on the city’s arterial roads is the creation of a Transit Implementation Plan, which, in essence, continues the work of the previously completed 2006 Transit Feasibility Study. The Transit Implementation Plan will provide the implementation strategy for the start-up of the transit (bus) services in the Valdosta area, as well as a phasing plan to grow the system into the future.

The primary goals of the plan are to determine Valdosta’s needs for a transit service, to increase mobility and accessibility within the community, to determine transit routes appropriate for the Valdosta area, to provide an alternative mode of transportation, and to contribute to the region’s economic competitiveness.

Citizens will be able to participate in the process by providing valuable input on ways to design this plan around community needs.

For more information on the Transit Implementation Plan for Valdosta or future public involvement opportunities, contact MPO Coordinator Corey Hull at chull@sgrdc.com or (229) 333-5277, or visit www.sgrdc.com/transportation.