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Santa Fe has some talented youth photographers! The MPO received over 60 submissions to our Youth Transportation/Urban Design Photography Competition, co-sponsored by the American Planning Association New Mexico Chapter.

The winning photos were selected by MPO staff and three professional guest judges.

Thank you to all the participants! We loved seeing your creativity and perspective.

1st Place: Zubin Stillings for “Plaza Shadows” (above)

Shout out to MPO transit partner North Central Regional Transit District (NCRTD) for getting closer to zero-emission electric buses! In March 2020, the NCRTD Board authorized District staff to apply for three electric buses and two electric transit vans to replace existing fleet.

Since then, NCRTD has selected the Center for Transportation and Environment (CTE) to serve as consultant for the Zero Emission Bus Procurement. CTE has managed and consulted on a range of zero-emission bus projects over the last decade, from new bus development and demonstration projects to full fleet deployment projects.

Don't forget to ride the Blue Bus Mountain Trail Route to Ski Santa Fe this winter!

The City of Santa Fe recently embarked on an innovative new 18-month planning initiative that strives to tackle some of the most difficult challenges of its transportation and transit network.

The planning process includes a vision of advancing goals surrounding sustainability, public safety, parking, active transportation, equity and, just as important and impressive, bridging the gap between transportation and land use planning.

What is "multimodal transportation" and why would the City want to study and plan for it? In some cases, multimodal transportation considers different modes of transporting goods and services, i.e freight trains, semi-trucks, cargo vans etc. In this case multimodal transportation is best defined as transportation options that include walking, biking, bus transit, commuter rail, cars, and trucks. Multimodal transportation is the movement of people and goods on roadways, including but not limited to motorists, transit-riders, freight-carriers, bicyclists and pedestrians, and includes those with disabilities. Three overarching themes impacting the public the City would like to improve are:

The multimodal planning process began January 14th with leadership from Public Works, Parking, Transit, Traffic, MPO, and Land Use Divisions and Departments. The City went through an extensive RFP process in late 2019 and selected a compelling team of experts led by LSC, Inc. The project was then delayed the better part of 2020 due to impacts to the City's budget by COVID restrictions.

The City has selected three focus areas (left) to strategically provide analysis of existing conditions and identify recommendations that advance its goals. These recommendations will not be limited to infrastructure improvements but will consider options to modify the existing land use code, traffic ordinance, and other regulations and guidance in a manner that may remove barriers to multi-modal options. It is intended that the focus areas will inform a strategy for programs and practices in all areas of the City.

A public engagement plan will be forthcoming in the next several months. If you are interested in these challenges and would either like to participate in the planning process as a stakeholder or just provide your ideas and comments, please reach out to Erick Aune, MPO Officer at ejaune@santafenm.gov.