COMMUNITY CAFÉ

Residents from all over the region participated in "café-style" workshops called "Community Cafés." The purpose of Community Cafés was to provide the community a voice in developing the goals and objectives of the plan. Board members, as our region’s elected officials, provided contact lists. Many of these residents had never participated in transportation planning before. COMPASS hosted
four Community Cafés in November 2003 for the Ada county communities of Boise/Garden City, Meridian/Kuna,and Eagle/Star; and one Café for towns in Canyon County. COMPASS hosted an additional café in January 2004 for the Farmworker’s Resource Committee. Café participants, close to 70 people, responded to the following questions:

• What do you think is working well regarding transportation systems in the Valley?
• What is not working well?
• Offer a range of educational opportunities
• What would you like to see in the future regarding transportation?
• How would you be willing to pay for transportation improvements?

This is a synopsis of what we heard:

CONNECTIVITY

• Need for large arterials as an alternative to the Interstate
• More east/west and north/south options
• More bridges over the Boise River
• More public transportation options

• Better coordination and communication between land use and transportation planning (on-going communication with Planning and Zoning Commissions, enforcement)
• Eagle Road was the consistent metaphor about what not to do in the future
• Right-of-way preservation: buy it now so it doesn’t cost more later
• More public transportation options

• Impact fees are very low and very inconsistent in region. Make them significant and consistent
• Vehicle registration fee increase
• Toll roads needed
• Look into funding alternatives, possibly through non-transportation federal agencies

• We need a lot done for the region
• We need to take small steps to get there
• We need better public education