Michigan's Ann Arbor Transportation Authority (TheRide) received an overview of the process to develop a Transit Master Plan for Washtenaw County at its June board meeting.

TheRide's Transit Master Plan project coordinator Michael Benham and master plan consultant Juliet Edmondson of Steer Davies Gleave provided a detailed description of the planning process, which will last from June through February 2011 and include at least 40 public meetings and 24 additional meetings with community organizations representing key interests groups in the county. Meetings will be held throughout Washtenaw County during all stages of the planning process.

In addition to the feedback received from citizens, the final Transit Master Plan will take into consideration previously developed land-use and transportation plans from local governments throughout Washtenaw County.

Through public visioning meetings and discussion, the plan will set the priorities for transportation services moving forward for the next 30 years and provide strategies to guide the implementation of recommended changes to our current transportation systems.

To help provide up-to-date information about the Transit Master Plan, TheRide has created a separate Website for the initiative — MovingYouForward.org — where the public will be able to learn about upcoming meetings, take a survey or learn about different modes of public transit.