Sedona residents rarely hold back when it comes to expressing their displeasure with traffic, especially during the busier times of the year. But now they will be able to let their voices be heard in a slightly different way.

As part of the yearlong, $250,000 transportation master plan conducted by Phoenix-based Kimley-Horn, an online survey will allow residents to have a say in the planning process.

“The purpose of the survey is to determine what it is about the current traffic conditions that concern people the most,” Assistant City Manager Karen Osburn said. “The information will identify what the community views as the highest priority traffic problems, which will help the consultants put together a plan for ameliorating those issues, including how best to spend any taxpayer dollars.”

The survey can now be found at sedonaaz.gov under “Spotlight” on the city’s home page and takes about 10 minutes to complete. As of press time, it was scheduled to be posted on Tuesday, Oct. 25.

Click here to vote in the city traffic survey.

In addition to a fact sheet, users will be able to prioritize their traffic concerns in various areas such as State Routes 89A and 179, Uptown and West Sedona. Another section deals with strategies and allows the user to rate these on a scale of 1 to 5. Along the way, those taking the survey can leave written comments and suggestions.

In essence, Osburn said the purpose is to gauge what residents feel is a nuisance compared to what they would be willing to use taxpayer dollars to change.

“We’re trying to get the biggest bang for our buck when implementing these improvements,” she said.

Osburn said the city hired the consultants because they bring a certain expertise in transportation planning and traffic engineering. However, the consultants also need to understand how the community views the traffic issues, and to gauge the level of community support for various solutions when they are developing recommendations. Because of that, city staff contributed greatly, she said, to the survey.

“Residents will have an opportunity to rank transportation priorities such as connecting neighborhoods or improving walkability; classify various traffic issues as nuisances or problems; and rate potential strategies on how well they think they might reduce traffic congestion,” she said.

The survey will be on the city’s website for the next three weeks. The Sedona City Council will be given an update on other aspects of the transportation master plan during its Wednesday, Nov. 9, meeting.