Most people in Sedona will agree there is a traffic problem. But when it comes to a solution, there have been few answers.

That’s where Kimley-Horn comes into the picture.

The Phoenix-based firm was hired earlier this year by the Sedona City Council as part of a $250,000 transportation study that began in April and is expected to take about a year to complete.
Last week, consultants from the firm were in Sedona to meet with city officials as well as selected community stakeholders to discuss possible options to reduce traffic. Kimley-Horn will soon be scheduling public outreach meetings to garner additional information.

“Sedona has got some really unique challenges,” consultant Lisa Burgess said. “It has different peak travel periods, limited alternate routes and a high volume of tourist traffic. We’re looking at different options as to how we can better manage the congestion within town.”

She said from a technology standpoint, options may include how the traffic lights are operated and the use of web-based and mobile applications as a way to provide estimated travel time for motorists before they get to Sedona. Other ideas being batted around are finding ways to change travel behavior.

She said Sedona is unique because it has a high concentration of visitors who are possibly unfamiliar with the area. Being that you can’t fly into Sedona, she said that inherently generates a lot more vehicular traffic. Another challenge is that Sedona has few options in way of transit like shuttles.

That said, does Sedona have a traffic issue or a transportation issue?

“A transportation issue better describes it,” she said. “There’s no one standalone solution that’s going to solve everything. We know it’s going to be a mixture of things. We are approaching this in a holistic way in that there are a lot of different transportation challenges.”

Burgess said that anything approved will have to be a joint venture between multiple agencies, including the Arizona Department of Transportation as well as Yavapai and Coconino counties. It may also include independent technology companies working with them. But in the end, it will come down to how much it’s going to cost and who’s going to pay for it.

“Funding is a challenge,” she said. “Finding ways of doing more with less money is a challenge facing many agencies. Whatever is done will also include funding for the future. It’s not just the up-front capital costs, it’s the long-term costs for maintaining whatever is approved. Hopefully through this study we can find solutions that are a win-win situation for everyone.”

Collecting data is important in a study like this, Burgess said. Using that data to inform visitors ahead of time on parking conditions in Uptown or at the trailheads will help reduce unnecessary trips to various areas around town.

“The question is, how do you get that data and real-time information?” she said. “There are companies that are beginning to specialize in this. How can Sedona harness that and be able to provide this information in a meaningful way to travelers?”

Some residents — and visitors for that matter — will say that Sedona has a 365-day-a-year traffic problem while others say it’s more part-time with busy times of the year with some weekends thrown in.

“It depends on who you ask,” Burgess said. “Perception is what perception is. Some people perceive it as a full-time problem while others may perceive that it’s only an issue associated with certain times of the year. The data we’re collecting is helping us determine what is visitor traffic and what is resident traffic. It’s a combination of obtaining that data as well as the public’s perception.”

On Aug. 15, Kimley-Horn consultant Brent Crowther spoke before the Sedona Planning and Zoning Commission to discuss the progress they’ve made so far. He told the commissioners that the entire study will take about a year to complete. To date they have met with nearly 20 stakeholders in the area, have analyzed past traffic studies and have been collecting data on traffic patterns in the area. This fall they plan to host community outreach meetings while keeping the city up to date on the progress.

“We want to paint a picture of what the needs are within the city of Sedona in order to determine what we’re trying to resolve,” Crowther said in August. “The transportation master plan will result in a list of prioritized strategies and projects, both low-hanging fruit and what can be done in the near term as well as some of the long-term strategies.

“Each recommendation will have cost estimates for both short-term and long-term planning. They will be prioritized based on their effectiveness while considering the cost, the complexity of the project and feasibility.”