In Los Angeles County, the popular narrative says that everyone drives all the time, and transportation policy has largely reflected this social understanding. However, active transportation modes are a significant form of mobility, calling into question the truth of the dominant narrative.
The Greater Washington DC region was recently ranked in a report as #1 for congestion.
The first weekend of December, I joined 18 fellow citizens at the National Capital Transportation Planning Board (TPB) Community Leadership Institute (CLI). The purpose of the CLI is to learn more about how transportation decisions are made in the region and how to become more involved in the decision-making process. This was the 10th CLI since it started in 2006.
It has been a productive year for the Safe Routes Partnership in Southern California. This year, the Southern California team was off and running with a full-blown campaign at the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) to increase funding for active transportation in the 2012 Regional Transportation Plan and Sustainable Communities Strategy (RTP/SCS).
I’ve been immersed in our latest progress reports for the regional network project, and it is so easy to get lost in the minutiae of editing. But when I stop and think back upon our efforts this year, I am proud of the work of everyone involved in our regional efforts.
I recently had the privilege of speaking at the Fairfax County Bike Summit. It was the first Bike Summit in the county. Fairfax County has come a long way through the work of the Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling.
California’s climate change legislation continues to provide opportunities for bicycle and pedestrian advocates to influence regional transportation policy and finance.
The Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) is a region’s approved list of specific transportation projects mandated by federal law. It serves as a multi-year financial schedule for obligating federal funds to state and local transportation projects. The TIP contains funding information for all modes of transportation including bicycle and pedestrian projects.
October 3 was International Walk and Bike to School Day and we had an amazing experience all over the Bay Area celebrating the benefits of active transportation for our children.
As I continue to work regionally, across two states and a federal district, I am always looking for opportunities where people are already collaborating beyond their own jurisdictional lines. The National Capital Transportation Planning Board (TPB) is the metropolitan planning organization for the Greater Washington, DC region.