Transportation Options Planning

What are some ways to combine or mutually support efforts to create affordable, healthy, equitable, and green transportation alternatives?

Questions to ask ourselves…

r     What are talking points related to green transportation options, air quality, health, etc.?  

r     How can we use our skills, connections, meetings, organizations?

o       host meetings, hold focus groups

o       bring up in existing groups (Senior Coffee, Power of We, etc.)

r     What can we learn from the recycling experience?

r     Who else might become an ally?   What are the ways we can make it easy to share ideas, collaborate?  

r     How can we use the web creatively?  (i.e.  get personalized info on bike routes)?

6 RECOMMENDATIONS

ENGAGE PERSONALLY

Face-to-face interactions help people move from “not knowing” to “knowing” (to creating ! ) options.   People (us and them!) are more likely to learn if we are engaged in  personal, conversational ways, and given the opportunity to express ourselves and ask questions.  This is community-based development, planning, and decision-making, and we should seek to make it a core principle of all our efforts. 

Ø      Use Conversation catalysts:  such as non-compliance with air quality standards

Ø      Connect to Master Planning

Ø      Engage at many levels:  grassroots/neighborhood, general forums for community education, and in businesses, schools, and agencies

USE TOOLS & OPPORTUNITIES

Provide easy access to resources and events to help people move from “knowing” to “doing.”  Make opportunities to choose new modes of transportation as visible, accessible, and easy to use as possible. 

 

Ø      Increase the visibility of bicycling events and opportunities, using contact information from community dialogues and presentations to keep people connected and aware. 

Ø      Promote the message that “bikes belong”  (bike corrals, bike racks, bike rack design contest, "complete the streets").

Ø      Create a listserv

Ø      Create an on-line tool for mapping personalized bike/walking routes.

Ø      Identify or call for the creation of a phone number to call to alert appropriate governmental offices of problems on bike routes such as curb cuts and potholes.

Ø      Have CATA begin a practice of referring bus riders that want to combine transportation modes to Smart Commute bike commuter classes.

MAKE POLICY

Engage people, organizations, and businesses in a “Complete Streets” campaign.  Work on policies that would support affordable, healthy, equitable, and green transportation options - streets suited for all modes of use. 

Ø      Work together with representatives of a broad variety of interests and disciplines (economics, ecology, equity, health, neighborhood development, etc.)

Ø      City of Lansing Master Planning

Ø      Regional Growth Project

Ø      Second Circle

Ø      Behavioral Risk Factor Survey

Ø      CATA listening sessions

Ø      Citizen advocates 

Ø      Financial support

EDUCATE THROUGH MEDIA 

Tell the story of changed behaviors toward alternative transportation options, and the benefits to personal and community health - public access television, websites, newsletters, radio, and print. 

 

Ø      Write articles, video, etc., telling the story of green transportation, and go to media outlets to encourage them to disseminate these stories to show the resulting personal and community health benefits.

Ø      Create story-telling workshops to sharpen people’s ability to make the case for alternative transportation options through stories.

Ø      Support the creation of a Community Media Center for this purpose.

SHARE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

As a group, commit to the principle of community-based development, planning, and decision-making, and use this commitment to create synergy among individuals and groups working on transportation alternatives by exploring new ways to work together.

Ø      Spend some additional time getting to know what specific individuals, groups, and organizations are doing about transportation alternatives.

Ø      Develop a unified set of “talking points.”

Ø      Identify a specific project or activity to focus on collaboratively.

Ø      Develop an organized process of disseminating information through neighborhood associations and neighborhood watch groups.

Ø      (Health Department) try to focus on projects that enhance participation across groups and organizations.

Ø      Continuously assess our progress in implementing these recommendations

PARTNER UNCONVENTIONALLY
Expand the network of people invested in green transportation alternatives -- create a groundswell of interest through groups that do not now have a specific investment in this issue. 

Ø      talk to others and invite them to join in the dialogue. 

Ø      brainstorm other groups or organizations or businesses that might be more “out-of-the-box”

Ø      create events or campaigns to engage new partners

o       a joint presentation by CATA and Smart Commute to the Heart of Michigan Trails Network

o       an “Active Travel Study” to engage new partners, including immigrants and refugees, senior citizens, realtors, high school students, and the faith community

o       A “walk with your doc” program—or similar program focused on other professionals—promoting the use of trails in Lansing for health purposes.