2. Sierra Green Transportation Campaign
 Goal: Expand transportation choice to allow
individuals safe, convenient alternatives to driving
 Reduced vehicle miles traveled
 Reduced greenhouse gas and other emissions
 Comprehensive transportation systems
 Increased bike-ped.
 Increased transit
 Reduced reliance on cars

3. State of the State (of Ohio)
 Anti-rail governor
 Pro-highway Department of Transportation
 Turnpike revenue to be diverted to more highway
projects
 Map-21 federal transportation law
 Allows more flexing of dollars
 BUT…those dollars could be diverted to highways
away from less polluting transportation alternatives
 Transportation accounts for 28% of GHG emissions
in Ohio and substantial criteria pollutant emissions
 Less than 1% of state transportation funds are
allocated to public transit

4. Regional/Local Level
 Local metropolitan planning
organizations are easier to
influence and, generally, they
are more progressive than
ODOT
 Getting our members to
participate in and sit on MPO
committees is important for
influencing the regional
planning process

5. And, the Stats. are With Us
 Bicycle commute
increases over the
past decade
 Transit ridership
increases
 Younger generation
spurning cars
 Fewer households
with cars

6. What Have We Done to
Influence ODOT?
 Recent meeting to discuss Map-21 and
transportation alternatives fund
 Participating on steering committee for
ODOT’s long range plan
 VMT reduction
 Reducing overbuilt road
 Broadening cost/benefit analysis
 GHG reduction plan

7. Postcard delivery to ODOT

8. Transportation Coalition
 To achieve meaningful transportation change in
Ohio, we need more partners working in tandem
 Organized a coalition of groups across the state
 Making link between local level and state level

9. Transportation Preferences
Survey
Hosted the Natural Resources Defense Council to
present its recent survey findings
 Most participants felt they had no choice but to drive,
and the vast majority wanted to drive less
 Cleveland participants thought 10%-30% of
transportation funding went to transit
 New infrastructure, congestion, jobs, growth were
most often cited as reasons for more investment
 Stay away from “denser” development and “mass”
transit

10. Complete Streets

11. Ensure that the entire right-of-way is
planned, designed, constructed, operated,
and maintained to provide safe access for all
users

12. Policies to Date
States : 28
MPOs : 33
Counties : 31
Cities : 268
Total : 359
Ohio has no statewide
complete streets policy and
only a handful of local policies

13. Complete Streets Planning
 Helped create workshop in Oberlin as part of Oberlin
Sustainability Project
 Two representatives attended workshop in
Minnesota (December 2012)
 State committee working in conjunction with national
green transportation campaign
 Hope to get all major MPOs, as well as
municipalities, in Ohio to adopt AND implement key
elements

14. Public Outreach and Advocacy
 Multiple action alerts regarding transportation
planning
 Dump-the-Pump
 Car Free Day
 Cincinnati Pedalfest
 Organized alliance against the Eastern Corridor
Highway
 Sign-on letter to ODOT
 Best and Worst transportation projects
 Gearing up for transportation budget lobbying

15. Dump-the-Pump Day
More than 75 bus passes given away in Greater Cincinnati.
Partnered with Cincinnati Metro.

16. “Best-Worst” Media Event
Eastern Corridor Highway Makes National “Worst” Transportation Project List.

17. KidsExpo at Pedalfest
Bike Helmet Giveaway
Over 1500 participants and more than a dozen volunteers!
40 bike helmets given away!

18. 2013 Priorities
 Stop the Eastern Corridor Highway (Segments 2-3)
 Increase spending on transportation alternatives in
state budget
 Continue education efforts
 Pass complete streets policies
 Increase number of groups actively involved in
transportation advocacy
 Lobby MPOs for larger share of funding for
transportation alternatives
 Events (Bike Month, Dump the Pump, and Car Free)

19. Looking for Committee
Members in 2013
 Transportation committee representative from every
local group
 Committee calls are the fourth Tuesday of every
month at 6 pm