Active Transportation Frequently Asked Questions

Active Transportation includes any method of travel that is human-powered, but typically refers to walking and bicycling. Public transit is a key element in Active Transportation because often distances to destinations are too far to reach exclusively on foot or by bicycle.

• Fewer cars on the road means fewer emissions and greenhouses gases.
• When people walk and bike as part of their everyday life, they are more physically active. Regular physical activity reduces chances for obesity and many chronic diseases.
• Communities are safer. The more people walk and bike, the more they are aware of their surroundings and are more likely to notice potential or existing criminal activity.
• The more people are moving about under their own power, the more likely they are to meet and know their neighbors, increasing a sense of community.

The common barriers to Active Transportation can be many, including the following:

• Weather
• Safety concerns
• Time constraints
• Distances between destinations too far to walk or bike, and/or not well-connected to public transit
• Physical infrastructure not set up or maintained (bicycle lanes, pathways)

The biggest barrier that communities face when supporting Active Transportation is not having community decision-makers that actively support and value Active Transportation. According to walkable-communities expert Mark Fenton's article, “Engineering Physical Activity Back Into Americans' Lives,” Active Transportation will bloom when communities have settings where people can walk and bike safely and conveniently. Four design elements are necessary for an Active Transportation community:

• Continuous Networks
• Land Use
• Safety
• Site Design
  
  
1. Continuous networks. The pathways, trails, and lanes for walking and cycling must be complete and create an effective network. Generally the best sidewalks are wide and separate from traffic, blocks are short, and intersections frequent, providing many route choices. Bike lanes provide safe riding in areas of higher volume traffic. The ideal result is that the walk or bike distance between two points isn't dramatically longer than the straight line (or “as-the-crow-flies”) distance.
   
   
2. Land Use. There are two keys here: Communities (or at least neighborhoods) must be compact enough that total travel distances aren't too great. And there must be a high mix of uses, with residential, retail and commercial activities, schools, recreation, and transit access all interspersed, and thus within walking and biking distance of one another.
   
   
3. Safety. People feel safe both from crime and from traffic when out on foot or on a bicycle. This requires that elements of both the social and built environments be favorable. For example, there should be minimal illicit activity and lots of lighting, as well as separation of walkways from travel lanes and slow traffic speeds.
   
   
4. Site Designs. Even if sidewalks are available and safe and destinations are plentiful, people will not walk to uninviting buildings, especially if they are set well back from the road behind acres of parking. But buildings near the street with obvious entrances and bicycle parking and many windows are not only more inviting to pedestrians and cyclists, pedestrian-oriented buildings also provide comfort to those simply walking past.

There are many cities in the United States that are making great strides towards creating Active Transportation communities. The successes of 15 U.S. cities are featured in Active Transportation for America, 2008, published by the Rails to Trails Conservancy. Access the full document by clicking here.

Community Choices, a non-profit organization, is a catalyst for healthy communities. As an advocacy organization, Community Choices plays a unique and critical role- to listen and use data, and engage and mobilize others to drive long-term, sustainable change that will improve the health of the community and the quality of life for all residents. For more information about the organization and to review the 2006 Community Report Card, visit www.clarkcommunitychoices.org or call Barbe West at (360) 567-1087. The 2009 Community Report Card will be released in January 2010.

Community Choices is pleased to manage an 18 month grant awarded from the Northwest Health Foundation. The goal of the grant is to launch a sustainable voice for Active Transportation advocates in Clark County. Environmental concerns, high rates of obesity and chronic diseases, issues of land use and economic development prompt concerned citizens to ask important questions about the local transportation system.

A diverse team of community members, known as the Community Choices Active Transportation Team (CCATT), has been formed to identify a strategy for propelling the topic of Active Transportation to the forefront of discussion among transportation, land use, and economic development decision-makers. CCATT will announce its recommended approach in spring 2009, followed by implementing the plan and ensuring its sustainability.

Known as the Community Choices Active Transportation Team (CCATT), the team includes community members representing diverse areas of interest. These areas include the school districts, local government agencies, public health, private business, health care, community organizations and individual citizens. Because so many diverse sectors of the community play a role in increasing options for Active Transportation, it is a good fit to bring a variety of expertise and resources into the process.

There are a number of ways to make active transportation a part of your lifestyle. Explore how to reach your frequent destinations on foot, by bike, and with public transit when necessary. Learn how your community makes decisions about transportation and the opportunities for citizen involvement. Click here for more ideas.