A strengthened bike advocacy movement in Columbus is causing a 'mind shift' that will ensure biking, walking and transit are an integral part of the city's transportation grid. Consider Biking reports that it worked with Columbus city council to pass a Complete Streets resolution (a nice warm-up to legislation). While bike planners in Cleveland have drafted a similar resolution, it has yet to be considered.

We know that one-third of the carbon emissions in the U.S. come from the end of a car, SUV or truck tailpipe. We know that any plan to reduce our carbon footprint must include a shift from using personal vehicles to alternatives like bus, train, biking and walking. One of the tasks of the GreenCityBlueLake Institute Climate Change project is figuring Northeast Ohio’s carbon reduction goals and how much change in our transportation habits we need to make to contribute to that goal.

When we think of a healthier balance of transportation, we often look to Europe with its dense, walkable cities, web of rail lines and families biking everywhere together. But, a comparison of Europe vs. America’s 'mode splits' between cars and cleaner forms of transportation may surprise and even serve to modify our expectations of how many car trips we need to reduce to be among the world's leaders.

From 1996 to 2006, passenger car trips grew at a much faster clip than trips by rail, bus or motorbike in 27 European Union nations, according to a report (418 KB pdf) from the European Commission. In Germany, 83.9% of trips are made by car, 6.4% by bus and 1.5% by urban rail (France is 83.9% car, 5.2% bus and 1.5% metro/urban rail).

In Europe, 4.602 billion passenger kilometer miles by car were logged in 2005 compared to 7.253 billion in the United States. More than half a billion passenger miles (or 9% of all trips) came by bus in Europe vs. a quarter of a billion miles by bus in the U.S.

Location(s)

Greater Cleveland Partnership forum series at the City Club of Cleveland:

From our international airport, to our highways, waterways and public transit, Greater Cleveland is one of the most logistically friendly regions in the nation. Executives from our community's major logistics systems will discuss the billions of dollars of investment occurring in our region and how that investment will not only change the way we travel but also position the region for business and economic growth.

Panelists:
Joseph Calabrese, general manager, Greater Cleveland RTA
Ricky D. Smith, director, Cleveland Airport System
Adam Wasserman, president, Cleveland-Cuyahoga Co. Port Authority

Moderator:
Deb Janik, senior VP, real estate and business development, GCP

Reservations

Why is the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) considering service cuts and a fare hike as Northeast Ohio faces the perfect storm of high gas prices and a renewed interest in transit?

A new study that looks at each state’s vulnerability to oil prices and what they’re doing about it sheds light on Ohio, and with it, transit agencies like RTA’s plight.

While the National Resources Defense Council "Ranking States' Oil Vulnerability and Solutions for Change" study released today ranks Ohioans right in the middle on oil vulnerability (its 26th spot is based on percentage of income spent on gas), only ten states were slower to respond to that vulnerability with investments in transit.

Ohioans spend 5.4% of their income ($1,886 per driver annually) on gas, but the state ranked 40th in transit spending (.77% spent on transit compared to highway spending in 2006). The picture is bleaker when considering Ohio far exceeds the bottom twelve states in population.

Ohio has treated transit like an afterthought for more than a decade. The NRDC findings confirm a 2006 report from the Transportation Research Board, which tallied Ohio’s transit investment second to last among states—it ‘spent’ -8% on transit from 1995 to 2004 (based on compound annual growth rates). The national average was 3.9% during that time. While Ohio was reducing its funding for public transit, other states increased financial support for transit by approximately 130%.

What will make Cleveland more of a Bicycle Friendly Community? The city may have earned an honorable mention as a ‘BFC’ from the League of American Bicyclists this past May (during Cleveland Bike Week), but the national group says the city still has a long way to go. The League recently supplied the city with a four-page list of priority improvements that would move it up the ranks to BFC-Bronze or higher.

“Set an ambitious, attainable target to increase the percentage of trips made by bike in the community,” the League urges. Currently, less than ½ of 1 percent of trips to work are done by bike in Cleveland. “This number should be increased significantly in order to demonstrate bicycle friendliness.”

Beyond recognition, Cleveland is interested in adopting the ‘bike friendliness’ list as its agenda for making cycling a real transportation option, says Martin Cader at Cleveland City Planning.

Miles of new bike lanes are one measures of bike friendliness, but just as important is how safe people feel cycling on city streets. Cleveland (and Cuyahoga County) can boost safety by traditional means—re-educating adults how to ride a bike safely on the street and offering special BikeEd training during driver’s education courses and to bus and truck drivers. Cleveland can also adopt innovative programs like Chicago’s Bike Buddies. There, 240 ambassadors make house calls—bike commuting along with people from their home and teaching basic bike maintenance.

Agenda items are categorized under the ‘Five E’s’—Engineering, Education, Encouragement and Enforcement. (Read more).

Location(s)

Monthly meeting of the NOACA Governing Board.

Location(s)

Monthly meeting of the NOACA Governing Board.

Location(s)

Monthly meeting of the NOACA Governing Board.

Location(s)

Monthly meeting of the NOACA Governing Board.

"We want better transit service."

That was the dominant message from three hours of public comment at last night's meeting of the Ohio 21st Century Transportation Priorities Task Force in Cleveland. Dozens of riders of Greater Cleveland RTA, Laketran, and other local transit systems called for the state to provide greater support to transit — to give people an affordable alternative to driving cars, reduce traffic congestion, and improve the environment. Transit systems need help more than ever, as they are handling increasing numbers of riders at a time of skyrocketing fuel costs.

Citizens also called on the Ohio Department of Transportation to support cycling as a real form of transportation, not just a recreational amenity. And they advocated for high-speed passenger rail service to connect cities in the Midwest. A greater emphasis on multi-modal transportation solutions was even supported by the local representative of the American Automobile Association (AAA).

Go here to learn more about the state's Transportation Priorities Task Force and to leave your comments online. The next public meeting of the task force is June 23 in Akron.

Go here to join our online forum about transportation priorities in Northeast Ohio.