Posted March 30, 2023 in Weblog

A brand new roundup of Walkability Wins. This week we’re showcasing the motion by highlighting extra locations throughout the nation advancing pedestrian-friendly agendas.

Sausalito, California

2021 California State Strolling School Fellow graduate, Sybil Boutilier, sought out their Strolling Motion Plan to fruition! The Metropolis of Sausalito’s 2022 Pavement Enchancment Challenge authorised extra sidewalks that included the Senior Middle. The residents now have entry to all types of providers safely. The hyperlink supplied has particulars of the Strolling Motion Plan. Nicely carried out!

Burlington, Vermont

The Vermonters for Folks-Oriented Locations (VPOP) is a brand new grassroots group, however they’re certainly not new to advocating for “extra livable, vigorous, and resilient cities”. Their latest success entails changing parking minimums with parking maximums after the town council voted 10-1 in favor of it. Parking mandates and minimums end in having an excessive amount of parking reasonably than too little and hurts the town in prices. “We’ll nonetheless have parking within the metropolis,” metropolis councilor Ben Traverse mentioned. “It’s simply that we’ll have the parking we’d like.”

Rochester, New York

The Metropolis of Rochester put in 70 new Main Pedestrian Intervals across the metropolis that can give pedestrians extra time to cross earlier than autos are given a inexperienced gentle. Rochester acquired a $5M award of NYS funding for hydrogen gasoline cell buses that can enable RTS (Rochester’s bus system) to proceed diversifying its fleet and shifting away from high-emission autos. Be taught extra at Reconnect Rochester.

Portland, Oregon

The US DOT gave a lump sum of $800,000 to the town of Portland, OR to advance their efforts for restoring a historic Black neighborhood, generally known as Decrease Albina. Decrease Albina was destroyed on account of the development for Interstate 5 within the Nineteen Fifties. We wish to acknowledge the Albina Belief Imaginative and prescient, an area nonprofit group, main these efforts! You could find methods to assist their work through social media: @AlbinaVisionPDX (Twitter), @albinavisiontrust (IG), albinavision.org.

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis metropolis council voted unanimously (12-0) for municipal sidewalk plowing that can clear snow and ice. For subsequent steps to efficiently roll out this system, a Winter upkeep examine can be carried out for evaluate in June to determine funding wants. What a win for sidewalk customers, particularly throughout the harsh Winter months!

Chicago, Illinois

Equally, Chicago introduced an ordinance to pilot a #PlowTheSidewalk program, launched and led by the incapacity rights group Entry Dwelling and the transportation advocacy group Higher Streets Chicago. Unplowed sidewalks have been the largest complaints, and the unified voices have been heard for a clearer future (actually!).

Arlington, Virginia

Lawmakers in Arlington voted to finish single-family zoning and permit multi-unit residential buildings all through the county. After months of debate, the coverage handed unanimously 5-0, permitting extra townhouses, duplexes, and different small constructing models. Arlington, a as soon as suburban haven simply exterior of Washington D.C., designed round single-family houses, turns into the primary group within the D.C. area to rethink zoning guidelines.

Houston, Texas

Hey, bear in mind in 2020 throughout the first summer time of the pandemic, we noticed roads shut down and return to the folks within the title of social distancing? Nicely, Houston’s Metropolis Council voted unanimously to completely (!!!) “reshape” the downtown space. The plan that has been authorised will maintain seven blocks of Primary Road closed to site visitors to permit for outside eating and improved walkability – successful for patrons and companies.

United States

For the primary time because the pandemic began in 2020, Amtrak has reopened routes to Vancouver, B.C. from Portland, Oregon, absolutely resuming the Cascades service. Senator Murray (D-WA) mentioned “this prepare line runs alongside a crucial North-South hall in Washington state, connecting households, communities, and small companies. Amtrak performs a crucial function in getting folks the place they must be on time and at an affordable value—that is nice information as we work to maintain Washington state shifting ahead.”

Equally, starting in April, Amtrak service from New York Metropolis to Montreal will relaunch after greater than two years of being shut down. Officers acknowledged that communities alongside the hall closely depend upon this prepare service for tourism.

To compensate for earlier installments of Walkability Wins, go to our weblog. Have a win? Ship it to us: social@americawalks.org.