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Keith Laughlin keynote
- 1. Active Transportation and the Charisma of Place Keith Laughlin Rails-to-Trails Conservancy February 3, 2012
- 2. RTC 101 • Foundedin 1986 • 150,000 Members and supporters • HQ in DC with 4 Regional Offices • 35 Staff
- 3. Our Mission To createa nationwide network of trails from former rail lines and connecting corridors… …to build healthier places for healthier people.
- 4. Looking Back Past success: • 1986: 250 miles • 2012: 20,000 miles
- 11. Two Keys toOur Success 1) Federal Investment: - $9.87 Billion in Transportation Enhancements funding since 1992; - 2/3 of $$ for trails, walking and biking 2) Local Partnerships
- 12. Looking Ahead: Our AudaciousGoal By 2020, 90 percent of Americans will live within three miles of a local trail system.
- 13. An Even MoreAudacious Goal for the Future To create active transportation systems: …seamless networks of trails, on road cycling facilities, and sidewalks – all connected to public transportation – that will give people the choice of mobility without an automobile.
- 14. Utopian? NO. But to imagine what’s possible in the future it’s useful to understand what has happened in the past.
- 15. 1919: Transcontinental Motor Convoy
- 16. 1919: Transcontinental Motor Convoy • Traveled from Washington DC to San Francisco • 3,251 miles in 62 days • Averaged 52 miles per day
- 17. 1939: NY World’sFair General Motor’s “Futurama” Exhibit Caption: “Two 14-lane express highways cross in 1960”
- 18. 1956: The NationalInterstate and Defense Highways Act
- 19. 1982: Transit Investment • Transit capital investments become eligible for highway trust fund monies.
- 20. 1991: A MajorShift Begins • Eisenhower Interstate System is completed; 46,000 miles at a cost of $425 billion (2006 dollars) • ISTEA passed and Transportation Enhancements created; has provided over $6 billion for trails/bike/ped since 1992
- 21. 1994: The “Information Superhighway” “The Greatest Social Revolution Since the Automobile” - January 1994
- 22. 2003: Attack onTransportation Enhancements • Petri Amendment (R-WI) to restore funding was approved by a bipartisan vote of 320-90. • Inoculated us from additional attacks
- 23. 2005: Passage ofSAFETEALU Three major accomplishments: • Transportation Enhancements preserved • Safe Routes to Schools created • Non-Motorized Pilot Project created
- 24. 2005: Beyond TE; TheNMPP $25 Million each to: • Columbia, MO • Marin Co, CA • Minneapolis, MN • Sheboygan Co, WI
- 25. 2009: A NewDay at USDOT “We have a window of opportunity to think differently about transportation and propose bold, new approaches to improve the livability of our nation’s communities.” Secretary LaHood June 2009
- 26. 2010: The BikeLash Begins “…"Strategic Plan 2010-2015" reaches new depths of incoherence and sloganeering on behalf of an extreme green agenda…” Tollroad News May 2010
- 27. 2010: Earth Day “You must be a bicyclist.” Pres. Barack Obama April 22, 2010
- 28. 2011: It works! % Increase 2007 – 2010: Cyclists Walkers Columbia, MO……… +26% +14% Marin Co, CA………. +68% +24% Minneapolis, MN…… +32% +17% Sheboygan Co, WI… +23% +12%
- 29. It Pays Active Transportation For America The Case for Increased Federal Investment in Bicycling and Walking www.railstotrails.org/atfa
- 30. It’s Popular How Respondents Would Allocated Transportation Funding 37% 41% 22% Roads Public Transportation Bicycling & Walking How Transportation Funding is Allocated in Reality 79% 20% 1%
- 31. 2011: Something ishappening among the young…
- 32. 2012: … ACultural Shift • It works! • It pays! • It’s popular! • It’s in the streets! • It’s in advertising… • People want it! • And it’s COOL!
- 33. 2012: Yesterday TheAmerican Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act: • Eliminates guaranteed funding for Transportation Enhancements • Makes rail-trail conversions ineligible for federal funding • Eliminates Safe Routes to School • Eliminates trust fund revenues for transit
- 34. 2012: Yesterday • ThePetri-Johnson-Lipinski Amendment was defeated 27-29. • Thanks: Rep. Bernice-Johnson • Spanks: Rep. Farenthold
- 35. 2012: Next Week Onto the Senate….
- 36. 2012: The GreatParadox • Trails and active transportation have never been more popular or in greater demand • But powerful forces want to turn back the clock to 1956: no transit, no trails, no bike/ ped • Highways only: “Drive, Baby, Drive!”
- 37. 2012: Dueling Visions We are witnessing a clash of two very different visions of transportation in America.
- 38. Dueling Visions ofthe Future: This?
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- 42. Where Do WeGo From Here? • Four part strategy: - Making Our Case - Organize, Organize, Organize - Raising Our Voices - Expanding Our Movement
- 43. Expanding Our Movement PrimaryTargets: • Local elected officials, particularly Republicans • Health care advocates & industry • Economic and community development specialists • Large employers looking for talented young workers
- 44. A Large Employer • Lexis-Nexis • Information/Technolgy Firm • Dayton, OH • Has the ear of its governor
- 45. “We need tomake Ohio COOL.”
- 46. The Charisma ofPlace “The new sort of competition is all about charisma. It’s about gathering talent in one spot...” David Brooks “The Talent Magnet” New York Times January 24, 2011
- 47. A Dictionary Definition Charisma - a special magnetic charm or appeal
- 48. What Makes aPlace Charismatic? • “Community quality of life…” • “Nearby active outdoor recreation…” • “Hot companies in cool places…”
- 49. Does this have specialmagnetic appeal?
- 50. Is This AnExtreme Green Agenda?
- 51. Conclusion • We arein for a major fight. • There will be setbacks. • But we will ultimately prevail. • The tired 1939 vision of GM’s Futurama exhibit has passed its shelf life. • We are redefining what it means to be a healthy community in the 21st century. • Trails and bikes will be at the center.