January 2009

Transportation 2009

Support for transportation choices and alternatives

Jon Boyd

http://ctchouston.org

January 2009 2

You might expect people to be interested…

• In the next 20 years, our region will spend more than $100 billion on transportation infrastructure

• That’s $5 billion of public funds annually

• Sidewalks, streets, highways, rail lines affect us all

• Where and how we build infrastructure dramatically affects quality of life in our communities

January 2009 3

but more than 40 agencies are planning…

TxDOTTexas Department of Transportation

Local cities

TIRZTax Increment

Reinvestment Zones

You & Me

Transportation’sTransportation’s“pecking” order“pecking” order

Neighborhoods

HCTRAHarris Cty Toll Road Auth

Counties

MDManagement

Districts

January 2009 4

… and the process takes many years

January 2009 5

If neighborhoods want better projects and better quality of life,

then what do we do?

January 2009 6

Members of the Citizens’ Transportation Coalition are working for:

The The Citizens’ Transportation Coalition Citizens’ Transportation Coalition envisions transportation solutions that envisions transportation solutions that

improve quality of life.improve quality of life.

The The Citizens’ Transportation Coalition Citizens’ Transportation Coalition envisions transportation solutions that envisions transportation solutions that

improve quality of life.improve quality of life.

OUR VISION

CTC advocates a broad-based public CTC advocates a broad-based public educational and planning process toeducational and planning process to

identify neighborhood aspirations and the identify neighborhood aspirations and the best transportation options to achieve them.best transportation options to achieve them.

CTC advocates a broad-based public CTC advocates a broad-based public educational and planning process toeducational and planning process to

identify neighborhood aspirations and the identify neighborhood aspirations and the best transportation options to achieve them.best transportation options to achieve them.

OUR MISSION

January 2009 7

What kinds of transportation policies might improve our quality of life?

January 2009 8

We need strategies both to accommodate growth and to preserve neighborhoods…

Dan Burdem

Town Center article

January 2009 9

We need to build more mobility choices

• 1 out of 5 adult Texans cannot or does not drive

• Everyone is a pedestrian at some times in their lives– children, injured, disabled, seniors, and poor– even you… when your car is in the repair shop

January 2009 10

We need to make public transit more effective

• Transit requires appropriate development (min density) ask for complementary local development guidelines

• We can make the case for additional funding:

– ask Congress to bring federal transit dollars here

– ask Texas legislators to fund freight and commuter rail

– ask Counties to fund local transit options

January 2009 11

We need to invest in freight rail…

http://ctchouston.org

January 2009 12

And we need agencies to cooperate…

January 2009 13

So… when neighborhoods are ready to make something happen,

what can you do?

January 2009 14

Consider adopting the CTC resolution