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Transportation Choices
Idaho Smart Growth works to ensure all Idahoans have effective, efficient, and affordable transportation choices through the follow projects:
Complete Streets- Through the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, Idaho Smart Growth is helping 5 communities– Idaho Falls, Lewiston, Moscow, Nampa, and Wood River Valley - adopt complete streets policies by creating an Active Living Task Force in each community. The Project goal is for these five communities to adopt Complete Streets Policies and a plan for implementing them.
“Complete Streets” means a transportation network that adequately provides for all users not just motor vehicles but also pedestrians, bicyclists and transit users. This project is focused on providing citizens more opportunities to be active in their daily lives through transportation and to involve the public health sector in community design decisions. The project has received support from the Joint Committee of the Interagency Working Group for Public Transportation Services and the Public Transportation Advisory Council.
The connection between our growing health problems, such as obesity and chronic heart disease, in this country with community design is the focus of this work. Some resources on Complete Streets and the connection between Community Design and Healthy, Active Living can be found on our resources page.
Elaine Clegg heads our Safe Routes to Schools partnership with the Idaho Transportation Department. The goal of this project is to help kids bike and walk to school safely. Elaine conducts workshops throughout Idaho. You can contact Elaine at elaineATidahosmartgrowth.org.
As Idaho is one of only 3 states without a dedicated local source of funding for public transportation, Idaho Smart Growth believes it’s time to give Idaho communities the tools they deserve to chart their own future and meet local transportation needs. A local option sales tax would help our communities better meet local needs, such as keeping roads and bridges safe, creating reliable bus service and providing safe places to walk and bike. Rachel Winer coordinates our work on transportation funding and the Idahoans for Transportation Choices Coalition. You can reach Rachel at rachelATidahosmartgrowth.org
Click here to read more about our work on safe routes to schools, helping communities adopt and implement complete streets policies, and advocating for a local option sales tax authority.