An insider's game

By Rob Sadowsky

When it comes to pursuing goals and working with government officials, Active Trans has a unique and distinct philosophy that has been refined over time. We believe that close partnerships with officials and collaboration are the main tools to moving policy initiatives forward. We praise loudly and criticize softly in order to build a constructive environment that will foster good decision-making and planning that will lead to the fulfillment of our mission. We even have this approach written into our values statement: “We don't bash. We don't bash public servants and government agencies. The people who control, manage, shape and maintain public space are the only actors who can change that space. We need to understand and help with the issues that make their public service more difficult. The more genuinely these public institutions and leaders work on our behalf, the more successful we are.”

Two recent instances highlight this approach and provide some insight to our work.

I recently called Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation Ray LaHood and asked for a meeting to discuss Chicagoland’s needs and our interests around biking, walking and transit. Some advocates hold meetings with under-secretaries and under-under-secretaries. We went straight to the top. I was particularly interested in discussing core urban issues that face transportation. It is a testament to our member-based support and mission that I was able to immediately get a meeting with the secretary in his Washington D.C. office. When Secretary LaHood described his own funding priorities and his desire to create livable communities, it became clear that we share many of the same core values and priorities.

He was particularly interested in the idea of mobility education, which is part of our strategic plan. Most of us received drivers education, which is limiting and limited. Mobility education teaches bicycle and pedestrian safety, transit education, and road-sharing lessons.

There is already a movement around this idea, called Mobility Education. The concept has already trickled down to a U.S. Department of Transportation under-secretary as a result of our meeting. And now, Active Trans is in conversation with that department about a national mobility education demonstration project that would be part of the next transportation bill that we hope will be finalized early next year. The concept fulfils LaHood’s goal to cut down distracted driving (we’ll build that into the pilot curriculum) and our goal of improving driving and bicycling safety. Stay tuned for more in on how this is progressing in our blog and newsletter.

The second example is our partnership with the Chicago Department of Transportation to take innovative steps in street and intersection redesign. New York City has implemented some innovative and impressive changes in its street design that prioritize and protect vulnerable users. We are confident that Chicago can take these kinds of steps, too. Thanks to a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, we sent two Chicago traffic engineers to New York City to see the designs first-hand and to discuss the new approaches with their peers. The effort is already paying dividends. The two engineers have presented recommendations to coworkers at the Chicago Department of Transportation and Office of Emergency Management and Communications. We hope to look at ways to bring other engineers from other municipalities and the State on similar trips to help build better streets.

To the outside world, this may seem like an insider’s game. It is. And it works. It works because we have a large and vocal membership that works in tandem with the inside game. Your calls to legislators build the case for the important work we do. Ray LaHood may have turned down our meeting if it wasn’t for the 5,000 members backing our organization. One other way that you come into the picture is to help us forge new relationships with communities, organizations and individuals who embrace common goals. How do the public transportation options stack up in your community? Would your town benefit from a bike club? Do your transportation planners fully consider the needs of pedestrians? We want to help you address these questions. We are just waiting for a call from you. To get started, get in touch with any of our community liaisons or suburban coordinators.

Rob Sadowsky is Active Trans’ executive director.