Securing Increased Active Transportation Investments in Kern County Through Multi-Generational Community Engagement

Consistently ranked as having the worst air quality in the nation, Bakersfield and the surrounding Kern County has long suffered from the decades of planning for auto-oriented development and car-dependency. With the passage of state law SB 375 in 2008, California now requires regions to better integrate transportation and land-use planning in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide for real transportation choices. Leveraging this opportunity, California WALKS has organized and empowered both youth and seniors to speak up for increased investments in public transit and active transportation at the Kern Council of Governments (KernCOG), responsible for transportation planning in the region. By employing VideoVoice—a community-based participatory action research (CBPAR) tool—youth and seniors were able to share on a personal and very visual level why they would like to see KernCOG move away from auto-oriented development and rebalance the region’s investments toward public transit, walking and biking.

As a result of this multigenerational community input, the revised draft Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) has increased active transportation spending from $5.3 billion to $11.4 billion (or from 0.7% to 6.6% of the RTP budget)—a whopping 843% increase in planned investments in walking and biking. Moreover, a redrafted “Intensified Alternative” scenario now accelerates investments in walking, biking, and transit and outperforms all other scenarios on all performance measures, including health, air quality, and safety. Session participants will hear directly from youth involved in this advocacy effort, learn how VideoVoice was used, and ongoing active transportation advocacy efforts.