Partnership for Active Transportation – creating a broad-based movement for human-powered mobility to build healthy places for healthy people

Balanced transport systems are fundamental to healthy communities.  A strong economy and high quality of life depend on safe and easy access for all residents to jobs, schools, transit, shops, services, parks and playgrounds.  Public health is improved by providing a built environment that facilitates routine physical activity.  Investing in networks of infrastructure that enable walking, bicycling and use of wheelchairs-or active transportation- is critical to providing transportation systems that meet everyone’s needs, regardless of whether they drive, and to spur economic development and promote active living.  The Partnership for Active Transportation is a unique collaboration of organizations working across the fields of transportation, public health, economic development, community leadership, equity and livability. The principles that unite us are: access for all, prioritizing active transportation networks, increasing investment in safe places to walk and bicycle, considering relevant policy opportunities and collaborating across all sectors.  The Partnership has created a federal policy platform entitled ‘Safe Routes to Everywhere’ calling for specific policy innovations, to build healthy places for healthy people through active transportation networks.  The platform calls for: (1) increased federal investment (from the current 1.5% to 3% of surface transportation) to fill gaps in walking and biking networks; (2) innovative finance strategies to harness private value of the active transportation projects to leverage public dollars and accelerate completion of networks; (3) a health impact assessment pilot program to learn best how to integrate health considerations into transportation decision-making to improve public health; and (4) develop and implement performance goals and metrics for all transportation projects that incentivize balanced, healthy and safe mobility options.  The presentation will describe why and how the Partnership was created; outline the policy platform; and convey Partnership outreach and communication strategies to make the case for elevating active transportation as a policy and cultural priority.