Take the Driving Trip Pledge!

Executive Director’s Note:  We invited Mia Birk, CEO of Alta Planning & Design, to make a special presentation about the importance of sustainable transportation at our annual dinner on Friday evening.  Unfortunately, Mia’s presentation had to be cut short because the program had run long.  We think Mia’s message is so important that we invited her to write the following guest blog post.  It’s a great post and we hope you will take the time to read it. 

Spring is upon us, and it’s time to head into your local bike shop to get tuned up for summer. As OLCV members, we know that bicycle, walking, and transit are simple, win-win solutions for our complex energy, environmental, livability, and health problems.

The transportation sector accounts for about a third of Oregon greenhouse gass emissions. The national health costs associated with poor air quality caused by transportation are between $40 and $60 billion per year. Traffic crashes are one of the top causes of death for young people. Obesity, asthma, diabetes, stress, and other diseases are all directly tied to our sedentary, auto-oriented lifestyles.

Automobile transportation requires 20 times as much space as transit, 30 times as much space as cycling, and 100 times more space than walking. Some 20-30% of urban land goes to roads and parking, for goodness sakes.

But we - each of us - can choose another path, one toward a sustainable future. We can choose a car-free or car-light existence, giving us more money in our pockets. Sustainable transportation means we are fitter and healthier. Our kids arrive by foot or bike at school energetic and ready to learn. We are contributing to cleaner air and water. We are less stressed. We are more free. And we are practicing what we preach.

We have invested billions in our transportation system and it is our responsibility to get as much out of it as we possibly can. Together, we will realize the vision of a livable, walkable, lovable, sustainable, and economically viable Oregon.

Join me in shifting more of your driving trips to walking, biking or transit. Join our elected officials - people like Earl Blumenauer, Peter DeFazio, Rex Burkholder, Lynn Peterson, and Dick Schouten - who have for decades put transportation reform at the top of the list and are trying to direct more funding toward sustainable transportation.

Join me in this pledge:

“I pledge to switch at least one - no make it five - driving trips per week to bicycling, walking, or transit, all summer long.

When I bike, I will stop at red lights, yield to pedestrians, and wave and smile at any motorist who shows me the slightest bit of courtesy.

When I drive, I will slow down, hang-up, yield to cyclists and pedestrians, and chill out."

 Thank you, and enjoy the ride!