Healthy Local Transportation Policy

Presentation to Obesity Prevention Summit December 6, 2012

Craig M. BenjaminPolicy and Government Affairs

Manager

Cascade Bicycle Club• Non-profit organization serving

14,000 members & the Puget Sound bicycling community

• Mission: to Create a Better Community Through Bicycling

• Advocacy, Policy & Planning, Education, Events & Rides

Factors that Affect Health Examples

Eat healthy, be physically active

Rx for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes

Poverty, education, housing, inequality

Immunizations, brief intervention, cessation treatment, colonoscopyFluoridation, 0g

trans fat, iodization, smoke-free laws, tobacco tax

Socioeconomic Factors *And Racism

Changing the Contextto make individuals’ default decisions healthy

Long-lasting Protective Interventions

ClinicalInterventions

Counseling & Education

Smallest Impact

Largest Impact

The problem

A sedentary lifestyle leads to health problems ranging from obesity to cancer.

The problem

We’ve engineered daily physical activity out of our people’s lives by not providing safe places for people to walk and bike.

Snohomish County: The problem• <1% of Snohomish County

residents ride bikes to work.• More than 27% of Snohomish

County residents are obese.

Existing Complete Streets Policies

Snohomish CountyThe problem• Lack of advocacy for bicycling has meant a lack of safe, connected routes.

• Kids who come through Basics of Bicycling can’t ride to school or in their neighborhoods.

The case for bicyclingA connected

network of bicycling routes leads to:• Healthier people• Stronger communities

• Safer streets• Better air and water quality

• Reduced congestion

The case for bicycling2012 study from Portland, Ore:

Portland, Oregon 1990Bike lanes encourage bike

commuting

0 - 2%2 - 3%3 - 5%5 - 8%8 - 10%10+%

Bike Commute Mode Split

City of Portland

Dept. of Transportation

Black lines show 1990 bikeway network...

…colors show 1990 mode splits (by census tract)

Portland, Oregon 2000Bike lanes encourage bike

commuting

0 - 2%2 - 3%3 - 5%5 - 8%8 - 10%10+%

Bike Commute Mode Split

City of Portland

Dept. of Transportation

Black lines show 2000 bikeway network...

…colors show 2000 mode splits (by census tract)

Healthier people, healthier communities

More people bicycling

People feeling confident and encouraged to bicycle

Safe routes for bicycling

Supportive funding, policies, plans and bicycle

infrastructure

Effective community advocates

Supportive local

governments + businesses

Supportive elected officials

Education and encouragement

programs

Changing the Context• Goal: Improve health by making it easier and safer for people to ride bikes through outreach to…– Transportation planners and policy

makers– Businesses– Grassroots advocates– 3,000 middle school students

Plans and Policiesbikeability assessments

Plans and Policiesbicycle policy and planning workshops

Plans and Policiestechnical guides

Changing the Context• Goal: Improve health by making it

easier and safer for people to ride bikes through outreach to…– Transportation planners and policy makers– Businesses– Grassroots advocates– 3,000 middle school students

Changing the Context• Goal: Improve health by making it

easier and safer for people to ride bikes through outreach to…– Transportation planners and policy

makers– Businesses– Grassroots advocates– 3,000 middle school students

AdvocatesCascade’s Advocacy Leadership Institute

Changing the Context• Goal: Improve health by making it

easier and safer for people to ride bikes through outreach to…– Transportation planners and policy

makers– Businesses– Grassroots advocates– 3,000 middle school students

The Next GenerationAdvanced Basics of Bicycling

Precedent

The Outcomes• People in south Snohomish County

will ride bikes more often as part of a healthy, active lifestyle.

Questions?

Craig M. BenjaminPolicy and Government Affairs

Managercraig.benjamin@cascadebicycleclub.

org