150 folks showed up last night at COSI for a public forum hosted by the Ohio Department of Transportation to discuss and obtain input on the future of transportation in Ohio. Of course, the primary focus of ODOT is and will continue to be maintaining the interstate highway system in order to efficiently move goods. Ohio is blessed with good location (60% of the US population lives within a day's drive of Columbus) and until everyone moves to the Sun Belt or we stop buying massive amounts of stuff, Ohio will continue to enjoy a competitive advantage.
But there's change in the wind at ODOT. Words like "intermodal" and "alternate transportation," even the "B" word (bicycle) are creeping into their vernacular. One slide in ODOT's powerpoint indicated that studies have confirmed a causal connection between operating an automobile and obesity. This is not your father and mother's ODOT!
The meeting was high-tech. Every guest had an electronic clicker to vote on questions presented on the screen. When asked, "What is your preferred mode of transportation?" 24% of the crowd answered "bicycle."
ODOT spends 90+% of its budget on roads, bridges and other infrastructure to support automobiles and trucks. However, during the Strickland administration, and with the vision of ODOT director Jolene Molitoris, ODOT has been increasing expenditures on alternate transportation. For example, ODOT is spending $250,000 to install sharrows on High Street, Cleveland Avenue and other city streets in Columbus. Last night, we thanked them for this and asked for even more. But the reality is, with gas tax collections down sharply, the federal and state highway budgets are in the red and it is clear the current system is unsustainable.They don't have enough money to maintain the highways and bridges we've got, so there is unlikely to be much money available for us. The Feds are looking at ways to raise additional revenue to maintain our roadway system, but the end result will undoubtedly cost drivers more $ to drive their cars. (You may have seen recent articles proposing to charge motorists for miles driven rather than by the gallon.) The good news is this should result in more folks joining the ranks of twowheelers, at least for short urban trips.
A few other stats surfaced last week. National health officials are projecting that 1 in 3 Americans will have diabetes by 2050, as a result of the obesity epidemic sweeping across America. Currently 1 in 3 Americans is obese and experts are projecting that 50% of American adults and children will be obese by 2018. That's right, just 8 years from now. According to former Surgeon General, Richard Carmona, the American healthcare (or as he calls it-- "sickcare" system) has already failed as a result of the obesity epidemic. What does this portend for healthcare in the U.S.?
What can we do? For one thing, get on a bike to make that short trip to work or school or the market. If you live too far from work, drive part of the way and bike the last 5-10 miles. Be creative! I don't see many overweight people on bikes and if they are overweight, it doesn't last long if they keep pedaling. And please look for opportunities to support the pedaling revolution in central Ohio. Let your voice be heard at public forums like the one the cycling community turned out for last night. I think ODOT heard us loud and clear.
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