Good Works Columbus: February 12, 2024
Safe streets, Transit Columbus meeting, All Aboard Ohio, surveys, and more
Intro
Hi everyone, happy Monday! Thank you to everyone that showed up to the Columbus City Council meeting last week and thank you to everyone that provided written or spoken testimony for safe streets. Local advocate and Good Works Columbus reader Ben Keith provided testimony during council and has a great write up including his statements, a nice summary with links to media coverage of the event, and some helpful tips at the end for getting involved.
In other news, the Kaleidoscope Youth Center’s Board of Directors voted to voluntarily recognize their union. We love to see it.
In other voting news, there’s another election coming up next month. Register to vote or update your registration by the February 20th deadline. You can also sign up to be a poll worker in Franklin County here.
If you have an upcoming event or a link you’d like to share for the newsletter, feel free to send suggestions. Please let me know if I missed something!
Things you can do in person
Friends and Families for Safe Streets Columbus is asking for advocates to show up to tonight’s city council meeting. (Note: meeting is at 5:00pm not 6:30pm) They’re asking to stop the road widening project on 5th Ave. and to follow Columbus’ Vision Zero safe streets guidelines.
(Tuesday, February 13th 7pm-8:30pm) Transit Columbus February meeting at the Columbus Main Library downtown in the auditorium (1st floor)
(2/17/24 10am-12pm) Join All Aboard Ohio Central Ohio chapter for their monthly meeting at the Grandview library (1685 W 1st Ave, Columbus, OH 43212). Learn about how to get involved and help bring passenger rail to Columbus.
Things you can do online
Upper Arlington Public Library workers are forming a union. Tell the UA Library board to recognize their union!
(Climate Survey: 5-10 minutes) “We would like to hear your thoughts!! Recently, the EPA provided funding through a Climate Pollution Reduction Grant to improve energy security and decrease climate air pollution in the Central Ohio Region. Based on your area's initial feedback and others throughout the region we have developed some potential climate pollution reduction strategies to reduce the effects of emissions on our climate.”
(Housing Survey: 5-10 minutes) “The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) has launched its latest survey in the “Leaders Listen” series, in partnership with Measurement Resources Company and The Columbus Dispatch, to gauge Central Ohio residents’ opinions on experiences and services related to housing in the region.”
Donate a set of bike lights! If you’ve already donated, thank you! Advocates are only 18 sets away from their goal of 300 sets! Lights will arrive and be distributed to people that need lights in the spring.
(2 minutes) Tell your elected officials to stop highway expansions! “A coalition of 200 organizations nationwide is calling on elected leaders to adopt a moratorium on expanding highways and a pause on existing projects until climate, equity, and maintenance goals are met. Tell your elected leaders to end the destructive, unsustainable practice of highway building and set a responsible course toward a cleaner and more equitable future.”
MORPC Complete Streets
If you missed last week’s newsletter, I gave some background information and suggestions for public comment on MORPC’s Complete Streets draft policy. I’ll also be going a little more in depth on it at tomorrow’s Transit Columbus meeting.
“The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) is currently seeking public comment and review on drafts of two critical regional transportation funding policies: the Policies for Managing MORPC-Attributable Transportation Funding and the MORPC Complete Streets Policy. Public comments on both policy drafts will be accepted through Friday, February 23, 2024…For more information or to review the draft policies and provide comments, visit www.morpc.org/funding. Comments may be submitted via email to tip@morpc.org or in writing to Nick Gill, Transportation Study Director, 111 Liberty Street, Suite 100, Columbus, OH, 43215, by 5 p.m. on Friday, February 23, 2024”
Save the Date
(Saturday 3/2/2024 11:00am-1:00pm) Eastland Community Plan feedback opportunity: “Join us to continue the conversation on the Eastland Community Plan by attending our second Public Meeting on Saturday, March 2nd. Now is the time to envision a new future for the Eastland area, one that is equitable and prosperous for everyone. We need your voice and your ideas to make that happen. Be part of the planning process to create the roadmap for the future of your community.”
(3/9/24 9am-12pm) It's time to kick butt, Columbus! Cigarette butt, that is!
In Case You Missed It
Mark up the Vision Zero Columbus map. Have a close call walking, biking, or getting around town? Do you know a dangerous intersection that can be improved? Help identify these spots on the Vision Zero map.
Have a great day everyone, hopefully I’ll see some of you tomorrow at the Transit Columbus meeting!