South Bend, Indiana (September 14, 2017) – The Michiana Area Council of Governments is taking an active role in supporting their member jurisdictions that are motivated to design more walkable and bikeable streets. This week, the communities of Goshen, Plymouth, and Warsaw-Winona Lake were selected to receive technical assistance on how to advance walking and biking in their communities.
With help from the National Complete Streets Coalition (NCSC), a program of Smart Growth America, Michiana Area Council of Governments (MACOG) is bringing Complete Streets expertise and best practices to the region.
In August, MACOG and NCSC launched a competitive application to offer member jurisdictions an opportunity to be one of three communities to attend a Complete Streets workshop. Next month, the selected communities of Goshen, Plymouth, and Warsaw-Winona Lake will come together and learn about how to develop and implement active transportation policies that further economic, health, safety, and livability goals.
This visit will help the participating jurisdictions develop a plan to routinely create safe and inviting transportation networks for everyone, including drivers, bicyclists, transit riders, and pedestrians of all ages and abilities.
National experts Emiko Atherton, Director of the National Complete Streets Coalition, and Jeffrey Riegner, an engineering consultant, will facilitate this event.
“We are excited to bring nationally recognized experts to our region and assist communities in achieving their unique visions of vibrancy, accessibility, and quality of life,” said James Turnwald, MACOG Executive Director. “Each of the cities participating in this workshop will enhance their knowledge of designing and operating roads to enable safe access for all users, including drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders.”
About
The Michiana Area Council of Governments (MACOG) is a regional intergovernmental agency established to foster cooperative, coordinated and comprehensive planning activities that focus on areas of interlocal importance. This includes but is not limited to transportation, transit, economic development, environment, and other topics that may impact the region. The MACOG region represents Elkhart, Kosciusko, Marshall, and St. Joseph Counties in Northern Indiana. For more information visit www.macog.com.
Smart Growth America is the only national organization dedicated to researching, advocating for and leading coalitions to bring smart growth practices to more communities nationwide. From providing more sidewalks to ensuring more homes are built near public transportation or that productive farms remain a part of our communities, smart growth helps make sure people across the nation can live in great neighborhoods. For more information visit smartgrowthamerica.org.
The National Complete Streets Coalition, a program of Smart Growth America, is a non-profit, non-partisan alliance of public interest organizations and transportation professionals committed to the development and implementation of Complete Streets policies and practices. A nationwide movement launched by the Coalition in 2004, Complete Streets is the integration of people and place in the planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of transportation networks. To date, over 1100 agencies have adopted Complete Streets policies.
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Media Contacts:
James Turnwald
Executive Director, MACOG
574-287-1829
jturnwald@macog.com
Mae Hanzlik
National Complete Street Coalition
202-207-3355 x151
mhanzlik@smartgrowthamerica.org