Alternative Transportation
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Transportation is the movement of people and goods through a network of options to include rail, bus, bike, water, air, and car. How we define the emphasis of one type of transportation over the other will define a large part of how our community functions and operates. Alternative modes of transportation to cars, like bikes, rail, and increasing the density of homes per square mile will reduce harmful environmental impact on our air and water, increase economic development and improve the walkabilty and sociability of our neighborhoods.
Greening the (918) Goal
Greening the (918) Alternative Transportation goal
Tulsa creates more walkable neighborhoods that integrate land use and economic development to include continuous sidewalks, observed bike lanes and viable public transit systems.
Green Tips
Greening your Transportation:
- Walk and bike to destinations when possible (start with one day a week using a different mode of transportation to a car.) Walking and biking have duel opportunities-improves air quality and improves your health!
- Reduce the number of trips you take by car by planning out strategic routes.
- Get involved with your local alternative transportation efforts-check out www.PlaniTulsa.org
Panelist
Rick Westcott, COUNCILOR DISTRICT 2
Rick Westcott has served as Councilor since April, 10, 2006.
Rick Westcott has a diverse background that will helps him represent the citizens of District 2. He was a Tulsa Police Officer, a carpenter, worked at a bank, and spent nearly 20 years in radio. He graduated from ORU in 1989 with a BA in History and graduated from the University of Tulsa College of Law in 1993. He also taught as a full- time instructor at ORU for 13 years and was the Co-Ordinator of the American Government Program. He wrote their Pre-Law curriculum and focused his teaching in that area. He has been practicing law for 13 years, primarily in the area of insurance defense.
He has worked on the Sales Tax Overview Committee, helping to make sure that third penny sales tax funds are properly spent and on the Prioritization Committee for Community Development Block Grant Funds. He has taken an active leadership role in the effort to get passenger rail service back to Tulsa, and has been supportive of expanding our transportation options in our city.
He served for more than 10 years on the Board of Managers for the Downtown YMCA and has served for more than 10 years on the Volunteer Board for the Tulsa Run.
Dr. Jack Crowley, Ph. D., Special Advisor to the Mayor on Urban Planning
Crowley served as Dean of the College of Environmental Design at the University of Georgia from 1996 to 2006, but has kept a footprint in the Tulsa area during that time as a consultant for Williams. His career as a planner spans three decades and began with work in Lawton and Seminole, Oklahoma. He then worked as the chief planner for the Oklahoma State Park System, Executive Director of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission and Director of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Crowley also served for seven years as Vice President of Williams Realty in Tulsa to develop multiple public/private partnerships. Crowley earned undergraduate degrees in Architecture, Business and Art History, a Master of Regional and City Planning, all from the University of Oklahoma. He earned a Ph.D. in 1977 in Urban Geography from the University of Oklahoma.
Dr. Crowley first priority is to coordinate the City’s revitalization efforts in downtown. As part and parcel to that effort, he is also charged with helping to plan for the city’s mass transit efforts. Crowley also provides support for the development of PlanItTulsa, the new Comprehensive Plan for the City. Additionally, he has joined the faculty at OU-Tulsa as a visiting professor in the College of Architecture.
Jennifer O’Leary, 50+ Program Coordinator, Tulsa Parks Department
Jennifer O’Leary serves as the Program Planner for health and wellness programs for those ages 55 years and older, Tulsa’s fastest growing demographic. She also helps coordinate the Mayor’s Fitness Challenge for the City of Tulsa. The Mayor’s Fitness Challenge began in 2005 as an effort between Tulsa and Oklahoma City. Today, Mayor Taylor spearheads the Mayor's Fitness Challenge and is joined by 55 partners to encourage family centered healthy lifestyles.
Patrick M. Fox, Urban Planner/Developer
Patrick Fox, served as the Multimodal Transportation Planner for INCOG from 2006 to 2008. In that capacity, he was responsible for implementation of the Tulsa Area Master Trails Plan, which guides the development for bicycle and pedestrian modes throughout the region, and for planning high capacity transit in the greater Tulsa area. His career began with an internship at the City of Seattle’s Department of Planning and Development, before moving to Tulsa to work for R.D. Flanagan and Associates as an environmental planner, and the City of Tulsa as a neighborhood Planner and as a Planner for the Tulsa Preservation Commission. Presently, he is a principal in ZigZag Urban Development, a firm who’s primary focus is in the redevelopment of core and urban areas. ZigZag’s current project is an adaptive use for the Oklahoma Natural Gas building in Downtown Tulsa.
Fox earned his undergraduate degree in Anthropology and a Master’s degree in Architectural Urban Studies from the University of Oklahoma.
Tom Sewell, President, Tulsa Gas Technologies
TGT began its involvement in the compressed natural gas(CNG) industry in 1989 when a major oil company approached Tom Sewell (the owner and operator of Sewell Electric, involved in the construction and service of service stations) to build a CNG station at the Midway Truck Stop between Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. As a result, Tulsa Gas Technologies was established June 11, 1991 and the first TGT dispenser was manufactured and sold in July 1991.
Greening the (918) Alternative Transportation Booth Partisipation
Tulsa Now
Mayor’s Green Team
PlaniTulsa
Mayor’s Fitness Challenge
INCOG (Indian Nations Council of Governments)
Metropolitan Tulsa Transit Authority
Neighborhood Associations
Preserve MidTown
Tulsa Gas Technologies
Strategy Session Graphically Facilitated Notes
Greening the (918) Alternative Transportation Strategy Session Linear Notes
Greening the (918)
Alternative Transportation Seminar
Greening the (918) mission
Is to assist Tulsa in becoming one of the greenest cities in the nation.
Greening the (918) is an interactive series of seminars produced by Sustainable Tulsa and chaired by Sustainable Tulsa and the Mayor’s Green Team designed to inspire organizations and individuals to take action and to lead the city to be one of the greenest cities in the nation. Each seminar will have a panel of experts and be moderated and graphically facilitated by Sean Griffin. The community will discuss what action steps Tulsa must take to overcome the challenges of becoming one of the greenest cities in the nation. Networking and refreshments will follow each seminar.
Alternative Transportation (Tuesday, February 17, 2009)
Goal: Tulsa creates more walkable neighborhoods that integrate land use and economic development to include continuous sidewalks, observed bike lanes and viable public transit systems. Tulsa Now Strategic Partner.
Alternative Transportation Ideas
- Zoning for walkability-not car
- Executable plan that includes all kinds of transportation
- Covered bus stops
- Finish sidewalks on major arterial collections
- Natural gas buses
- Make sure that north Tulsa gets light rail and bus system-comprehensive plan that serves all Tulsans
- Connect to Oklahoma City
- Remember the empty nester
- Mindful of % that need the bus
- 24 X 7 bus service
- Light Rail downtown and creating population density, connecting to bikes, and connecting to inter modal hub
- Responsible bike education
- Arkansas River public transportation
- Biking parking issues: secure bike parking, accessible, and bike parking credits for developers
- Team with Oklahoma City for state funded transit options
How do we create Alternative Transportation option in Tulsa?
- Educate Elected Officials to act
- Integrate into PlaniTulsa
- Update Zoning to include sidewalks, massive over haul, parking maximums, walkability, and reduce set-backs.
- Better lighting-reduce glare for pedestrians and cyclist
- Identify Champions
- Educate everyone on the benefits of alternative transportation.
- On life style we expect market strategy
- On life style we expect know more about master plan
- Incentivize for Developers
- Get involved-with PlaniTulsa
- Encourage new ways of understanding and marketing alternative transportation
- Community Organize
- Develop a Transit Alliance
- Transit Forum
What are the next Steps in creating more alternative transportation options?
- Write letters locally, state level and federal level that we are serious about Mass Transportation
- Patrick Fox to start building a coalition
- Engage the media
- Do a first project (one neighborhood)
Action
Each Greening the (918) seminar will have action steps that the community will collectively develop each evening. Additionally each seminar will have a Strategy Team that will assist in putting the actions into motion for the Tulsa Area. Please Alternative Transportation Strategy Session Graphically Facilitated Notes and Alternative Transportation Strategy Session Linear Notes for more information on the results of the Alternative Transportation seminar.