On May 31 and June 1, NACTO was thrilled to host—in partnership with the City of Columbus and the Ohio Department of Transportation—our fifth Sister Cities Roadshow. For two days, cities from across the state of Ohio as well as from Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Indiana came together to share experiences and practices in bikeway design, with the goal of advancing bikeway programs and cultivating a stronger peer network among the cities. The intensive and interactive program included a NACTO Urban Bikeway Design Training, opportunities for practitioners to share their latest and greatest projects with one another, and information about cutting edge tools and research to help cities implement better, faster, and more transformative projects at home.

Planners, engineers, and public health officials from Columbus to Cleveland, Canton to Dayton to Akron, and as far as Indianapolis and Lexington and Pittsburgh all convened for the roadshow. During the event, these peers had the opportunity to hear from Columbus City Council President Shannon Hardin about the city’s vision for aligning growth with a safe and active transportation.

“As Columbus thinks about growth, we have to bring in everyone. These aren’t small conversations. When we add a half-million resident, we can’t just add a half-million cars.” –@SG_Hardin #SisterCitiesRoadshow pic.twitter.com/EPHPBXZWLT

— NACTO (@NACTO) May 31, 2018

We heard about how better streets are critical to enabling social and economic mobility, and how all ages & abilities bikeways can open up new mobility options for aging populations.

Good, safe, affordable transportation is key to accessing social & economic opportunities—the largest factor in lifting folks out of poverty. Streets that are only designed for cars don’t allow that. Our streets reflect our values, & designing better streets can be the solution. pic.twitter.com/neSlNdt7h5

— Craig Toocheck (@ctoocheck) May 31, 2018

Day 2 of @NACTO Sister Cities in Columbus: Hearing from @TooleDesign’s Carol Kachidoorian about when and why older folks (50+) bike, and what would make cycling better for them (and all of us as we age) pic.twitter.com/uUGjCWjwhi

— Craig Toocheck (@ctoocheck) June 1, 2018

Participants also took our learning out into the field during a bike tour with Yay Bikes! to observe and engage with bicycling challenges and possible solutions around Columbus. Finally, we concluded by applying these lessons during a design charrette, where attendees worked together to rethink a Columbus street for people walking, bicycling, and taking transit.

Thank you to Caraline Griffith, Caitlin Harley, and Jordan Whisler from the Ohio Department of Transportation; TJ Gajda, Nick Popa, and Scott Ulrich from the City of Columbus; and Bryan Townley from MORPC for their steadfast work in bringing this Roadshow to fruition. Thanks also to ODOT, Eco-Counter, Pexco, Remix, Toole Design Group, and Transpo Industries for their generous support of this program. Finally, Sister Cities wouldn’t be possible without the tireless stewardship from Louisville’s Rolf Eisinger.

You can learn more about Sister Cities here.