More greenhouse gas emissions or walkable, livable communities? Cities or sprawl? The transportation decisions being made now will affect the land use and settlement patterns and the environmental health of our region for decades into the future.

Given the extraordinary challenges we face, now is the time to change the debate on transportation. The Sierra Club adopts the following set of principles to guide its evaluation of transportation policies, plans and projects from city, county, regional or state leaders.

1. New transportation investments must transform the regional transportation infrastructure into an integrated multi-modal roads and transit system that supports both seamless transfers between these modes and multiple ways to reach destinations.

2. New transportation investments that add capacity to the road system must be rigorously evaluated with respect to their human and environmental health costs and benefits.

3. New transportation investments must reinforce land use policies and developments that encourage compact, walkable communities.

4. Transportation funding should be based on mechanisms related to the actual use of the roadway system and the resulting environmental burden.

5. Local jurisdictions must be provided with local taxing authority to fund local transit operations as well as street and sidewalk improvements that support non-motorized movement (i.e., walking and biking).

6. Changes in regional transportation governance should promote the coherent design, construction and operation of an integrated multi-modal roads and transit system that is well coordinated with other regional planning efforts (for land use, water, sewer, telecommunications, etc.).

For more information or to get involved, please contact the Cascade Chapter's transportation committee chair, Tim Gould.

For more information on getting out of your car and into alternative transportation, click here.