John Pucher wowed audiences in three Texas cities during the Shifting Gears Lecture Series, sponsored by BikeTexas, Partnership for Healthy Texas, Campaign for Healthy Kids, and AARP. Dr. Pucher is an engaging speaker with a vast knowledge of the challenges and opportunities facing our transportation system, and his talks were well received in Irving, Austin, and Houston.
Dr. Pucher discussed the economic and public health benefits of active transportation, and why it benefits cities and states to plan for all road users. For example, Dr. Pucher said, for $30 million in transportation expenditures, a city can get:
1 mile of street (car lane) widening; or
20 miles of physically separated cycle tracks; or
30 miles of high-quality off-road bike trails; or
100 miles of sidewalk; or
120 miles of bike boulevards.
You can see all of the slides from Dr. Pucher’s presentations here. Many local businesses and organizations joined in to sponsor the presentation in their respective cities. See the full list of sponsors for Irving, Austin, and Houston.
Shifting Gears will be back for the next legislative session in 2015! But you don’t have to wait that long to hear from more great speakers about the benefits of biking and walking. Register now to attend the Texas Trails and Active Transportation (TTAT) Conference March 26-28, 2014, in Fort Worth. The conference is a great place to discuss ideas, successes, and challenges from across Texas. Register now for early bird pricing!
Have a session idea for TTAT? Propose a session here.
