Camp Fire’s Post

🌳 We need your help to make our trails more accessible!🌳 Waypoint Adventure is a supporting organization on the Trails for All Act (S.446 and H.769), and we advocate for the Economic Development Bond Bill. This amendment filed by Jo Comerford would create a Trails Access Working Group to improve accessibility on Massachusetts trails. Why does this matter? Currently, out of 4,000 miles of unpaved trails in our State Parks, only 7.5 miles are accessible. That's a huge disparity when 33-47% of our population could benefit from more accessible trails, including seniors, individuals with disabilities, and families with young children. ⏰ Take action by July 11th! Contact Senate President Karen Spilka, Chair Michael Rodrigues, and your State Senator to urge them to support Amendment 35. Spread the word and share this post! Let's make Massachusetts trails accessible for everyone! Check out the links below! Talking points, a sample email, and the contact information for Senators and Staffers: https://lnkd.in/dqUukZGJ Learn more about Unpaved Trails for All and the bill: https://lnkd.in/d39XvR4H #FreeWhatsPossible #TrailsForAll #TakeAction #AccessibleTrails #AccessibleAdventures #AccessibilityForAll #MassachusettsTrails #MassachusettsNature #HikingMassachusetts #OutdoorRecreation #DiversifyOutdoors #OutdoorsForAll #AccessAndInclusion #AdaptiveRecreation #ImageDescription in alt text.

If you don't read anything else today, read this. Bethany Handley you've got a talent for utopian/dystopian writing! As someone who works in 'access' it's really easy to get caught up in 'radical' notions of a right to roam, recommoning, entranced by rugged visions of craggy clifftops or rushing rivers. What sometimes gets lost is that at its core, when we talk about access, we talk about connecting people and breaking down barriers between us and the land. We talk about access land (I am guilty of this) but as a disabled person, the percentage of land, the number of miles of trails, the open space that they are free to connect with is both unknowable and incredibly small. This imagining of a Wales in 2100 in which everyone is welcome to connect with nature is important, but the essay's indictment of the Wales in which we currently live is the kicker. In the UK the 'right' to access nature and experience the fullness of our own country is nowhere near upheld as a right. But that's what it should be - a right. And therefore non-discriminatory and non negotiable. That's not the case for so many of us in Wales. Accessible toilets, accessible routes which actually lead places, removing the threat of confrontation when you leave the beaten path, proper information on accessibility. An NHS which supplies proper mobility support for those in need of it. Some are things on which some progress has been made, others have regressed (if you look at a map of my local park from the 50s you'd be shocked how many more public toilets there were). We need to do better and there are lessons here for those of us who consider ourselves campaigners for public access, and remember who the public actually are. "Pursuing access for all without first identifying who’s already missing from the countryside and why is to pursue Thatcher’s equality of opportunity – declaring a path public without examining who can get to the path and who’s free to move down it."

Why Are Air Rights Important in NYC? 😎 🏨 🏗 New York City is a densely populated urban environment where land is both scarce and expensive. As a result, developers have long sought creative ways to maximize their building space. Air rights provide a unique solution, allowing for the expansion of buildings vertically. This means that owners of properties with available air rights can either develop that space themselves or sell it to adjacent properties that might wish to expand. This system helps maintain a balance between development and the city's need to control building density. 🏨 🏭 🏢 Historically, NYC focused on building upwards due to limited land availability. However, unrestricted vertical growth can lead to increased density, impacting city life by reducing sunlight, increasing shadows, and affecting the urban environment's livability. To manage this, NYC implemented zoning laws and air rights regulations, allowing for controlled growth and maintaining a balance between urban development and quality of life.

Public transportation can be the great equalizer. But what happens when not everyone has equitable access to it? Across the world, low-income and marginalized communities are disproportionally affected by transportation challenges due to lack of access. This hinders these individuals' ability to access employment, education, healthcare, and essential services. That's why we must work towards making public transportation accessible for everyone. Let's advocate for affordable and efficient public transportation in underserved areas, while ensuring access for people with disabilities and the elderly. Riding public transportation shouldn't be a privilege, but a basic human right. Let's work together to make public transportation accessible to everyone.

Traffic safety is a pressing issue worldwide, and Jacksonville, Florida, is no exception. With some of the fastest roadways in the U.S. and a troubling record of pedestrian and bicycle fatalities, the city needed bold action to protect its residents. That’s where the 20 is Plenty Speed Reduction Study comes in. Partnering with the City of Jacksonville, we helped design a comprehensive plan to reduce speed limits, enhance roadway safety, and foster community engagement. This initiative not only lowers speed limits but also integrates roadway upgrades, public awareness campaigns, and Vision Zero strategies to create safer, more vibrant neighborhoods. The study, which earned the 2024 Award of Excellence for Innovation in Planning for All Ages from Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA Florida), is a testament to the power of grassroots advocacy and innovative urban planning. Learn more from Rebecca Dennis, AICP, about how 20 is Plenty is setting a new standard for safety and sustainability in our latest blog: https://lnkd.in/eV4NbYRH #TrafficSafety #UrbanPlanning #SustainableCommunities #EngineeringaBetterFuture

Ensuring public transportation is accessible is a key aspect for creating inclusive communities. When travelling on public transit: - Announcements should be made for every stop to ensure that everyone, including those with visual impairments, can travel confidently. - Equal access to specialized transit services should be available during the same hours and on the same days as other public transit. This ensures individuals with disabilities have the same mobility opportunities. - Your guide dog or service animal must be allowed to ride with you. Learn more https://lnkd.in/gbzdW4En Children, Community and Social Services | Services à l’enfance et Services sociaux et communautaires | Ontario Ministry of Transportation/ Ministère des Transports de l’Ontario | Metrolinx

P R I O R I T Y T W O: Safer streets, accessible communities. today we stand at the threshold of change. It's time to reimagine our neighbourhoods as vibrant, accessible communities where safety isn't just a privilege but a fundamental right. But true progress demands accessibility.

🗣️YOUR FEEDBACK IS NEEDED 🗣️ New York State Department of Transportation is currently Reimagining the I-787 Corridor and needs to hear from YOU! It’s time to make Albany’s riverfront a place for people. As people who walk, bike, and take transit - we need to make our voices heard! For too long, NYSDOT has prioritized commute times of people leaving Albany over the safety, vibrancy, and livability of our urban communities. It’s time to change that! Here are some of our comments: 1) Prioritize the needs of ALL roadway users equitably, so travel is as safe and easy without a car as it is with one -This means reducing roadway sizes to create more livable and economically vibrant streets over “better” LOS (level of service) - Analyze travel time impacts for people using transit, bicycling, and walking, rather than only those driving - Analyze and understand how dedicated transit and micromobility lanes can impact corridor capacity, modeshift, reduce pollution, and more 2) Right-size the Dunn Memorial Bridge between Albany and Rensselaer - With the Port of Albany to the south, the Livingston Avenue Bridge just north of the Dunn, and the Federal Damn less than 10 miles away, we should be prioritizing connecting Albany and Rensselaer over the convenience of infrequent ships 3) Replace the South Mall Arterial with an at-grade boulevard, allowing for mixed use development with a proper street wall to help repair social injustices and Albany’s tax base ❗ We’ve heard that DOT needs to hear more from people who walk, bike, and take transit - so here’s your chance to help shape this important project! ❗ https://lnkd.in/ggKm3-Pa 🗓 The next Reimagine I-787 Open House is scheduled for this Wednesday 11/6 at the Howe Library on Schuyler St in Albany, from 5-7 PM. If you have the time and availability, please attend and tell them what you think in person (and on the comment cards provided at those meetings!) 📝

Don't wait for guerrilla benches to show up in your city! Cost-free, maintenance-free, ADA-compliant benches are available to qualifying municipalities and transit authorities. The elderly, pregnant women, people with disabilities – all deserve a place to sit and wait with dignity. The National Center on Disability and Journalism found that a lack of accessible seating at bus stops is a major barrier to public transit use for people with disabilities. Benches are not just a convenience; they're a bridge to a more equitable transportation system. Our benches are designed to be aesthetically pleasing while preventing misuse. We have turnkey partnerships with over 350 municipalities and transit systems large and small. Reach out for the details. A COA partnership can free up your time and public funds for other investments. It allows you to focus your attention and resources on other, more urgent areas. #MetropolitanMayorsCaucus #AQOLFA #funding #usmayors  #citymanager #cityplanning #municipal #municipalities #publicspaces #publicspace #transitadvertising #busriders #publictransportation #publictransit #transitauthority #guerrillabenches  #transit #bus #commuting #transit #cityscapes #cityliving #townplanning #townplanner #transportationsolutions #city #townhall #towns #citycouncil #transportation #transportationplanning #transportationindustry #towncouncil #transportationsystem #benches #bench #busshelter  #publicprivatepartnerships #publicprivatepartnership #publicworks #publictransportation #mayor #mayors #publicworks #bus #citymanagement https://lnkd.in/gAb6M6K9

So important for our cities to be planned with USEABLE urban green space for everyone and not continue promoting the unusable left over green spaces that often meet minimum code requirements. Parks provide instrumental foundational social and health functions in our communities and too often are dismissed and reduced to meeting a greenspace code requirement. They should be planned as primary organizing elements of our communities. Hopefully if this passes cities will prioritize their planning differently and actually fund parks better as a true public infrastructure and not be seen as just checking the boxes of meeting minimum requirements.