I need to put something out in the universe – I get a little geeked out about transit. If you had told me a year ago that I’d be writing that, I would have giggled.
Sure, I find myself pretty envious of the Metro when I visit my brother in DC. And obviously, I love the Pacers bike share and Cultural Trail. But geeked out on transit? I didn’t see that coming.
Late last year, Mark Fisher, Vice President of Government Affairs at the Indy Chamber, asked me to join a team he was curating of seven Indy organizational leaders for a national transportation academy.
Along with Indy, two other cities, Nashville and Raleigh, had been chosen by Transit Center and Transportation for America to do a 12-month deep dive into the world of mass transit. But this is only half of the story.
The real inspiration for becoming more educated about what our current system is, where it could be going and what needs to happen (quickly) came from you. Yes, you.
You see, when IndyHub did our first extensive survey on 20- and 30-something priorities way back in 2013, it was evident that better transit options were a community priority. That finding was validated this summer in our Millennial Voices: 2015 Indy Report, too.
Here’s what you said:
- More than a fifth of respondents (21%) reported being extremely dissatisfied with Indy’s offering of public transit.
- When asked when Indy most needed to allocate resources, 22% (the highest percentage) said public transportation.
So, when Mark called and asked, it was easy to justify saying yes. Along with IndyHub and the Indy Chamber, our Indy transit academy team is made up of diverse voices representing business, neighborhoods, the arts, and regional communities.
I’ve learned a lot on our three trips so far – to Raleigh, Denver, and our hosted trip here in Indy. Discussions about models of transit coverage versus frequency and the incredible role transit advocacy groups play in helping to educate our public. (We are particularly lucky in Indy to have a strong coalition of groups that have been laying the groundwork for better transit for some time.)
You might be wondering, though, why now? Indy, Raleigh and Nashville were chosen to participate in inaugural Transportation Innovation Academy because, in addition to being similarly sized cities with ambitious regional growth plans, we are all close to running a referendum for expanded transit.
The seven individuals chosen from each city have signed up to play a role in helping our communities run a successful transit referendum by educating and yes, advocating, for increased funding, coverage and/or community support for public transportation leading up to a potential referendum.
IndyHub’s role? Well, first and foremost, we want to educate. We aim to encourage informed conversations and help interested individuals articulate their position on any issue. Sometimes, when it’s clear there is an overwhelming priority area, we will take a stance on an issue. You won’t see this from us very often, but because our 501(c)6 side of the operation allows us to do so, we will thoughtfully select opportunities to weigh in a Millennial perspective.
Stay tuned. The IndyHub team is cooking up a really cool series that some of you are helping us craft. #TheDinnerSeries is shaping up to be an experiential, educational series of events and activities for individuals to learn about the opportunities and challenges facing our region from the lens of public transit. We look forward to sharing much more in January!
Until then, don’t be shy about asking me a question or posing a perspective. Chat me up or ask a question. I am not lying when I say I started with very little personal perspective. But it is amazing what a year can do to change that.
