Cincinnati City Councilmember Roxanne Qualls has been appointed to the Ohio 21st Century Transportation Priorities Task Force.
The 55-member group, which includes industry experts and state leaders, is charged with developing a new statewide transportation plan and identifying methods to fund it.
The task force, which held its first meeting last Wednesday, will consider how the state:
- Balances the movement of people and freight
- Promotes safety and reduces congestion
- Creates jobs and encourages smart growth
- Builds sustainable communities
- Links all modes of transportation - highways, rail, aviation, water ports, and transit
Locally, Qualls chairs council's Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee, engaging in planning and coordination of the I-75 corridor.
As mayor and on council, she has been responsible for light rail and comprehensive transit planning and for studies that helped lead to the redesign of Fort Washington Way.
"Investment in multi-modal transportation, including expanded public transportation, is necessary for Ohio communities to compete for business and grow jobs,” Qualls says. “This new investment also is needed to help residents cope with $4 per gallon gas and respond to the effects of climate change."
A series of six public meetings begins May 21 at the offices of the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission in Dayton.
Input from the public will be used to help the task force develop its report, which will be issued this fall.
Writer: Kevin LeMaster
Sources: Media release; Ohio Department of Transportation
Logo provided by Ohio Department of Transportation
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