An Overview of 1000 Friends' Transportation Reform Initiative, 1994-1997

From 1994-1997, 1000 Friends of Florida conducted a Transportation Reform Initiative to identify how to improve transportation planning in one of the fastest growing states in the nation. Funding was provided by the Surdna Foundation, with additional support from the Energy Foundation.

Working intensively in the Orlando area and Loxahatchee region, 1000 Friends sought to develop improved approaches to transportation planning that could be used successfully throughout the state. We went into the project with several basic assumptions:

After learning more about the transportation and land use issues facing the Orlando area and Loxahatchee region, our next step was to nourish existing opportunities for citizen participation and develop new forums.

The Orlando Area

In the Orlando area, we formed an active partnership with the Interstate 4 Environmental Advisory Committee, or I-4 EAC, which had been established by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). Made up of representatives from local government, the regional planning council, the water management district, federal agencies, and various citizen environmental and activist groups, the I-4 EAC initially focused specifically on the I-4 corridor, reacting to information provided by FDOT.

Through 1000 Friends’ Transportation Initiative, this group became a meaningful player in the planning process, rather than just a token group to meet citizen participation requirements. Significantly, it provided citizen input much earlier in the process than usually occurs, and outside of the normal participation process of the public hearing.

Soon recognizing that the project had a greater impact than just on the corridor, the I-4 EAC began to focus proactively on regional impacts and connections. Its scope expanded from corridor-specific to regional, and its membership also expanded accordingly to include representatives of Volusia, Seminole and Osceola counties. The committee also began studying other transportation alternatives for the area, including supporting the proposed Orlando light rail system.

Its work will continue for the next several years, continuing to monitor the I-4 and other area projects. Additionally, FDOT has recognized the committee’s proactive approach as a model for Florida to obtain significant citizen input throughout the planning process.

The Loxahatchee Region

1000 Friends took a different approach in the Loxahatchee Region. Because Martin and Palm Beach counties did not have an established group, we formed the Loxahatchee Citizens Transportation Coalition, or LCTC, ensuring citizen participation that crossed political boundaries and took a regional perspective.

After several informational meetings to learn more about transportation issues facing the region, the LCTC became involved in a number of transportation and land use projects. These included an intercounty road mediation process, the Florida Overland eXpress (FOX) high speed rail project as it related to the region, the Martin County Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan, the Treasure Coast Strategic Regional Policy Plan and the Sustainable Communities demonstration project. It also evaluated projected land use patterns in the region. 1000 Friends worked with local governments throughout the region to promote greater citizen participation in transportation planning, and provided input on several large-scale developments in the region to encourage greater sensitivity to transportation and land use linkages.

Although the work in the Loxahatchee Region began later than in Orlando, it laid the foundation for meaningful linkages between transportation and land use issues. As but one example, Martin County is now working to develop short- and long-term strategies to deal with transportation concurrency, with the goal of incorporating "community-based solutions such as traffic calming, community consensus, and sustainable transportation." We hope these fundamental policy shifts related to transportation planning continue to occur in the Loxahatchee Region.

Education and Advocacy

Early on in the Transportation Initiative, 1000 Friends came to recognize that transportation jargon proved an obstacle to effective citizen participation. We developed the Dictionary of Florida Transportation Acronyms: Help for the Acronym Disadvantaged, to explain in straightforward language the "alphabet soup" commonly employed by transportation planners. We also developed Merge Lanes Ahead, a set of nine fact sheets on transportation issues offering reader-friendly explanations about how our transportation decisions impact our economy, environment, and lives.

We also have been involved with state and federal initiatives. We successfully effected changes in statewide plans. With the 2020 Florida Transportation Plan, we worked to incorporate language increasing the role of citizen participation, local comprehensive plans, and flexible design standards. The mission statement of the statewide Metropolitan Planning Organization Advisory Council Strategic Plan was revised to promote better linkages between land use and transportation.

1000 Friends has continued also its active support of federal reauthorization of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act, or ISTEA. For the first time in transportation planning, this 1991 legislation provided funding for innovative transportation solutions and required greater citizen participation. We will continue to advocate for the continuation of this visionary approach to transportation planning.

Paths to the Future

Challenging, complex, and often divisive transportation planning issues will continue to face the Orlando area and Loxahatchee region long after 1000 Friends’ Transportation Initiative has ended. Our biggest hope is that we have laid a strong foundation for meaningful, ongoing citizen participation in the transportation planning process to bring about incremental change. Only with active, long-term citizen involvement will our communities learn to plan for people rather than cars.