SCAG approves $1.5 million in funding for active transportation and green initiatives in Orange County

SANTA ANA – Orange County received approval for more than $1.5 million in funding for seven active transportation and sustainability projects ranging from pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements to climate action plans to integrated land-use initiatives.

The Orange County projects were among 54 throughout Southern California that were approved for funding by the Regional Council of the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) and which now move on to the California Transportation Commission and the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee (MSRC) for final approval.

The money will be used to finance – or help finance – projects that promote active transportation and smart land use in an effort to improve the mobility, sustainability and economic vitality of communities throughout the six-county SCAG region.

“We’re pleased to move each of these projects that much closer to reality,” said Michele Martinez, President of SCAG and a Santa Ana City Councilmember. “In the past few years, it has become clearer and clearer that making biking and walking more accessible, improving traffic patterns and land-use decisions all matter when it comes to the safety and well-being of our communities.”

Orange County received $731,000 in active transportation grants for projects and programs that promote safety and encourage people to walk and bike more. The county also was awarded $820,000 in grants for integrated land use and the Green Regions Initiative, both of which promote sustainability.

Among specific projects receiving SCAG approval were a pedestrian and bicycling educational campaign in Santa Ana ($471,054) and the Center City Corridors Plan in Anaheim ($225,000). “Revitalization in Anaheim’s Center City neighborhood has gained momentum in recent years,” said Anaheim City Councilmember Kris Murray. “This funding is critical to allowing the community to continue moving forward in accessibility, sustainability and livability.”

“The fact that there’s more funding available than ever before for active transportation and integrated land use shows how big a priority this has become,” said Hasan Ikhrata, Executive Director of SCAG.

“The quality of life in our region is very much dependent upon these kinds of projects.”

SCAG, the nation’s largest metropolitan planning organization, has become a leading regional and national voice on transportation alternatives and the relationship between land-use planning, mobility, air quality and economic vitality. Its advocacy of active transportation includes sponsorship of the Go Human campaign, a regional marketing, education and outreach program designed to encourage more walking and bicycling – as well as greater awareness of pedestrian and bicycling safety – in a region of more than 18 million people. SCAG’s recently approved 2016-2040 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy includes $12.9 billion in active transportation investments in the six-county region.