SCAG approves $442,000 in funding for active transportation and green initiatives in Ventura County

Ventura County received approval for more than $442,000 in funding for four active transportation and sustainability projects ranging from pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements to climate action plans to integrated land-use initiatives.

The Ventura 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.

Ventura County was awarded $200,000 in active transportation grants for projects and programs that promote safety and encourage people to walk and bike more. The county also was awarded $242,000 in grants for integrated land use and the Green Regions Initiative, both of which promote sustainability.

Specific projects receiving SCAG approval were a county-wide Safe Routes to Schools master plan ($100,000), an active transportation plan for Thousand Oaks ($100,000), Gold Coast Transit ($67,000) and a Sustainable Communities Strategies Consistency Framework for Santa Paula’s General Plan ($175,000). Said Santa Paula City Council member John Procter, “These funds will significantly help Santa Paula reinvigorate the local economy, improve sustainability and well-being, and take us one step closer to revitalizing our downtown.”

“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.