Cedar Rapids looks to start Active Transportation Advisory Commission

CEDAR RAPIDS — The city of Cedar Rapids is looking to center citizen feedback in future conversations around active transportation through the creation of a new city commission.

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City planner Haley Sevening said the goal of the commission — dubbed the Active Transportation Advisory Commission — would be “starting and maintaining energy” around investment into the city’s trails, transit and bikeway system.

The nine-person commission would act in an advisory capacity to discuss topics related to active transportation and present findings and/or recommendations to the city council for further consideration.

“We have our newly adopted Linn County and Cedar Rapids Trails and Bikeways Plan, and we’re also working on an update to the Pedestrian Master Plan,” Sevening said. “In terms of long-range planning implementation, (there’s) a lot of opportunities for such a commission to help support those efforts.”

Cedar Rapids City Council members gave preliminary approval to the commission’s creation at their Tuesday meeting. Subsequent approval at a second and third reading will be required before the ordinance creating the commission can take effect.

All commission members would be members of the public appointed by Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell with the consent of the remaining council members. Sevening said membership would represent a “balanced interest in all modes of transportation.”

City staff from various departments will advise the commission by providing necessary information and background, although the commission’s primary staff liaison will come from the city’s Community Development Department.

The commission would take a four-prong approach to its mission, Sevening explained, through a review of existing city programs and policies related to walking, biking and transit; monitoring of relevant data and performance metrics; implementation assistance for the city’s transportation plans; and through community advocacy and education.

“We have a really great system, so now how can we support that by reaching more members of our community?” Sevening said. “It could be through some of our existing efforts … but then also looking at new opportunities to expand those efforts and continue to build relationships with community partners.”

A brief public hearing was held Tuesday to seek feedback on the new commission, where several council members and one member of the public spoke in favor of its creation. No one spoke in opposition.

Downtown Cedar Rapids resident Isacc Davis — a current member of the city’s Public Art Commission — spoke in strong support of the commission and its potential to foster a “safer, more usable” transportation system for the Cedar Rapids community.

“This isn’t just about effective infrastructure and quality services. It’s about giving Cedar Rapids residents real choices,” Davis said. “Whether it's someone biking to work, walking to school or catching a bus to the grocery store, we can make sure these options are viable, safe and dignified.”

Pending final council approval, Sevening said city staff will begin the process of recruiting potential commission applicants this July with a tentative first meeting to take place in August. The commission would then meet monthly thereafter.

For more information about how to apply to a city board or commission, visit CityofCR.com/Boards-Commissions.

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