Photo of a La Crosse MTU bus making a stop downtown at Grand River Station. PHOTO CREDIT: Susan Gaeddert

A La Crosse MTU bus makes a stop downtown at Grand River Station. PHOTO CREDIT: Susan Gaeddert

How we get to work, school and home is important: It impacts health, climate, economy, opportunity, housing and safety.

But transportation decisions are often technical, with complicated processes and time-consuming meetings. How can the public participate in these difficult decisions?

UW-La Crosse will hold the first-ever collaboration with a statewide land use and transportation policy organization that aims to empower community members to engage in important local decisions.

The UWL Environmental Studies Program and UWL Graduate and Extended Learning will hold a Community Transportation Academy, debuting in spring 2023. The 10-week course is led by 1000 Friends of Wisconsin, a statewide organization specializing in land use planning, transportation policy and advocacy.

While similar programs exist in several other states, this is the first time for such a class in Wisconsin. The course helps bridge the gap between community advocates and transportation planning entities, while providing skills and knowledge to advocate for safe and accessible transportation networks that work for everyone.

The course includes four in-person sessions in La Crosse, six virtual sessions via Zoom, plus online participation and engagement through the UW learning management system, Canvas. Classes run from 4-6 p.m. Wednesdays, Feb. 15-April 26. There is no class March 15. Registration is free. College students may register for credit.

For more information and to register, visit https://1kfriends.org/community-transportation-academy/. Applications are due Dec. 1.


Written by UW-La Crosse

Link to original story: https://www.uwlax.edu/news/posts/new-way-forward/