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TPO Distributes Funds, Providing Transportation Options to Seniors and Persons with Disabilities

For the past six years, the TPO has distributed 5310 program funding to regional nonprofits and government agencies to enhance mobility options for seniors and persons with disabilities.
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) provide funding for the program, and each recipient is required to provide some level of local match. The TPO administers the program by overseeing the application process, distributing funds, and managing follow-up reporting. Projects selected must be consistent with the goals of the TPO’s Human Services Transportation Coordination Plan, which identifies gaps in services, proposes projects to help fill those gaps, and examines ways services can be coordinated. The application process for the grants is competitive, and final approval is given by the TPO Executive Board. Though the program is not limited to nonprofits, most of the funding is distributed to local organizations, such as Emory Valley Center, Sertoma Center, Cerebral Palsy Center, and ARC Knox County – Sunshine Industries. The 5310 program allows these groups to purchase vans that are used to transport clients to essential services.
To date, the TPO has helped nonprofits purchase 35 vans or mini-buses in the Knoxville urban area, which covers portions of Knox, Anderson, Blount, Loudon, and Sevier Counties.
The TPO is currently soliciting new projects to be funded.  Applications can be found on the TPO website at www.knoxtrans.org and are due by 4:00 p.m. EST on Friday, January 25, 2019. Question can be addressed to: Mr. Doug Burton Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization 400 Main Street, Suite 403 – Knoxville, TN 37902 865-215-3824 or doug.burton@knoxplanning.org
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Knoxville on “Best Bike Cities in America” List

Knoxville is ranked #49 on the "Best Bike Cities in America" list!

The City of Knoxville currently has about 17 total miles of bicycle lanes, which is more than triple what it was in 2012. That progress is continuing, with 2.4 additional miles scheduled for completion before the end of this year.

Moving forward with comprehensive plans outlined in the City's 2015 Bicycle Facilities Plan and the 2016 Greenways Feasibility Study will allow Knoxville to continue to provide a good experience for urban bicyclists. And hopefully the city will continue to rise on this list!

Read more and find out how other cities ranked!

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Minimum Three in Tennessee

The City of Knoxville, Knoxville Police Department, and Bike Walk Knoxville recently launched the “Minimum Three in Tennessee” campaign, promoting awareness of the Three Foot Law.
This law requires drivers to maintain a distance of three feet when passing bicycles. As part of a research effort funded by the National Highway Safety Administration, the Knoxville Police Department received devices that measure the distance between bicycles and passing cars. Officers with these devices are alerted when a vehicle passes with less than three feet between them and the bicycle. Enforcement of the law is important. Current data shows that 5% of motorists passing bicyclists in Knoxville are less than three feet away. Of those violations, 60% are less than two feet away, and 46% are less than a foot-and-a-half.
Based on these numbers, every time a bicyclists rides, he or she is passed dangerously close at least once.
To see how the campaign is going thus far, check out the City’s blog, or learn more about the study from coverage of the press conference announcing it.
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PARK(ing) Day

PARK(ing) Day is an internationally recognized event that occurs annually in cities large and small.
Individuals and groups transform parking spaces into pocket parks and parklets. The mission of PARK(ing) Day is to call attention to the need for more quality urban open space for people, to generate critical debate around how public space is created and allocated, and to improve the quality of the urban human habitat. In short, it is a day to reimagine those areas for people instead of cars. If we designed them for people, would they be asphalt? Or would there be trees, grass, and flowers with places to sit and things to do? PARK(ing) Day was held on September 19, and a local group organized the Knoxville event so that participants could reserves spaces along Gay Street. With 50 parking spaces reserved, creative uses for the parking spots lined the busy downtown street, drawing attention from passersby and those patronizing local retail and restaurant establishments. Find out more about the event from this Inside of Knoxville article, and check out photos from the event from the group’s Facebook event and a follow-up photo essay from Inside of Knoxville!
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TPO Outreach Plan

The TPO prioritizes working with the public to develop transportation plans and programs.

Significant public outreach results in greater community support for plans that help achieve the region’s goals for the future. The TPO's Outreach Plan serves as a working tool for TPO staff to refer to with each new plan to ensure that adequate public notice is given and the community is engaged throughout the project. A draft of this plan was first made available for comment in April 2018. An updated draft of the plan, appendices, and a summary of changes can be found below. Adoption of this plan is anticipated at the regularly scheduled Executive Board Meeting on September 26, 2018.