Health by Design advocates for increased funding and policies that will expand and improve public transportation services (including buses, paratransit vehicles, commuter rail, passenger rail and other transit options) throughout Indiana.

Since 2008, Health by Design has convened the Indiana Citizens’ Alliance for Transit (ICAT) with the purpose of educating, organizing and mobilizing transit riders, stakeholders, and advocates around local, regional, state, and federal funding and policy issues. Through ICAT, we have organized Transit Day at the Statehouse during six Indiana General Assembly legislative sessions; and we played a key role in the Transit Drives Indy campaign, leading to the successful passage of the Marion County transit referendum in 2016.

Safe Routes to Transit is another important aspect of Health by Design’s work, targeting the need to improve access, connectivity, and safety around transit stops for the people who walk, bike, and roll to reach them. In 2015, we hosted a series of ‘First-Mile, Last-Mile Connections to Transit’ workshops, which addressed issues of public transportation policy and the connection to livable communities. They also included bus stop assessments, examining the critical links between the sidewalk, bus stop, and bus ride to examine the safety and accessibility of pathways of travel.

Currently, Health by Design works in partnership with the Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities and the Indiana Statewide Independent Living Council (INSILC) to support local transit coalitions, provide training to service providers, and advance statewide mobility management efforts.