The link between accessibility and sustainability in city planning may not be an obvious one. But it can have important consequences for city residents. KBIA sat down with Lydia Olmsted and Dr. Jacque Sample to discuss this relationship. Olmsted is a member of the Columbia Disabilities Commission and Missouri Disability Empowerment who happens to be deaf/blind. Sample is the chair of that committee and the co-founder of Missouri Disability Empowerment.
TRANSCRIPT:
Sample: I know one of the things that has come up, you know, speaking of climate and protecting our resources, is the city of Columbia is looking into purchasing electric city buses, instead of the buses run on gas. We think it's wonderful because of course, we want to protect resources as well. But some of the commissioners have expressed concern regarding the size of the bus. Perhaps they'll be smaller and not allow as many riders. And so I think that's a real legitimate concern that we need to be aware of, that yes we do want to move in a positive direction regarding our climate, we also want to make sure that we have space capacity so that everybody can get to where they need to go and get there safely.
Olmsted: Absolutely. And one thought I would add on electric vehicles in general is that for people like me who are blind and visually impaired, it can be really tricky because I personally also have a hearing impairment but even for those who don't, electric vehicles are really difficult to hear and that can make street crossings and things like that for people like me really unsafe if I can't hear oncoming traffic. One thing I'm hoping to see happen with more electric vehicles being out on the road is having them make some sort of noise or other indication that they're present. So that it is, of course, helping the environment, but also helping people like me continue to stay safe.
Sample: And additionally, the city of Columbia has a strategic plan that they adopted this past year. And it very much outlines, one of the objectives is inclusive communities, making sure those sidewalks are accessible and in places to provide equity across the community and make sure everyone has a walkable route to the places they need.
Olmsted: I think that goes back to what we were just saying about how the more inclusive we can make society and the more we can implement transportation for the masses and having sidewalks and just more sustainable methods of mobility. I think that would just make a huge impact on the community as a whole. Certainly on people with disabilities, no question, but on everyone. Less cars and emissions into our atmosphere, I think that would really make a big difference just making sure that those sidewalks are available for everyone so that it makes a big impact on our entire community.
Sample: And things that would help our entire family is actually more trail connectors. I think having a more interconnected trail system is really important for efficient and walkable communities so people can get to where they need to go on a safe space separate from the busy roadways.
Olmsted: I completely agree. I know personally, I don't live really close to trails but I know that would help a lot of people so I am absolutely in support of expanding those and making sure that that people have full access to that.
Sample: I would just add that climate change interacts with everything we do. So every department, every commission, every everything should be thinking about climate change, and how we can protect our resources, and make a difference in how we utilize those resources.
