Connected NWI
NWI’s people have accessible, safe, and equal
opportunities for working, playing, living and learning.
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The Rail Crossing Task Force was formed in late 2018 to address the significant delays our communities experience with at-grade rail crossings. Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. of Hammond called for the task force to be assembled at a NIRPC Commission meeting when explaining how blocked crossings are a region-wide problem affecting all municipalities. At the first meeting William Moore of EME Rail Solutions shared a mobile app he created,
Rail Solutions Mobility BWI Blocked
via Forms on Fire, to collect data on blocked rail crossings.
The purpose of the app was to get information on train activities at rail crossings throughout Northwestern Indiana. Mr. Moore stated, “If users upload the information, anytime they are stopped at a rail crossing, it provides us with valuable information to understand and improve traffic congestion that can be caused by railroad traffic.” Mr. Moore has compiled three months of train crossing blockage data which will help analyze crossings in the region. One of the best ways Northwestern Indiana can vocalize and validate the issue of blocked rail crossings is by providing hard evidence. Interested users can
email
William Moore for more information. The next meeting of the Task Force will be October 1st at 1:30 PM at NIRPC's offices.
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Census 2020
Every 10 years, the federal government conducts a population count of everyone in the United States. Data from the census provide the basis for distributing more than $675 billion in federal funds annually to communities across the country to support vital programs—impacting housing, education, transportation, employment, health care, and public policy. They also are used to redraw the boundaries of congressional and state legislative districts and accurately determine the number of congressional seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Complete Count Committees (CCC)
are volunteer committees established by tribal, state, and local governments and community leaders or organizations to increase awareness and motivate residents to respond to the 2020 Census. CCCs serve as state and local “census ambassador” groups that play an integral part in ensuring a complete and accurate count of the community in the 2020 Census. Success of the census depends on community involvement at every level. The U.S. Census Bureau cannot conduct the 2020 Census alone.
Does your community have a Complete Count Committee?
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NIRPC is participating on a collaborative project to identify opportunities that could potentially connect fragmented habitats and link people with green spaces along Deep River between Lake George and the Little Calumet River West Branch. The project looks to build upon conservation action planning work previously completed by partners including Shirley Heinze Land Trust, The Nature Conservancy, Save the Dunes, Lake County Parks Department, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, National Park Service, and the City of Hobart. To date over 1,100 acres of land have been preserved and are being actively managed and restored within the City of Hobart’s Nature District. The project also provides an opportunity to see how this conservation planning focus area could connect with others in the surrounding landscape of Northwest Indiana.
Interesting News!
- Green Fleets Radio returns to Lakeshore Public Media on September 4th. Green Fleet Radio airs each Wednesday at 7:33 AM during "Morning Edition," between 12 PM and 1 PM during "Regionally Speaking" & at 4:21 PM during "All Things Considered." Listeners can tune in to Lakeshore Public Radio at 89.1 FM or streaming online.
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In a perfect world, fast, reliable transit would be readily available to all individuals, regardless of where they live. Unfortunately, we do not live in a perfect world. Transit operators have limited funds, and have to balance the services they provide between two goals:
- Serve as many members of the community as possible
- Maximize ridership
While at first glance the goals seem to be related, they are actually each contradictory in their own right. With a finite amount of funding, as a transit agency expands its service service-area, the speed and the reliability of the service provided diminishes. As speed and reliability diminish, so does ridership. Most transit agencies are faced with the difficult decision of providing fast, reliable service to a select, smaller group of people; or to provide slower, infrequent service across a larger geographic area.
One solution to this problem was identified in NIRPC’s 2018
Coordinated Transit Plan
. By enhancing digital information about transit services, operators can better stagger the relationship between coverage and ridership. With advanced digital tools like real-time bus tracking, or Google Maps integration, users do not have to spend as much time waiting for services, because they can anticipate the precise arrival time of a transit vehicle. This type of digital improvement can increase a transit system’s reliability, even if the service is “slower” because of a large coverage area.
Another solution identified in the Coordinated Transit Plan is to gather a comprehensive list of data from regional transit operations to find where efficiencies may be gained in order to preserve the transit coverage area while also increasing transit frequency.
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NIPRC Environmental Management and Policy Committee Meeting
- September 5th
- 9:00 AM
- Lake Michigan Room, 6100 Southport Road Portage, IN 46368
- Link for more information
- Questions? Contact Candice Eklund at 219-254-2501
- Can’t make it in person? Watch it on YouTube
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National Drive Electric Week EV Ride & Drive
- September 19th
- 10:30 AM - 1:30 PM
- 6100 Southport Road Portage, IN 46368
- Link to more info
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Share a Comment!
- An amendment to the 2020-2024 Transportation Improvement Program is out for public comment. To learn more and share a comment follow this link.
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NIRPC Technical Planning Committee Meeting
- September 10th
- 10:00 AM
- Lake Michigan Room, 6100 Southport Road Portage, IN 46368
- Link for more information
- Questions? Contact Mitch Barloga at 219-254-2518
- Can’t make it in person? Watch it on YouTube
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FarmHop Event
- September 21st
- 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
- Valparaiso
- Questions? Contact Gabrielle Biciunas at 219-254-2507
- Link to more info
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NIRPC Commission / Executive Board Meeting
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Rail Crossing Task Force Meeting
- October 1st
- 1:30 PM
- Lake Michigan Room, 6100 Southport Road Portage, IN 46368
- Questions? Contact Mitch Barloga at 219-254-2518
- Link to more info
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NIRPC Surface Transportation Committee Meeting
- October 1st
- 9:00 AM
- Lake Michigan Room, 6100 Southport Road Portage, IN 46368
- Link for more information
- Questions? Contact Scott Weber at 219-254-2520
- Can’t make it in person? Watch it on YouTube
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NIPRC Environmental Management and Policy Committee Meeting
- October 3rd
- 9:00 AM
- Lake Michigan Room, 6100 Southport Road Portage, IN 46368
- Link for more information
- Questions? Contact Candice Eklund at 219-254-2501
- Can’t make it in person? Watch it on YouTube
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Indiana Department of Transportation Title VI & ADA Summit
- October 8th
- 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
- Government Center South, Conference Room C, 302 W Washington Street, Indianapolis, IN
- Link to more info
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Funding Opportunity!
- The Federal Railroad Administration announced a Notice of Funding Opportunity for its Consolidate Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements grant program.
- Applications are due October 18, 2019.
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NIPRC Land Use Committee Meeting
- October 3rd
- 10:30 AM
- Dune Room, 6100 Southport Road Portage, IN 46368
- Link for more information
- Questions? Contact Eman Ibrahim at 219-254-2506
- Can’t make it in person? Watch it on YouTube
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Natural Gas for Transportation Roundtable
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NIPRC Ped, Pedal, and Paddle Committee Meeting
- October 3rd
- 1:30 PM
- Dune Room, 6100 Southport Road Portage, IN 46368
- Link for more information
- Questions? Contact Mitch Barloga at 219-254-2518
- Can’t make it in person? Watch it on YouTube
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