Downtown On the Go

Bike Ride to the Sustainability Expo

Posted on April 4, 2022 by dotgadmin

The South Sound Sustainability Expo is back, and with it is Downtown On the Go’s annual ride. Get your bike ready for spring and ride up to the Expo in zero carbon style. This short ride will begin at City Hall and end at the Expo at University of Washington Tacoma, and will be joined by several Tacoma City Council Members. How we get around has a significant impact on our greenhouse gas emissions. As we look towards a more sustainable Tacoma, we need to build a city where it is safe, accessible, and convenient to walk, bike, and bus instead of using personal vehicles for all trips.

We are expecting to ride with Mayor Woodards, Tacoma Councilmembers Walker, Ushka, Daniels, & Rumbaugh, and County Councilmember Mello. Subject to change. It’s amazing to have local leaders who are such supporters of green transportation, so let’s show up and show off how much Tacoma cares about sustainable transportation!

Register in advance for this ride. A helmet and completed waiver are required for participation. Participants will meet at 747 Market St. at 10:30am, to arrive at the Expo by 11am. Downtown On the Go will be providing a bike valet at the Expo for additional bike parking. More information is available on our website and social media accounts.

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Walk Tacoma: New Downtown Business Tour

Posted on March 24, 2022 by dotgadmin

The 2022 Walk Tacoma series will kick off on April 6, with the launch of Downtown On the Go’s first in-person walk since 2019. Join us for a guided tour throughout downtown to learn about a variety of new businesses (to be announced soon!) that have opened in recent months. Hear from the business owners themselves about why they chose to establish themselves in downtown Tacoma, along with folks from Downtown Tacoma Partnership about the renewed vibrancy in downtown.

The official Kick-off event will take place in Theatre Square Park, starting at 12 p.m. on April 6^th, where the DOTG team and Walk partners will gather to celebrate another Walk Tacoma series, and to hand out special Walk Tacoma gift bags! Visit DowntownOntheGo.org to learn more about the Walk Tacoma series, and register here to claim your gift bag (limited to the first 100 registrants). After the in-person walk, the tour will be available on the free GeoTourist app.

The Walk Tacoma series, sponsored by MultiCare, is a five-event walking series. The fun, themed walks, now in their thirteenth year, encourage people to enjoy Tacoma on foot by introducing new walking routes and sharing information about the community and its history through the guided tours.

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Friday Forums 2022: Growing a Green Future: Land Use & Sustainability

Posted on February 24, 2022 by dotgadmin

From tree coverage & housing density to walkability & transit access, city design can make sustainable choices the easier option – or make them downright impossible. Join us as we explore how our land use policies and design choices inform the fight against climate change. This free virtual Friday Forum panel event will be held on March 25th from noon – 1:30 p.m. and will feature panelists Kristin Lynett (City of Tacoma Office of Sustainability), Steve Atkinson (City of Tacoma Planning Department), Mariana Sanchez Castillo (Washington Environmental Council), and Marquis Mason (Communities for a Healthy Bay).

Register in advance for this webinar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. A recording of the panel will be available on DOTG’s Facebook and YouTube accounts. Downtown On the Go’s annual Friday Forum series is a space to discuss transportation issues and opportunities in Tacoma, to recognize real challenges facing downtown commuters and residents, and to learn about new ideas in the transportation world. The 2022 forums are framed around the question what does it mean to be Home in Tacoma? and explore the intersection of housing and transportation as Tacoma looks towards significant housing policy updates.

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Help shape DOTG’s advocacy work!

Posted on February 4, 2022 by dotgadmin

Your mobility matters, no matter how you get around. Help shape Downtown On the Go’s advocacy priorities for 2022 and beyond by answering these short surveys about walking (and rolling), biking, and using transit in Tacoma.

Bike Survey

Walk Survey

Transit Survey

If your preferred mode is not represented or you have more to say, we still want to hear from you. Skateboarding in Tacoma, specifics of ADA accessibility, regional mobility, these things are on our minds and part of our advocacy work even if they didn’t make it on to these simplified surveys. Please email LauraS@downtownonthego.org to share your thoughts.

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Friday Forums 2022: It Takes Two: Housing & Transportation

Posted on January 24, 2022 by dotgadmin

Housing and transportation are inextricably linked; dense housing needs connected and frequent transit to succeed while transit needs demand to fuel expansion. Learn more about this intersection while we explore the question: how can we plan future development and transit expansion in concert for the benefit of both? This free virtual Friday Forum panel event will be held on February 25th from noon – 1:30 p.m. and will feature panelists Chris Karnes (Tacoma Planning Commission), Amanda DeShazo (Affordable Housing Consortium), Bebhinn Gilbert (Hopelink Mobility), and Kenzie Knapp (Pacific Lutheran University).

And for updates, visit: https://www.facebook.com/events/438344554659559

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Friday Forums 2022: What’s Zoning, Anyway? A Land Use Primer

Posted on January 12, 2022 by dotgadmin

What’s Zoning, Anyway?: A Land Use Primer

MUC, UGC, & TOD… oh my! The world of planning is full of terminology that can feel unapproachable for everyday community members. Join us for a panel that will demystify the concepts like zoning that make up big proposals like Home in Tacoma, and how transportation is tied into all of it. This free virtual Friday Forum panel event, sponsored by GeoEngineers, will be held on January 28th from noon – 1:30 p.m. and will feature panelists Brian Boudet (City of Tacoma), Alyssa Torrez (Tacoma Housing Authority, Tacoma Planning Commission), and Rubén Casas (University of Washington Tacoma).

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Tacoma Light Trail: Bike Decoration and Ride

Posted on December 21, 2021 by dotgadmin

Light your bike and ride to see the sights!

Celebrate the light and the new year with a free, family friendly bike ride! Just prior to the ride, we’ll get together to light up and decorate our bikes and ride around downtown Tacoma to see featured works in the Tacoma Light Trail! Join us to add some pizzazz to your bike for the dark winter months!

This new, special event in partnership with the Tacoma Light Trail, will feature time to decorate and light up your bike followed by a ride around downtown, visiting many of the Tacoma Light Trail exhibits.

Downtown on the Go will kick-off this in-person, family, and age-friendly bike ride at Alma Mater (1322 Fawcett Ave, Tacoma, WA), on January 5, 2022, at 5 p.m. Participants should register online by Monday, January 3, and bring a DOTG waiver to the workshop in order to participate. Participants will then ride together, following a ~2 mile route throughout Downtown Tacoma. DOTG staff will be there to help keep the group together, but some riding ability is suggested.

Come with a group and light up your bikes, together we’ll see some of the great art Tacoma has to offer. The Tacoma Light Trail reaches across downtown, from 21^st Street to 6^th Street. Our route will follow a short loop through downtown starting and ending at Alma Mater, and visiting many of the light displays, Tacoma sights, and neat locations in downtown Tacoma.

This event is made possible by a partnership between Downtown On the Go, the Tacoma Light Trail, and with a generous support of Alma Mater for the use of their patio. If you have any questions or would like to support DOTG with events like this, or to help to keep our organization advocating for transportation alternatives in Tacoma, please reach out to alexm@downtownonthego.org

Don’t forget to engage with Downtown On the Go social media during the workshop and after the ride by using #TacomaLightRide, or by tagging photos with @downtownonthego!

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Hilltop’s Black-owned Business Tour

Posted on October 22, 2021 by dotgadmin

Learn about the history of some of Hilltop’s Black-owned businesses that have storied histories and an immeasurable impact on the community and its members. Hear from the business owners themselves about the history of their organizations, their experience in the Hilltop community, as well as where they see themselves going in the future. This tour/list will be updated regularly with more business spotlights and updates.

If you’re interested in having your business included in this tour, please email emilyn@downtownonthego.org!

See all the tour stop Hilltop walk descriptions, and see the route map here.

Take the tour on the GeoTourist app!
Start: Mr. Mac’s Ltd (1102 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way)
Guide: Business owners
Partner: Hilltop Action Coalition

Stop 1: Mr. Mac’s Ltd.

Listen to audio narration:

tacomamrmac.com | Facebook

Stop 2: T.U.P.A.C.: Tacoma Urban Performing Arts Center

Listen to audio narration:

tacomaupac.org | Facebook | Instagram

Stop 3: Sam & Terry’s Barbershop

Listen to audio narration:

Facebook

Stop 4: Love By the Slice

Listen to audio narration:

www.lovebytheslice.com/ | Facebook | Instagram

Stop 5: Bob’s Bar-B-Q Pit

Listen to audio narration:

bobsbarbqtogo.com/ | Facebook

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Ride the Bus with Pierce Transit CEO Mike Griffus

Posted on October 11, 2021 by dotgadmin

Join the virtual Ride the Bus event on Nov. 3, 2021 from 3 – 4 p.m. to discuss transit in Pierce County, planning and development, and riding the bus. Downtown On the Go is looking forward to chatting with Mike Griffus, Pierce Transit’s newly-appointed CEO, as well as Ryan Wheaton, Pierce Transit’s Executive Director of Planning & Community Development. DOTG’s own Advocacy & CTR Coordinator, Laura Svancarek will be moderating the conversation. Hear from Mike about his plans and what’s ahead for Pierce Transit, issues facing transit-users today, and what can be done to improve current infrastructure.

Register in advance for this webinar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. The recording will be posted on the DOTG Facebook page after the event.

This free event is an annual Ride the Bus event that gives riders a chance to learn about transit and their community, ask questions, and have a conversation with leaders.

Find Downtown On the Go at downtownonthego.org, or on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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Tacoma City Council Candidate Interviews

Posted on October 11, 2021 by dotgadmin

We invited candidates for Tacoma City Council and Mayor to take transit and talk transportation with us. Access to transportation options directly influences access to opportunities like jobs, school, healthcare, and recreation. We asked candidates about barriers to mobility, exciting projects in Tacoma, and funding public transit. We believe that transportation must be at the core of conversations about Tacoma’s future because it cannot be separated from conversations about housing, access, and so much more. Thank you to the candidates for speaking, learning, and taking transit with us!

Captions are available for each video on our YouTube channel, and transcripts are available at the link below each video.

Downtown On the Go is not endorsing any candidates. We aim to amplify the conversation around transportation in Tacoma by sharing the candidates’ responses. All ten candidates were asked to participate.

Vote by November 2nd!

Sarah Rumbaugh, District 2

Transcript
https://www.sarahrumbaugh.com/

Kelly Blucher, District 2

Transcript
https://www.kellyfortacoma.com/

Catherine Ushka, District 4

Transcript
https://www.voteushka.com/

Israel McKinney, District 4
Israel McKinney did not ride the bus with us, but you can read his answers to the questions by clicking here and learn more at his website: https://www.israeljamesmckinney.com/

Joe Bushnell, District 5

Transcript
https://www.joebushnell.com/