How often did I hear during the last election, “I am so glad I live in Port Townsend. I am surrounded by reasonable people. Maybe we can just ignore the rest of the country.”

But can we? We face the same issues in Port Townsend that are faced by citizens of large and small cities around the world: housing, economic opportunity, clean air, climate change, changing demographics, and access to goods and services. These issues are all linked together by the local and regional transportation system.

What do we know about transportation in Port Townsend and Jefferson County? We know that the vast majority of tourists arrive in private vehicles powered by fossil fuels. We know that hundreds of cars leave and enter Port Townsend daily, presumably for access to work. We know that the transit system is underutilized, and that the park-and-ride near Safeway is almost always empty.

Meanwhile, drivers cruise up and down Water Street looking for parking. And those who are usually on foot or bicycle have frequent encounters with drivers who unwittingly threaten their safety. How can we get better at getting around?

Using data to shape policy is a starting point. Leadership in Paris and Berlin has used data to set targets and reduce the climate impacts of transportation. Berlin has succeeded in shifting the share of overall trips in private cars to below 30 percent, and to 17 percent in downtown areas.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has also unveiled plans to encourage walkers by restricting autos in the city center. Halving the number of polluting automobiles will “reconquer the public space” for pedestrians, cyclists and clean modes of transport. In the past 15 years, private car use in Paris has fallen by about 30 percent. Small towns are also making progress.

Wildpoldsried (population 2,600), Bavaria, has 19 daily scheduled public transit trips from Kempten, the nearest large town. Additional information about innovations can be found at the C40 Cities website.

HEALTH IMPACT

How we get around also affects our health. A recent study from The Lancet concluded that people who live near major roads are up to 12 percent more likely to develop dementia, including Alzheimer’s, than those who live farther away. Something to think about.

Tourism is also a significant component of our transportation issues. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), tourism contributes proportionally more to global carbon emissions (about 5 percent) than it does to the global economy, with private auto and air travel accounting for about three-quarters of this total. It is hard for me to think about promoting more local tourism without a corresponding change in regional public transit.

While we may be a relatively small community, we have a long way to go to in establishing a transportation system that supports community health and values. It’s time to broaden the conversation about transportation. We want to hear your ideas.

(David Thielk is a 29-year resident of Port Townsend, with a 50-year history of utility bike riding. He lives with his wife, Yuko, in the only house they have ever owned. Thielk was a science and math teacher at Port Townsend High School. He semi-retired in June 2016. He recently joined the ReCyclery board and participates in the Local 20/20 Transportation.)