The future local alternative transportation activists envision took a pedal, roll and bus fare forward during a block party held June 12 in Bethlehem.

The event, entitled “Walk/Roll LV,” promoted the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission’s proposed regional master plan for cyclists and pedestrians, scheduled to be released this summer. The organization, along with other Lehigh Valley nonprofit organizations, is pushing for more money to be spent on additional bike trails public transportation, sidewalks and nature trails.

The campaign to acquire it has been called a “movement” by those involved. Leading up to the June 12 event, LVPC sought public input under the guidance of a consultant. Various meetings have been held to accumulate information and extrapolate talking points.

Currently in the Lehigh Valley, there are 221 miles of trails, 79 percent of which are unpaved, according to information released by the group late last year. There are also more than 2,000 miles of sidewalks in the region, and 25 percent of roadway miles have sidewalks on one or both sides. The Lehigh Valley also has about 2.5 miles of bike lanes.

Possessing this and much more information, the group spent months developing a strategy to “fill in the gaps” and create what LVPC calls a “seamless network connecting every community in the region.” When the report is released, LVPC says it will help “map out a way to pay for it and build it.”

To rally the troops and gain exposure, the June 12 event featured various officials and nonprofit organizational speakers. They included Phillips Armstrong, Lehigh County executive, who told a story about a 1975 visit to London when he was a school teacher. Noticing several automobiles on the roadways, Armstrong commented to the bus driver transporting his class that it would help if they were more roads to accommodate the traffic.

“If you build more roads, you’ll get more cars,” the driver replied.

Armstrong labeled the “Field of Dreams”-like comment wise.

Scott Slingerland, executive director of the Coalition for Appropriate Transportation, served as another speaker.

“Our work is to bring humanity back into transportation,” Slingerland said. “...Streets are not for cars only. They are for people. Streets are not racetracks. They are for reasonable conveyance where road signs should say ‘do no harm.’”

“A successful city is one in which people choose to walk,” added Mayor Robert Donchez.

Other speakers included Owen O’Neil, executive director of LANTA, who spoke about the importance of public transportation in creating a safer and more mobile transportation environment.

At the news conference’s conclusion, several individuals involved with the campaign took to dancing in the nearby intersection – when they had the right-of-way.