During the academic year, an average of 7,000 vehicles and 500 cyclists travel east and west on Euclid Avenue a day, according to the Onondaga County Department of Transportation. As participants in this jumbled mess, safety is an overarching priority for anybody who travels this short stretch of road.

Other than taking it into our own hands to create a safe atmosphere, sometimes it just seems like there’s little that can be done to shape our area, especially for those who are not permanent residents. But there are ways to enact change, and people should take those opportunities, such as public meetings.

On Monday, a graduate class in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs held a public meeting at Erwin First Methodist Church on Euclid Avenue. While the event was well publicized and open to the public, there was a small showing of participants compared to the enormous number of people who use Euclid Avenue for transportation.

While it may be hard to take time out of our busy schedules to participate, it is imperative that we make the time to speak out on these important issues.

This meeting was a perfect example of how community members need only provide little effort to enact change in our area. Titled “Euclid Bike Lane Community Meeting,” organizers planned this event so that all participants needed to do was attend. Participants did not need any prior knowledge and only needed to bring themselves.

Lasting for two hours, the organizers split the event into short 10-minute presentations and facilitated small group discussions, while providing handouts and other information. In this manner, the organizers put more emphasis on participants’ viewpoints, comments and questions.

Within this meeting, the organizers and participants discussed the future of the Euclid Bike Lane, which is currently operating under a “share the road” method where vehicles and cyclists have mixed use of the road. Participant and organizers alike discussed short-term and long-term improvements, while participant input was highly encouraged.

In events such as this meeting, any member of the public can become actively involved in the community with minimal effort. The public should utilize and relish these events to promote safety, sustainability and other goals. More involvement can only create more opportunities for simple participation, as well as the shaping of the community to meet the public’s needs.

With community meetings such as this, there are other methods to become involved in the area with varying degrees of effort. Time-tested methods such as public hearings and the joining of organizations can be just as easy for the public to communicate its needs.

It’s time that we utilize these simple methods to be more involved in our community. We complain and moan about driving, cycling or walking on Euclid, but whining about the chaotic commute does little, if nothing at all, to change the situation. You don’t have to become the leader of an organization or the mayor of Syracuse to make real change. Every little bit counts.

By joining together and becoming involved in public issues, we can create change by volume. When more people voice their opinions, more power is given. We must all stand up for not only large-scale issues, but smaller scale, local issues.

In the case of the Euclid Bike Lane, this action will not only improve the neighborhood, but foster sustainability in our city. With the interconnectedness of our national and global systems, any move we make to bring sustainable changes will truly affect our world.

Meg Callaghan is an environmental studies major at SUNY ESF. Her column appears weekly. She can be reached at mlcallag@syr.edu. 

Published on April 24, 2014 at 1:00 am