NOACA Annual Meeting update 

Plan to attend NOACA's Annual Meeting, to be held Friday, September 12, from 11:00 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Cleveland Convention Center. At the meeting, public officials and guest speakers will address "The True Cost of Transportation." Cost to attend is $50 per person, or $350 for a table of eight.

Registration for the Annual Meeting will open soon. You can keep current with what's being planned by visiting our Facebook page, LinkedIn page and Twitter account. We hope to see you on September 12.

Apply for NOACA's Commuter Choice Awards

NOACA has launched the Commuter Choice Awards! If your company or organization encourages employees to use alternative modes of transportation, including transit, carpooling, bicycling, walking, telecommuting, and flexible work weeks, it could be recognized for promoting environmentally friendly commute options and practices.  

NOACA will award Gold, Silver or Bronze ratings to   organizations for the percentage of employees who engage in environmentally friendly commute alternatives and on the organization's incentives, programs, policies and investments that support commute alternatives. NOACA will also award one organization top honors for being a regional leader in encouraging alternative transportation choices. Eligible organizations are those with facilities in Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, or Medina counties.  

To apply for the award, a representative from your organization must complete a short online survey. Visit NOACA's Commuter Choice Awards Web page to review the survey questions in advance. If you have any questions about completing the survey, contact us. The deadline to apply is Thursday, July 31. Award recipients will be announced at NOACA's Annual Meeting on September 12.

NOACA Board of Directors meet July 11

NOACA's Board of Directors will meet on Friday, July 11 at 10 a.m. Members will review the first draft of the agency's Regional Strategic Plan that has developed over the past year. Members will also discuss funding strategies for the Provisional Transportation Asset Management Program, an updated roadway functional classification policy and projects proposed for the long-range transportation plan and Transportation Improvement Program.

Hot steamy weather ushers in air quality advisories

Northeast Ohio's seemingly endless winter has given way to summer heat. Hydrocarbon emissions and nitrogen oxide mix in summer heat to create ground-level ozone, which irritates the throat and lungs. Ozone impairs everyone's breathing, but it is a special concern for sensitive populations such as the elderly, young children and persons with asthma or other respiratory diseases.  

When heat, humidity, and sluggish air flow grip the

A smoggy summer day in Cleveland.

region, you can help keep our air cleaner by implementing voluntary actions recommended by NOACA's air quality staff, including:

• Taking public transportation, carpooling or riding a bike to work.
• Avoiding excessive vehicle idling.
• Refueling vehicles after 7 p.m.
• Delaying lawn mowing or grilling until after 7 p.m.
• Reducing energy consumption by turning off lights and appliances when not in use.

Try designing a transit system for your community

If you had the power, how would you improve transit in your community? The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) has created a brief survey and online tool that allows you to be a planner for a day and design your own transit system. You can choose various programs and improvements to support with a budget of $100. You decide what the transit priorities are and discover what it will cost to make your vision happen. ODOT will incorporate the results of this exercise into the Statewide Transit Needs Study. Take the survey soon - the deadline is July 7.