Congratulations to the 2019 NADO Photo Contest winners and runners-up! This year, nearly 150 images were submitted from members across the country that demonstrated what makes their regions great places to live, work, and play. The Gorge TransLink Alliance won in the Sustaining Our Communities category.
MCEDD is the lead agency for the Gorge TransLink Alliance, a partnership of five rural transportation providers in the Columbia River Gorge that was established in 2001 to promote a coordinated regional transportation system. The Alliance works with key community stakeholders to ensure that all community members have access to equitable and accessible mobility options.
This photo captures a regular trolley rider as she disembarks at a bus stop near her home after enjoying a local festival down at the Hood River waterfront park. At 96 years old, she hasn’t driven a car for over 15 years, but continues to participate in community and social events thanks to the local and regionally connected public transportation system. The Hood River Pink Trolley is the result of a partnership with Providence Health and Services, the City of Hood River, and Columbia Area Transit. This partnership funds a weekend seasonal trolley service that meets the diverse needs of the community, bringing residents from low income areas to the local farmers market, families to the waterfront park, and visitors to a very busy downtown core. Public transportation connects the significant number of residents and visitors who do not or cannot drive—seniors, youth, disabled, low-income—to community vitality and opportunity. For a complete list of 2019 NADO photo contest winners click here.