Walk and Roll: WSDOT Active Transportation Update Sept. 16, 2019

Washington State Department of Transportation sent this bulletin at 09/16/2019 08:26 PM PDT

WSDOT Logo

ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION NEWS FROM WSDOT AND PARTNERS

------------------------------

Seeking Complete Streets Leadership Academy Applications by Oct. 27

Three communities in Washington state will be selected for a new technical assistance opportunity from Smart Growth America, in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Transportation Improvement Board, the Washington State Department of Transportation, and the Washington State Department of Health. 

The Complete Streets Leadership Academy will bring together three eligible jurisdictions for a series of three in-person workshops, culminating in an on-the-ground demonstration project. The Academy will build the skills necessary to overcome barriers to Complete Streets implementation, conduct and evaluate tactical urbanism projects, engage the community, and collaborate more effectively across agencies and departments.

As part of the Academy, each community will select a cohort of 5-10 people (including transportation and public health professionals from multiple departments and partner organizations). These individuals will participate in three trainings over the course of six months, one in each of the three communities selected. In addition to trainings, participants will receive reimbursement for travel to other communities and a sub-award to support their demonstration project, and they will be required to host one of the trainings and raise matching funds or in-kind contributions to support the project.

Webinar for more information: Sept. 19, 10-11am. Register at the link to receive log-on details.

Applications: Open on September 19 and close October 27.

Contact for more information: Heather Zaccaro, hzaccaro@smartgrowthamerica.org.

------------------------------

Local Road Safety Plan Workshops Scheduled

A Local Road Safety Plan provides a data-driven, risk-based method to prioritize locations for engineering improvements to reduce fatal and serious injury crashes. This course introduces local agencies to the concept and structure of Local Road Safety Plans, and shows them how to build a plan based on actual crash data from a city.

This course also introduces WSDOT's 2020 City Safety Program, which will release a call for projects in November 2019. This federal Highway Safety Improvement Program-funded program will have a systemic subprogram for low cost, widespread, risk-based projects in an entire city, or over wide city areas. Agencies will need a local road safety plan in order to apply for any City Safety Program funding.

Several dates and locations to choose from: Oct. 1 (Olympia), Oct. 2 (Bellevue), Oct. 3 (Vancouver), Oct. 22 (Wenatchee), Oct. 23 (Spokane), Oct. 24 (Richland) No Cost. Details and registration.

------------------------------

Transportation Choices Coalition Names Transportation Hall of Fame Inductees

Transportation Choices Coalition is honoring individuals, programs and agencies at a Sept. 21 event in Seattle. Honorees include Link Transit in Chelan and Douglas counties, the Transportation Equity Program at Seattle Department of Transportation, WSDOT Active Transportation Division Director Barb Chamberlain, disability rights advocacy nonprofit Rooted in Rights, and the Trailhead Direct program of King County Metro and King County Parks.  

------------------------------

Get Ready for Walk to School Day Oct. 2

A Walk to School Day event can help kids fire up their feet and wheels as well as their brains. Safe Routes to School National Partnerships has resources to help you plan your program.

Register your event for your school's participants to be counted among the thousands of people walking and rolling around the nation. 

------------------------------

Help Kids Walk and Roll: Safe Routes to School Curriculum Grants Opening Soon

In each Safe Routes to School grant cycle, as approved by the state legislate the WSDOT Active Transportation Division prioritizes funding for a walk/bike safety education program. Schools apply through the IGrant program administered by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

In each two-year cycle at least 25 schools receive support for bicycle and pedestrian safety education to students in grades 6–8. The grant provides up to $30,000 per district to purchase a utility trailer for bike storage and transport, fleet of bicycles, two-day training, curriculum, educational materials, teacher substitutes (for two-day training), and technical support. Over the years since this program was created by the statewide bike nonprofit (known then as the Bicycle Alliance of Washington, now Washington Bikes), thousands of students have received instruction.

OSPI will be opening the next application cycle soon. Applications are due Oct. 31, 2019.

------------------------------

Who's Who: Your Region's Active Transportation Coordinator

WSDOT Region offices and Washington State Ferries have individuals designated as the active transportation point of contact. Any time you have questions about projects, plans, or anything else related to walking or rolling along or across state routes and vessels, these fine folks should be your first point of contact.

If you send an email to any of us in the headquarters Active Transportation Division with a local question we forward it to them to get answers. Starting with them accelerates response time, and they bring us in as needed on policy issues or cross-region questions.

Map of WSDOT regions

Northwest Region: Snohomish, King, Whatcom, Skagit, San Juan, Island counties
Justin Nawrocki, nawrocj@wsdot.wa.gov, 206-440-4383

Olympic Region: Clallam, Jefferson, Kitsap, Grays Harbor, Mason, Thurston, Pierce counties
Bradley Bobbitt, bobbitb@wsdot.wa.gov, 360-375-2790

Southwest Region: Lewis, Pacific, Cowlitz, Clark, Skamania, Klickitat counties
Judith Perez, perezjud@wsdot.wa.gov, 360-905-2098

South Central Region: Kittitas, Yakima, Benton, Franklin, Walla Walla, Columbia, Garfield, Asotin counties
Paul Gonseth, gonsetp@wsdot.wa.gov, 509-577-1630

Eastern Region: Ferry, Stevens, Pend Oreille, Lincoln, Spokane, Adams, Whitman counties
Jerry Compton. compton@wsdot.wa.gov, 509-324-6196

North Central Region: Okanogan, Chelan, Douglas, Grant counties
Maxwell Nelson, nelsonm@wsdot.wa.gov, 509-667-2910 (NEW coordinator--welcome Maxwell!)

Washington State Ferries
Justin Resnick, resnicj@wsdot.wa.gov, 206-515-3450

------------------------------

FIVE+ THINGS TO READ

Could bicycles help save the planet and improve our cities?: "Even in the suburbs, walkable and bikeable communities are increasingly a selling point."

Why Ethics should be a New E of Transportation: "the truth is we have a lot of flexibility and engineering judgment to exercise and the answers are not always going to come from a math equation. We are making values-based choices all the time."

A Smart City Is an Accessible City: "Apps can make cities more navigable, but they do not change the material features of that environment. Most of the time, they record the current conditions in the built environment rather than advocate for better ones."

The FARS Side: Distracted Pedestrians: "the myth of the distracted pedestrian fits the narrative that we see all-too-often. News stories, agency publications, and safety campaigns all finger wag at the distracted pedestrian....You never see them cite the data when they talk about it. Now we know why. The data doesn’t support the narrative."

To build safe streets, we need to address racism in urban design: "Only after we broaden our understanding of safety to encompass multiple, interlocking sources of place-based disadvantage can we begin to build truly safe and thriving streets."

------------------------------

TRAININGS, CONFERENCES, WEBINARS

We add new trainings as we find them so the list changes with every issue. The National Center for Biking and Walking maintains a searchable international calendar of conferences, training and events. Some of these offer continuing education credits. All times are shown in Pacific time zone. 

All webinars listed are FREE unless a price is noted. All items are webinars unless a location is noted.

September

October

Know of an upcoming webinar, conference, or other professional development opportunity? Send details to barb.chamberlain@wsdot.wa.gov.

GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

  • Smart Cities Challenge: Transforming Intersections. Deadline Oct. 18 to apply. Cities and counties are asked to identify their smart city vision for mobility and safety, as well as intersection problems they'd like solved, including rush hour gridlock or pedestrian-driver crashes.
  • Did you know? USDOT TIFIA Rural Project Initiative loans can be used to construct pedestrian/bicyclist infrastructure
  • Have any of these that people should know about? Send information to barb.chamberlain@wsdot.wa.gov

AWARDS AND COMPETITIONS

  • America Walks seeks suggestions for inspiring women who promote walking and walk-friendly, accessible communities. Email info@americawalks.org with your suggestions for women to profile.
  • Nov. 1: Deadline to submit trails for designation as National Recreation Trails.
  • Dec. 15: Deadline for entries in National Recreation Trail photo contest.

PRESENT AND PARTICIPATE

Opportunities to submit for presentation at conferences; committees and work groups seeking participants

PLANNING AND PROJECTS

Have an upcoming project, open house, public comment opportunity? Construction projects people should know about as they relate to biking/walking? Compliments on a project? Send to barb.chamberlain@wsdot.wa.gov

RESEARCH AND RESOURCES

SURVEYS AND DATA COLLECTION

  • Safe Routes to School Census: The only catalog of basic information about SRTS programs around the US, and it's only as good as the information you share about your program.
  • ITE Pedestrian Demand Survey: On behalf of the ITE Bicycle & Pedestrian Standing Committee, asks for information about crossings where before and after counts have been performed. Respondents will receive summary or link to completed results. Google account required to complete survey; for email option contact Mike Hendrix at mike.hendrix@perteet.com.
  • Does your city/town have bicycle traffic signals? Add to the crowdsourced tracking spreadsheet of cities in North America

If you read this far, thank you! You're finding something of value here and you know someone else who should receive this kind of news and learn what's happening with the state Active Transportation Plan. Forward WSDOT Walk and Roll to others and share the subscription link on social media (tag it #WSDOTactive).