Walk and Roll: WSDOT Active Transportation Update July 7, 2020

Washington State Department of Transportation sent this bulletin at 07/07/2020 01:22 PM PDT

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In case you missed recent editions of Walk + Roll: 

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ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION NEWS FROM WSDOT AND PARTNERS

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Safe, Healthy, Active Streets Initiative Announced

With the arrival of summer and more counties relaxing restrictions under Gov. Jay Inslee’s Safe Start plan, the Washington state departments of Health, Commerce and Transportation have joined together to provide more access to public roadways in support of active, healthy communities and business recovery during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Safe, Healthy and Active Streets Program (pdf 88 kb) allows temporary lane reallocations on some state roadways to allow walkers and cyclists more space to maintain physical distance, and to provide greater access to businesses along “main street” highways. This temporary change to some traffic lanes could let towns increase space for people walking or biking, or create outdoor seating for restaurants and sales areas for retailers, while maintaining physical distance to help reduce exposure to the virus.

WSDOT asks interested local jurisdictions to ensure that they’ve communicated with the people and businesses affected by the changes and that they report on how the roadway changes work. Towns could use this reallocation to test and learn from changes they might want to consider implementing in the future.

WSDOT news release

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Active Transportation, Design, and Mobility Organizations Speak Out

The June 9 edition included a number of statements from Washington State and national organizations speaking out against racism, including its effects on people's ability to walk, bike, roll, and lead their lives free from fear of harm. Additions to that list:

Washington State

National

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FIVE+ THINGS TO READ

If Accessibility Is Important To You, Tell Your Local Candidates: "Our rights are made real not just by kind intentions, social change, and legal principles, important as they are, but through conscious design implemented in wood and hard concrete."

Whose Streets? Black Streets: "If the preoccupation for planners and urbanists is to move towards resilient, smart and sustainable cities, they must first address the historic anti-Black racism and ableism embedded within its practice and practitioners."

A Call to Courage: "...The public realm and built environment are not simply a backdrop to the current civil unrest; urbanism has contributed to the racial inequities inciting it. Acknowledging complicity in systemic racism and harms enacted across time is overwhelming. However, an unnamed issue cannot be reconciled. Transformation cannot occur without radical truth telling followed up with courageous action."

Ask An Expert: How can transportation planners better serve Black and brown people?: "If community engagement is resourced properly and we lean into participatory decision making, we could get to a point where most of these projects are generated at the community level as requested by residents."

Cyclists Don’t Cause Congestion: ‘Must Get In Front’ Maneuvers By Motorists Pointless, Finds Study: "Motorists often perceive cyclists to be 'slow' when, in urban situations, so-called 'commuter races' almost always find that, because of their slim width and agility, cyclists have higher average speeds than motorists who are easily brought to a standstill in heavy traffic."

Can Tactical Urbanism Be a Tool for Equity? A Conversation with Mike Lydon and Tony Garcia: "We’re trying to ask ourselves: in process of ideation, how can we work with people to create a level of authorship and co-production, so it’s not just us imposing this project on them?"

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TRAININGS, CONFERENCES, WEBINARS

We add new trainings as we find them so the list changes with every issue. 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.

July

GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

AWARDS, COMPETITIONS AND KUDOS

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

PRESENT AND PARTICIPATE

  • Solidarity School: Online training in social change and solidarity practice. Applications due July 8.
  • Transportation Research Board 100th Annual Meeting: Paper submissions due Aug. 1.
  • Washington State Ridesharing Organization call for presenters deadline Aug. 7 to present in their one-day digital conference Sept. 22, 2020.

RESEARCH AND RESOURCES

SURVEYS AND DATA COLLECTION

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).