Walk and Roll: Active Transportation News Round-up July 16, 2020

Recent Walk + Roll editions:

• News round-ups: June 16, May 29, May 19
• Trainings/resources: July 7, June 9, May 22

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Active Transportation News

Before the emergence of the pandemic this e-news included local, state, national, and international news on active transportation in general. Beginning in April, it focused on COVID19 responses affecting active transportation.

From the local to the global level, events move faster than this round-up can track. It isn’t intended to be exhaustive, but gives you an idea of the conversations playing out in Washington and around the globe about the use of our street space and public right-of-way. We'll continue to adjust headings over time to enable you to skim and find the articles of most interest for you.

International

• Canada: Calgary now has 1,000 kilometres of paved pathways
• Europe: Benelux ministers urge European Commission to embrace cycling
• Europe: Netflix Of Bikes Swapfiets Expands From Netherlands To London, Milan And Paris
• France: More Bicycles, Slower Speeds, a More Livable City: Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo Plans an Ambitious Second Term
• India: The Need for a National Cycling Policy in India
• New Zealand: Climate explained: will the COVID-19 lockdown slow the effects of climate change?
• Research: Methods to Prioritise Pop-up Active Transport Infrastructure

USA--General

• Open Streets--Commercial District Design: COVID-19 Response and Management (PDF)

USA--Cities and States

(Some city actions appear below under topical headings.)

• COVID-19 pandemic pushing some U.S. cities toward Copenhagen bicycle model
• CA: California Transportation Commission Passes Complete Streets Funding and Talks About Equity
• MD: Department of Transportation Announces New Slow Street Initiative as Baltimore City Makes Streets Safer for Pedestrians
• NC: How would you like to eat, walk or play — not drive — on some Charlotte streets?
• NY: New York as a Biking City? It Could Happen. And It Should.
• OR: Racial Justice Group Albina Vision Trust Withdraws Its Support for I-5 Rose Quarter Expansion
• PA: Playstreets are the new summer camp
• RI: This bridge used to be a highway—now it’s for pedestrians
• WI: Milwaukee Is Redesigning Local Streets for Pedestrian, Biker and Driver Safety

Washington State 

• WSDOT Supporting Low-Stress Streets and Pop-Up Commerce on State Highways During Pandemic
• New plan would close some highway lanes to traffic, open them to pedestrians
• STEAL THIS IDEA: Washington DOT To Give Lanes Back to People on State Roads
• Washington DOT will reallocate highway space as part of ‘Healthy, Active Streets’ program
• Changing Lanes: Converting Highway Lanes into Bike Lanes and Safe Spaces for Walking and Outdoor Retail During the Pandemic
• Pullman: Take Your Horse (And Bike) To The Old Moscow-Pullman Town Road To See The Changes
• Pullman: City officials describe temporary changes to Main Street
• WSU study: Living to 100 requires more than heredity
• Tacoma: Bicycling without a helmet? You can do that in Tacoma now

Equity and Anti-Racism

• We Are Dropping Police Enforcement From Vision Zero
• Making Black Lives Matter in Street Safety
• Ask An Expert: How can transportation planners better serve Black and brown people?
• Mobility Over Modality
• Essential Places: Warren Logan on Open Streets Beyond Brunch and Bike Lanes
• How Planes, Trains and Automobiles Worsened America’s Racial Divide
• 'The Wrong Complexion For Protection.' How Race Shaped America's Roadways And Cities
• Dozens of City Governments Declare Racism a Public Health Crisis
• Want to be an ally? Expert shares how to begin fighting for equity, social justice
• Disabled People Ride Bikes (and Trikes, and Tandems and Recumbents)! 
• Why including people with disabilities in design is a win for all
• Biking during the pandemic

Safety

• Why do armed police enforce traffic laws?
• Car crashes deadlier as drivers speed during lockdowns
• Bicycle Helmets Not Designed For Impacts From Cars, Stresses Leading Maker Giro

Resilience and Recovery

• A conservative case against cars
• How the ‘15-Minute City’ Could Help Post-Pandemic Recovery
• COVID-19’s Long-Term Effects on Climate Change—For Better or Worse
• 'We Heard Birds.' Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo on How Lockdown Offered a Glimpse at a Greener City

Participation

• Examining attitudes towards e-bike usage in 11 European countries
• Lime scooters are unofficially, temporarily back in Everett
• What E-Bikes Mean For Your Hard-Won Fitness
• VanMoof’s e-bike ad banned in France for creating a ‘climate of anxiety’

Streets and Public Spaces for Restaurants, Entertainment, Other Activities

• Seattle Is Relaxing Requirements to Encourage More Outdoor Cafes and Retail on City Streets
• Ideas in Open Streets: Bothell, W.A.
• Canada: Ideas in Open Streets: Coquitlam, B.C.
• Cambridge: Ideas in Open Streets: Coquitlam, B.C.Central Square group plans parking lot takeover for a ‘Starlight Square’ with free open-air events
• Poland: Lawn Mowed Into Checkerboard Becomes Natural Social Distancing Space

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Resources

COVID-19 Resources for Washington State

• COVID-19 Transportation System Safety Performance Dashboard
• COVID-19 Multimodal Transportation System Performance Dashboard
• Washington State Coronavirus Response official site
• Information on COVID19 from DOH available in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Punjabi, Russina, Somali, Spanish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese
• State Parks COVID-19 update

Other COVID-19 Resources

New items listed at the top the first edition in which they appear. Others in alphabetical order based on organization name.

• APA: COVID-19 Resources
• NACTO: Streets for Pandemic Response & Recovery
• NACTO COVID-19: Transportation Response Center
• Pedestrian & Bicycle Information Center: COVID-19 Resources and Community Tracking for Walking and Bicycling
• PolicyLink: COVID-19 & Race
• Rails-to-Trails Conservancy COVID-19 Resources
• RWJ: Health Equity Principles for State and Local Leaders in Responding to, Reopening and Recovering from COVID-19
• Salud America: Coronavirus and Latino Health Equity
• Transformative Urban Mobility Initiative: Fighting Corona in Transport
• TRB: Paths to biking, walking improvements supported by wealth of research 
• Untokening: Open for Whom? A Mobility Justice-Centered Approach to Open Streets
• Untokening: Mobility Justice and COVID-19
• Example COVID-19 Transportation Problems & Solutions: Slide deck created by SpokAT founder Jessica Engelman of Spokane

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National and Local/Regional Surveys on COVID-19 and Transportation

• Local Actions to Support Walking and Cycling During Social Distancing Dataset: Open-access dataset invites people to submit information about their communities’ efforts to rebalance streets for walking, biking, and other forms of travel while promoting social distancing.
• Smart Growth America survey Complete Streets + COVID-19 on community responses
• Rails-to-Trails Conservancy survey about trail management experiences. 
• Safe Routes During COVID-19: Resource Tracking Document for ideas to engage youth and families while schools are closed
• Cascade Bicycle Club survey Biking, Walking, and Rolling During COVID-19
• Seattle Neighborhood Greenways survey Safe Streets in an Era of Social Distancing
• Social interaction, trips, and wellbeing during confinement: Polytechnique Montreal survey
• Arizona State University survey on COVID19 and mobility
• Duke University teleworking survey
• Know of a survey related to active transportation inviting data from people in Washington state? Send to barb.chamberlain@wsdot.wa.gov with dates it's open and we'll share in the next Walk and Roll E-News.

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