Walk and Roll: WSDOT Active Transportation Update - Sept, 22, 2023

Washington State Department of Transportation sent this bulletin at 09/22/2023 12:06 PM PDT

ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION NEWS FROM WSDOT AND PARTNERS

Connectivity -- Safety -- Opportunity -- Participation -- Partnership

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Join the ATD Team! Seeking Our First-ever Communications Lead 

The WSDOT Active Transportation Division is excited to announce that we’re seeking our first ever Active Transportation Communication Lead. This senior-level position will join the management team and play an essential role in building public awareness, understanding, and interest in WSDOT’s work to advance walking, biking, and other human-powered and human-scale transportation. They’ll shape communications about WSDOT’s work in active transportation, Complete Streets, the Safe System Approach, transportation equity and environmental justice, and efforts to reduce vehicle miles traveled and support mode shift.

Deadline and details: Interested applicants need to apply by Sept. 28, 2023. The job posting lists some of the responsibilities but not all. We highly recommend requesting the detailed position description following the instructions under Contact Us at the bottom of the job listing.

Position location: The posting indicates that it is based in King County. However, we offer flexible/hybrid remote work options. ATD is building a statewide virtual team, and the official duty station for this position will be determined based on candidate preference and overall business needs. In other words, you don’t have to live in or move to King County to be considered as a candidate.

Essential qualities of the successful candidate:

In addition to communications experience and abilities, our minimum required qualifications include commitment to serving the public, particularly underserved and under-resourced communities; advancing the intersection of equity and racial justice; and applying communication skills to foster allyship and belonging.

Our preferred qualifications list additional desirable skills and abilities including these:

  • Background in and thorough understanding of high-risk/high-stress communications, media relations, public policy development, and/or political process.
  • Knowledge of Washington state's multimodal transportation system and active transportation use.
  • Experience with and an understanding of active transportation modes of travel.
  • Bilingual proficiency, particularly in the languages identified in WSDOT’s Language Access Plan for statewide vital documents (Arabic, Chinese, Somali, Korean, Vietnamese, Spanish, and Russian).

Not sure whether you meet all qualifications? Government job applications list a lot of elements and we don’t want any one of those to serve as a barrier to application. Please apply if this position feels like it could be a fit, even if you’re not sure you meet every qualification. ATD has been pleased by the caliber of applicants for our other positions as we work to build a team that represents all of Washington and we welcome your interest.

October Brings Opportunities to Celebrate Walking and Other Active Transportation -
From #WeekWithoutDriving to the end of Walktober  

The month of October is the first full month of fall in our part of the world. As we move into the season, with daylight hours getting shorter and habits of travel to school getting set just as wetter weather begins, it’s a good time to remind ourselves of putting equity and safety at the fore of our thinking and acting. That’s probably why we have a line-up of recognitions for this month.

It begins with Week Without Driving (October 2-8) – America Walks and Disability Rights Washington have teamed up to encourage people around the state, the U.S. and beyond to understand better what it’s like to get around without using a car. We hope you will participate in the WWD – organizations (or individuals or elected officials) can sign up to participate and promote the occasion in their communities and get resources.

In the middle of that WWD week, it’s also Walk and Roll to School Day (officially October 4, but hey, everyday can be W-and-R-2-School Day) with hundreds of communities and events celebrating this promotion of healthful, sustainable ways to get to and from school safely. On that note, it’s also Pedestrian Safety Month – there are different themes for each week of the month and a resource guide published by NHTSA).

And finally, the whole month can be celebrated as Walktober. Take some time this next few weeks to enjoy walking (and its close relatives of moving/rolling in an unhurried way), whether it’s for your sustainable transportation or any of a host of other reasons (community, health, recreation, social, and so many, many more). Walking is what you are made for, and as author Jonathon Stalls says, “We all deserve to move the way we are made to."

Mode-Neutral Usage: It's Active, Not Nonmotorized 

Federal performance measures refer to "nonmotorized transportation" so we know we'll still see that term in circulation for a while. But even before the advent of e-bikes, e-scooters, Segways, Solowheels, and whatever else someone is dreaming up for the next hot micromobility start-up, users of motorized wheelchairs were on the sidewalk. "Nonmotorized" hasn't been an inclusive or accurate term for a long time.

There's another reason to move away from "nonmotorized", though. The phrase "nonmotorized transportation" assumes the word "transportation" inherently includes the meaning "motorized", as if that's the default setting. If everything else has to be defined as an exception to the "rule", everything else is implicitly Transportation Lite.

Transportation is defined by Merriam-Webster as "means of conveyance or travel from one place to another." Let's stick with the dictionary and not assume that "transportation" is synonymous with one specific type of conveyance. Use a modifier to be specific about every mode, not just some of them. So if when you say "transportation" you really mean "(drive-alone) motor vehicle transportation" then say so.

Yes, it takes longer to be specific. If it makes you stop and think about who you're really designing, building, and operating the transportation system for (and whose movements you're not including), that's an important pause for thought.

As for whether "active transportation" is the right term for a category that increasingly could be defined to include small personal mobility devices that may have a battery, what would you use instead to describe the people who aren’t inside a large steel motorized vehicle?

Three definitions:

Washington State Active Transportation Plan: Active transportation: Using a human-scale and often human-powered means of travel to get from one place to another; includes walking, bicycling, using a mobility assistive or adaptive device such as a wheelchair or walker, using micromobility devices, and using electric-assist devices such as e-bikes and e-foot scooters.

RCW 36.70A.030: "Active transportation" means forms of pedestrian mobility including walking or running, the use of a mobility assistive device such as a wheelchair, bicycling and cycling irrespective of the number of wheels, and the use of small personal devices such as foot scooters or skateboards. Active transportation includes both traditional and electric assist bicycles and other devices. Planning for active transportation must consider and address accommodation pursuant to the Americans with disabilities act and the distinct needs of each form of active transportation.

American Association of State Highway and Transportation Official’s Council on Active Transportation, on which ATD Director Barb Chamberlain serves: “The Council on Active Transportation addresses issues related to using human-powered means of travel, which includes walking and bicycling, with or without the use of mobility aids; and may also include using other human-scaled or micromobility devices that may be electric-powered or electric-assisted, such as e-bikes and e-scooters."

FIVE+ THINGS TO READ/WATCH/HEAR

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 fee or price is noted. All items are webinars unless a location is noted.

September

October

November

GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

  • Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhood Grant Program (combined Reconnecting Communities Pilot and Neighborhood Access & Equity programs; USDOT) Webinars for more information. Deadline September 28.
  • USDOT Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program - will be offering a funding opportunity up to $360,000. Applications can be submitted in an ongoing manner, and will be considered on a rolling basis; grants will be made on a first-come, first-served basis. Eligible applicants (a local government located outside of an urbanized area with a population of more than 150,000 residents; a state government seeking to advance a project for an area located outside of an urbanized area with a population of more than 150,000 residents; a federally recognized Indian Tribe; or iv. the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands) are encouraged to apply as early as possible - opportunity opened August 14, 2023.
  • Pilot Program for Transit-Oriented Development Planning. FTA announced $13.4 million in funding for local communities’ planning efforts to support housing and other investment near transit hubs. Deadline October 10, 8:59pm.
  • Thriving Communities Program. USDOT opportunity provides intensive technical assistance to under-resourced and disadvantaged communities to help them identify, develop, and deliver transportation and community revitalization opportunities. $22 million available. The FY23 program offers two separate opportunities, solicited under a single Notice of Funding Opportunity: one nation-wide for Capacity Builders (open to non-profit, philanthropic or other technical assistance-providing organizations) and one a regional pilot (open to state, local, regional and tribal governments or planning non-profits). Due November 28 (4:59pm eastern). A Call for Letters of Interest from potential recipients of the assistance has also been issued, due Nov. 15.
  • Funding specifically for active transportation is coming soon from FHWA – new Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program ($45 million in Federal Fiscal Year 2023) will support planning, designing, and constructing active transportation facilities, particularly to integrate with and improve access to public transportation.

Keep track of all of the USDOT’s discretionary funding opportunities at the DOT Discretionary Grants Dashboard.

Have any funding opportunities people should know about? Send to WSDOTActive@wsdot.wa.gov

AWARDS, COMPETITIONS, AND KUDOS

PLANNING AND PROJECTS

  • Looking for a WSDOT project to check on status, get email updates, attend an open house? Start here.

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 WSDOTActive@wsdot.wa.gov

PRESENT, PUBLISH, PARTICIPATE

  • Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals is seeking proposals for 2024 webinars. These webinars typically cover a wide range of active transportation-related topics. Deadline October 1.
  • World Day of Remembrance Nov. 19. The Vision Zero Network is connecting people organizing local events to recognize World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, to be held Nov. 19, 2023. They have announced a series of national coordination calls and invite you to share your local event even if not all details have been finalized so they can include it on their public list of nationwide events.

RESEARCH AND RESOURCES

 

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. Forward WSDOT Walk and Roll to others and share the subscription link on social media (tag it #WSDOTactive).