Upcoming Webinars

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January 22
Walk Talk: The SRTS Call-In Show Webinar 

Presenters:
Cheryl Wagner, Coordinator, School-Community Partnership Program, Clark County School District, Las Vegas, Nevada
Cynthia Bell, Active Trans Community Liaison, Active Transportation Alliance, Chicago, Illinois
Melissa Kraemer Badtke, Safe Routes to School Coordinator, Associate Planner, East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, Menasha, Wisconsin

Think talk radio is just for radio? Think again. From Mr. Anthony in the 1930s to Click and Clack, Joe and Terry, Rush, and Diane Rehm today, people love the call-in format. We ask questions, we get answers. Simple. People who work on SRTS programs are no different. We like answers to our questions, too. And now we have our own call-in show, sort of, offering expert advice to overcome the challenges we face in achieving our most ardent SRTS dreams. Walk Talk (and bike, of course): The SRTS Call-in Show Webinar, features three experts who each coordinate SRTS programs at multiple schools and who represent a mix of urban, suburban and rural SRTS programs. Between them, they've confronted and overcome all manner of obstacles and barriers. And for one hour they will devote themselves to answering your thorniest SRTS questions.

Here's how it works. You register for the Webinar in advance. You submit a question about your most formidable SRTS obstacles and barriers through the registration page, or by email. You attend the Webinar and listen as the experts grapple with the unique problems facing your SRTS program and others around the country. You ask questions, you get answers. Simple.

Register here.

January 25
Sustainability Series Webinar - New York City's Active Design Guidelines: Process and Best Practices 

Featured Speaker Ernest Hutton, FAICP, Assoc. AIA Principal, Hutton Associates, Inc.

Can transformations in the built environment inspire people to be more physically active, and make our communities healthier? According to a growing body of research, the answer is yes. The 'Active Design Guidelines' developed for New York City translate this knowledge into concrete strategies for a healthier, more sustainable future. Designers, planners, developers, and operations managers can adapt the Guidelines to their own projects to promote physical activity and help counteract the most pressing health epidemics of our time - poor physical fitness and obesity and their relationship to chronic diseases such as diabetes.

'New York City's Active Design Guidelines' is a 1-hour presentation and discussion session that will:
• explore the relationship between health and the built environment;
• provide an overview of the Guidelines and its list of urban design and building design strategies;
• examine synergies between Active Design, environmental sustainability, and universal design;
• share details on the LEED Innovation Credit for Physical Activity; and
• highlight best practices and current planning and policy initiatives.

1 AICP Credit typically available per webinar. Visit www.planning.org to add the webinar to your CM log. Register here.

January 31
Making the Most of MAP-21

A new transportation bill passed by Congress last summer, MAP-21, is changing the way transportation projects will be chosen and funded. T4 will be hosting a free online session with experts, local leaders and advocates about how to use the transportation law to the fullest in your community. Transportation for America released a new, easy-to-follow handbook last month to help communities understand the ins and outs of the new federal transportation law. And on January 31st, T4 staff and representatives from metropolitan planning organizations will host an online presentation reviewing the new law and detailing new policies and funding opportunities.

Under MAP-21 more decision-making has shifted to the state and local level, offering critical new ways for you to engage. This online presentation will explain ways you can help shape your community, including new federal grant programs and other ways to fund projects in your community, including bicycle and pedestrian safety improvements, transit projects, and bridge and road repair. This presentation will offer great instruction for local elected officials—feel free to share this information with your allies.

Register here.

A New Year, A New Walk Score

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And we're back....to San Diego, that is. Moving might have its tribulations, but on the up side we've taken our already-respectable WalkScore from 78 to a stellar 94 in our (albeit temporary) new neighborhood. What do those extra 16 points mean? They mean we walk for nearly all our daily errands, from buying milk to mailing packages. They mean we've added at least 20 minutes of physical activity into our typical routine without really thinking about it. They mean our transportation costs (particularly on gas) have dropped tremendously.

But.

They don't mean we've given up driving to work. Or to visit friends. Or even to the park a mile up the road. Even in this so-called "walker's paradise" there are still many times when a car is just an easier choice. I don't necessarily think this is a bad thing. We often talk about how much more walkable cities that developed before the car are, but even in those pre-driving cities people still needed the horse and cart occasionally. The problem comes when we have to use our cars for every single trip, even ones that should be easier on foot. That doesn't mean everyone needs to live in a high-rise apartment building, but it does mean that we should be working to create cities with a density and diversity of uses that make walking the simpler choice for a variety of trips.

This Week on Foot

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Photo courtesy southwest riverside news network

With the holiday season comes the traditional Santa Claus crosswalk sting, this week in Moreno Valley where Crosswalk offenders busted by Santa Claus decoy in Moreno Valley . But they really should have been doing it in British Columbia, where Caution urged after 17 pedestrians hit in 7 days-- or maybe Maryland, where Protecting pedestrians proves an elusive goal . Milbrae is another good candidate, where Caltrans slow to boost pedestrian safety on hairy Millbrae road --and they might not celebrate Christmas in all of India, but a similar exercise would surely be helpful in Bangalore, because Bangalore is a no-walking zone.

Fortunately, they're Reducing pedestrian perils  in Tampa and Rallying for pedestrian safety in Canada, while Raleigh looks to make overpasses more pedestrian friendly  and in Boston Quincy councilors focus on pedestrian safety with renewed vigor. Elsewhere in the country This Pedestrian Bridge Will Soon Connect Brooklyn Heights To Brooklyn Bridge Park , and College Street project a pedestrian 'show stopper' , while Program studies ‘walkability, bikeability’ of schools in Iowa City and the City Maps Out Sidewalk Plan in New Haven.

Finally this week we learn of 10 Techniques for Making Cities More Walkable, and A “Movement For Movement” Puts Walking Front and Center. Oh, and with all the talk of holiday spending out there these days, it's worth noting that Cyclists and Pedestrians Can End Up Spending More Each Month Than Drivers. 

One Step at a Time - CouchSurfing Across the U.S.

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If you've been following me for a while, you'll remember how two years ago I hosted advocate and walker extraordinaire George Throop on the first leg of his journey across the US on foot to promote daily physical activity (like walking!).

Since then he's made it to North Carolina, and has only a few short states to go until meeting his goal of walking from Washington (state) to Washington (DC). Here's a short video with the latest on his journey, but you can get the full story of his travels (including an awesome map of his route) on his website Enjoy the Walk. Keeping enjoying it, George!

This Week on Foot

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An easy way to keep cars out of pedestrian space? Build narrow streets like this one in Peru.

It's been a busy week for pedestrians outside the US. In India, advocates continue to fight for pedestrians rights, as the Plight of suffering pedestrians comes to the fore, and they point out that the landmark Tank bund continuous to be unsafe for pedestrians. There's also a Call to give pedestrians right of way  in New Zealand, and the First pedestrian subway in Salalah , while in Canada, a Pedestrian-only street pitched for Fredericton. The only dark note is the Pedestrian tunnel 'too expensive' for crash junction in the UK.

Closer to home, things aren't as rosy. San Pedro's Huge Ponte Vista Project is Now More Suburban. Then there's a Search underway for driver who killed pedestrian in Gardena, while the Pedestrian killed in Newport Beach identified. Fortunately, efforts are underway in parts of the country to prevent deaths like these. A Pilot program aims to improve pedestrian safety in Utah, Tufts looks to improve pedestrian safety, and there are Smart growth proposals along Route 9 in Boston. The Balt. Co. Council approval keeps path for cyclists and pedestrians clear and a Ceremony officially opens Oak Cliff’s Bishop Avenue ‘complete street’ in Texas.

Meanwhile, we wonder: is a Huge Pedestrian Bridge Coming to Indiana Dunes? And would it improve walkability? Because as we're reminded this week, Walkability increasingly drives developers and real estate market. If you want to know how to create that walkable environment, check out Jeff Speck’s Walkable City, Digested --or, if you Want a better city? Tear out the freeways, tear up the asphalt, says speaker . And they do want it in Georgia, where Residents want safety, walkability addressed in master plan for 15th Street corridor

Finally this week, we learn about the  The Best U.S. Cities For Public Transit: Portland, Chicago Outrank New York City. One key factor for good transit? Walkability...