January 2013
Cal WALKS footPrints
News from around the Cal WALKS Network
WALKSacramento Builds on Safe Routes to School Momentum in Amador, Placer, Sacramento, & Yuba Co.'s
Cedar Lane Elementary School
Cedar Lane Elementary School,  Linda, CA: 1 of 9 elementary schools WALKSacramento and Safe Kids Calfornia will be working with on Safe Routes to Schools programs.
Funded by the California Department of Public Health's Kids' Plates ProgramWALKSacramento and Safe Kids California are embarking on a 2-year project working with 9 elementary schools across the SACOG region to enhance local Safe Routes to Schools efforts. The participating schools are: 
  • Ione Elementary (Amador County);
  • Sierra Elementary, Newcastle Elementary, Auburn Elementary (Placer County);
  • Camellia Basic Elementary, Edison Elementary (Sacramento County); and
  • Ella Elementary, Cedar Lane Elementary (Yuba County).

Alexis Kelso, Safe Routes Project Manager, is "grateful for the opportunity to help these schools grow their Safe Routes to School programs, to increase the safety of walking and biking in underserved communities, and to build support for Safe Routes to School throughout the SACOG region and beyond. We're also really looking forward to our partnership in this project with Safe Kids California." Thank you to both WALKSacramento and Safe Kids California for leading these critical SRTS efforts!

Los Angeles Rolls Out Plan for Safer Crosswalks
LA Walks Founder Deborah Murphy taking a stroll on new crosswalk with Mayor Villaraigosa
Photo Credit: Jose Ubaldo/Metro
Last month, the City of Los Angeles unveiled not just a new and improved continental crosswalks at the corner of 5th and Spring in downtown, but a plan for rolling out similar improvements at 53 additional intersections around LA. The targeted intersections fall in the top 50 dangerous intersections and 84% will be within 1/4 mile of a school, transit stop, or both. 
 
LA Walks founder Deborah Murphy spoke at the press conference about how the crosswalks will make Angelenos who walk feel much safer. Read more of LA Walks' recap hereTo see more photos from the press conference, visit Los Angeles Walks' Flickr Album.
 Walk Long Beach Hosts Wrigley Neighborhood Walk
On Saturday, January 12 at 8:30 am, Walk Long Beach, in partnership with City Fabrick and the YMCA of Greater Long Beach, will be hosting a walk event on a potential walking loop through the Wrigley neighborhood. City Councilmember James Johnson will be joining the event, and participants will discuss and document street design conditions that promote or discourage walking in the neighborhood. Check out the Facebook event for full details.
WalkSanDiego Launches WSDblog
Last fall, WalkSanDiego launched its new WSDblog--aimed at broadening the dialogue around walkability to reach neighborhood livability and highlighting new and innovative approaches, strategies, and the latest research to promote walkability and livability. Check out their latest blogpost here
New Resources
In collaboration and cooridnation with our statewide partners, California WALKS has been actively engaged in MAP-21 implementation efforts. We've collected all policy recommendations and sign-on letters to-date that Cal WALKS and its partners have sent to legislative staff and Caltrans officials in one central repository for your convenience: californiawalks.org/map-21

Despite a 6 decade low in motor vehicle collisions nationwide, traffic deaths are up in California according to the latest NHTSA data release. We'll have to wait for the pedestrian-specific figures, but if the 2010 figures are any indication, we can likely expect an increase in pedestrian deaths relative to overall traffic deaths as well.

Walking & Biking in California: An Analysis of the California Add-On-National Household Travel Survey, August 2012

This Caltrans commissioned report analyzes exposure rates, trends, and characteristics of Californians who walk and bike. Data is drawn from the California Add-On to the 2009 National Household Travel Survey. 

 

Free Safety Programs for California Communities | UC Berkeley ITS Technology Transfer Program

The UC Berkeley ITS Tech Transfer offers free Traffic Safety Evaluations and Pedestrian Safety Assessments for any interested City or County agency. Tech Transfer is now accepting applications for the Fall 2012 and Winter 2013 cycle--this is a very popular program and there is generally a waiting list. We recommend interested parties to apply ASAP. Applications will be evaluated according to the California Office of Traffic Safety's safety priorities.

 

Upcoming Events
Tuesday, January 8, 2013 | 9:00-10:00AM |Hosted by Vibrant Streets
Attendees will learn about the proper width of sidewalks, the impact of outdoor cafes, and the right number and correct spacing of trees and streetlights along a retail street. Presenters will cover how to track pedestrian and bicycle activity in a retail district, how to work with restaurants and cafes in obtaining sidewalk cafe permits, and when to consider installing radar speed signage on a busy street. Register Here
 
Tuesday, January 8, 2013 | 11:00AM-12:00PM | Hosted by APBP & the Alliance for Biking & Walking

Join APBP and the Alliance for Biking & Walking at a federal policy webinar with Caron Whitaker, Vice President of Government Relations for the League of American Bicyclists. Whitaker discusses how the fiscal cliff, changes in Congress, and other key issues affect transportation funding. The session will also provide resources for the implementation of MAP-21, the current U.S. transportation law. 

 

This webinar is intended only for members of the Alliance for Biking & Walking and the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals. Register Here 

 

Thursday, January 10, 2013 | 11:00AM-12:00PM |Hosted by the Safe Routes to School National Partnership
Metropolitan planning organizations provide many opportunities to support Safe Routes to School and active transportation by advocating for healthy regional transportation plans, changing funding criteria, creating grant programs and more. In part two in this series, learn how advocates and MPOs have been innovating to build Safe Routes to School into their regional game plan. Register Here
 
Wednesday, January 16, 2013 | 12:00-1:00 PM | Cost: $50 for APBP members

Case studies complement a survey of how cities invite more pedestrian traffic by making it easier to navigate - as a tourist, visitor, new resident, new walker or person with disabilities. From signs to sense of place, learn what tools and best practices can make walking the best mode choice. Register Here


Tuesday, January 22, 2013 | 10:00-11:00 AM | Hosted by America Walks & National Center for Safe Routes to School
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 e-mailing [email protected].   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

Tuesday, January 29, 2013 | 11:00AM-12:00PM | 

Hosted by Advocacy Advance

Maximizing bicycling and walking investments requires a great understanding of the many ways in which bicycling and walking investments are funded. Join this webinar to learn about Advocacy Advance tools that can illuminate sources of funding outside of Transportation Alternatives and about what is being done to track bicycle funding. Register Here


Wednesday, January 30, 2013|11:00AM-12:00PM|Hosted by America Walks & the Alliance for Biking & Walking

[Conference] 12th Annual New Partners for Smart Growth Conference

February 7-9, 2013 | Kansas City, MO

The multi-disciplinary program includes over 90 plenaries, breakouts, workshops and trainings, and will feature cutting-edge policies and programs, projects, best practices, as well as strategies and implementation tools that address the challenges of implementing smart growth development principles. Register Here

 

[Conference] 10th Annual Active Living Research Conference

February 26-28, 2013 | San Diego, CA

The theme of the 2013 conference, Achieving Change Across Sectors: Integrating Research, Policy and Practice, recognizes the importance of engaging people from multiple disciplines and occupations to increase physical activity for everyone and reverse the obesity epidemic.For the first time, the conference agenda will be organized into two tracks - research and practice.  The goal of developing two tracks is to encourage a broader audience to attend the conference and provide more opportunities for exchange on how to use evidence to increase physical activity in many different settings. Register Here

 

Have an item you want to share with the Network? Send an e-mail to Tony Dang, State Network Coordinator.
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