On May 7 at 1:00 p.m. CT, the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC), in partnership with the League of American Bicyclists (LAB), will host "The Bottom Line: How bicycle and pedestrian projects offer economic benefits to communities."  The free webinar, part of PBIC’s Livable Communities Webinar Series, will focus on the economic impact of new or expanded bicycle and pedestrian facilities.

Presenters from LAB, the Adventure Cycling Association, Iowa Bicycle Coalition, and New York City’s Transportation Alternatives will discuss the latest research on the dollar value that bicycle and pedestrian projects bring to a community, as well as examples of successful pedestrian and bicycle projects from urban and rural areas and at the statewide scale.

The webinar does require advance registration.

The second annual Illinois Bike Summit will take place in Normal, Illinois, on May 15 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Marriott Hotel’s Carol Reitan Conference Center.  The Summit will include opening remarks by the Mayor of Normal, an address on the future of bicycling in Illinois by Andre Ashmore, Deputy Director at Illinois Department of Transportation, and a keynote speech, “Bikes Mean Business,” by Steve Buchtel, Executive Director of Trails for Illinois.

The full agenda and registration form is available on-line.

The U.S. Department of Transportation John A. Volpe Transportation Systems Center will present “Measuring Walkability: The Health Question” on May 7, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. CT.  Led by Ann Forsyth, professor of urban planning and director of the Masters in Urban Planning program at Harvard University, the webinar will address the questions:

• Does the design of a neighborhood affect the level of a person's physical activity?
• Do people who live in more compact areas get more physical activity than those who live in sprawling neighborhoods?

The event is free but advance registration is required.

The Association for Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP) has announced their monthly webinar series for 2013.  Generally, a webinar site license costs $85 ($50 for APBP members).   Member discounts for five or more webinars are available.   For more information and to register, visit the APBP website.

• January 16 - Best Practices in Pedestrian Wayfinding
• February 20 - Driving Deaths Down: Proven Countermeasures that Work
• March 20 - Dynamics of Effective Advisory Committees
• April 17 - Economic Benefits of Walkable and Bike Friendly Communities
• May 15 - Bike Signals
• June19 - What's in There for Me: Mining National Data for Information on Walking and Bicycling
• July 17 - From Paint to Preform: Getting the Most from Pavement Markings
• August 21 - Getting Better Data for Better Decisions: Improving Performance Measures and Outcomes
• September 18 - Integrating Spatial Data to Develop Community Priorities
• October 16 - Using Photo-enforcement to Improve Pedestrian Safety
• November 20 - Is There Safety in Numbers for Cyclists and Pedestrians?
• December 18 - Integrating Equity into Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning

As part of Chicago Architecture Foundation’s weekly LunchTalks@CAF, Janet Attarian, project director at the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT), will speak on “Urban Interventions for Placemaking: Making Walkable Streets for Healthy Neighborhoods.”

Make Way for People is a new program launched by CDOT, which promotes temporary or easily-removable strategies for quickly and inexpensively creating new public space in the public right of way. The program consists of four initiatives: People Spots, People Streets, People Plazas, and People Alleys.  Ms. Attarian will discuss how the program was developed, review the projects implemented thus far, and describe how CDOT is evaluating these initiatives and setting guidelines for further expansion.

Several webinars on topics related to non-motorized transportation planning, design, and construction will take place over the next few weeks.

Title: AASHTO Bike Guide: Maintenance and Operations
Date: November 6, 2012, 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. CT
Presenters: Tom Huber & Peter Lagerwey (Toole Design Group)
Host: Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center & Toole Design Group
Cost: Fre
Details & registration

Title: Innovative Intersection Design
Date: November 13, 2012, 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CT
Presenters: Keith Strickland (HNTB Corporation), Bastian J. Schroeder (ITRE), Jonathan D. Reid (Parson Brinckerhoff), & William M. Ruhsam, Jr. (Moreland Altobelli Associates, Inc.)
Host: Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE)
Cost: $2
Details & registration

Title: Prescription Trails: How public health professionals are supporting trails and walking programs
Date: November 13, 2012, 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. CT
Presenters: Attila Bality (NPS RTC program), Linda Macdonald, MD (physician), Russell Hirschler (Upper Valley Trails Alliance), Judy Corwin (Corvallis Clinic)
Host: Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC)
Cost: Fre
Details & Registration

Title: Maps that Guide, Encourage, and Inform
Date: November 14, 2012, 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. CT
Presenters: TBA
Host: Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP)
Cost: $50 APBP members / $75 non-APBP members
Contact: Debra Goeks at info@apbp.org
Details & Registration

Title: Road Diets and Pedestrian Safety
Date: November 20, 2012, 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. CT
Presenters: Libby Thomas (UNC Highway Safety Research Center), Mike Sallaberry (San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency), Gina Coffman (Toole Design Group)
Host: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC)
Cost: Fre
Details & Registration

Title: Wayfinding Options for Cyclists
Date: December 19, 2012, 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. CT
Presenters: TBA
Host: Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP)
Cost: $50 APBP members / $75 non-APBP members
Contact: Debra Goeks at info@apbp.org
Details & Registration

The 4th Urban Street Symposium and 2012 Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Midwestern District Meeting will take place June 24-27 in Chicago at the Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza (350 West Mart Center, Chicago). The symposium is intended to explore improvements in urban and suburban street design practices, encourage discussion on emerging street designs, and to facilitate the transfer of research findings on urban street design and design processes to state agencies and local governments.   The conference is sponsored by the ITE and TRB.

The National Center for Safe Routes to School has released two new bicycling safety resources.

• “Helping Your Child Be a Safe Bicyclist” is a brochure for parents that covers bike safety basics, including proper helmet fit.
• “Ride Your Bike Safely” is a brochure with safety tips for elementary school students.

Both of these brochures, as well as links to additional bike safety resources, are available at www.walkbiketoschool.org/keep-going/bike-safety.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has a new child transportation safety campaign called Think Safe, Ride Safe, Be Safe!   The campaign is a collaboration between NHTSA and Ludorum, the producers of the Chuggington™ television series, which provides tools to help children walk, bicycle, ride school buses, and travel in motor vehicles more safely. The campaign includes child safety tools such as a Traffic Safety Pledge, Activity Book, banner ads and safety tips.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC) will host a free webinar on raised median islands and pedestrian safety on May 30 from noon to 1:30 p.m. CT.  The webinar will discuss design considerations for raised median islands, address barriers to implementing these countermeasures, and present case studies of agencies that have been using these treatments to improve pedestrian safety.  Presentations will be by Charlie Zegeer (UNC Highway Safety Research Center), Sheila Lyons (Oregon DOT), Gary Sokolow (Florida DOT), and Jack Ecklund (City of University Place).  Advance registration is required and for more information, visit the PBIC website.

With funding from the Martin County, Florida Community Redevelopment Agency, Dan Burden’s Walkable and Livable Communities Institute has created three short educational videos to help the general public understand the basics of walkability, road diets, and head-out angled parking. 

This webinar is designed to teach the “ins and outs” of fundraising for Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs.

Participants will be given tips and tricks on where to find funding for SRTS projects and programs and how to go about obtaining it.  Scott Bricker, executive director of America Walks, will provide an overview of the issues surrounding fundraising and advice on how to develop appropriate goals and objectives.  Ian Thomas, Executive Director of the PedNet Coalition, will go into an in-depth discussion of what type of budget your program may need, potential sources of funds, and tips for successfully raising money from those sources. Finally, Kathy Smith, a program officer from the Partners for Health Foundation, will provide a Foundation's perspective on grant applicants and provide tips on how you can "look" ready for funding.

The webinar takes place tomorrow, April 24, 2012, at 12:00 p.m. CT.  The webinar is free but requires advance registration.

On Wednesday, April 11, 2012, at noon, CMAP will host Jeffrey Tumlin, Principal and Sustainability Practice Leader of Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, for a Soles and Spokes brownbag discussion on sustainable transportation planning and the role that parking can play. Mr. Tumlin is the author of Sustainable Transportation Planning: Tools for Creating Vibrant, Healthy, and Resilient Communities.  Mr. Tumlin’s full resume is here.  The brownbag will be held at noon in CMAP’s offices, 233 S Wacker Dr., Suite 800, Chicago.  For information on registration, visit http://www.cmap.illinois.gov/bike-ped.

As part of their Women Cycling Project, the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP) and the Alliance for Biking & Walking are offering a free webinar on programs and approaches that engage, empower, and encourage women to bicycle, with insights and case studies from around the country.  The webinar will also include a brief update on these topics:

• Outcomes of the National Women Cycling Forum
• Plans for the interactive Women Cycling website
• Update on transportation legislation in Congress

 The webinar takes place tomorrow, Wednesday, March 28, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. CT.  The webinar is free but requires advance registration.

The Chicago Metro Chapter of the American Public Works Association (APWA), in conjunction with the Illinois Technology Transfer Center (T2), the Office of the Illinois Attorney General, and FHWA will be offering a one-day seminar on proposed Public Rights-of-Way Guidelines (PROWAG). Participants will learn about the new ADA guidelines for work within the public right-of-way. Participants will also receive a copy of the current Proposed Final Rule, Special Report on Accessible Public Right-of-way, and student handbook that will help you plan and design current and future projects.

This seminar includes presentations by the Office of the Illinois Attorney General, Federal Highway Administration – IL Division, and Illinois Department of Transportation that will provide a history of the American’s with Disability Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) that impact highway agencies and provide an overview of proposed Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines (PROWAG).

The registration fee is $75 for APWA members, $90 for non-members, and includes hand-outs, breakfast snacks and coffee, and a certificate of attendance with 6.0 PDH's. $10 of the registration fee will be applied towards the 2013 Congress fund.  The seminar takes place March 21, 2012 at IDOT District 1 offices in Schaumburg.

Lunch is not included. Students can bring a brown bag lunch or eat at local establishments.

The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC), in conjunction with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), is offering a free webinar on pedestrian safety and accessibility considerations at modern roundabouts.  Modern roundabouts are an FHWA proven safety countermeasure and have been documented to reduce vehicle injury and fatal crashes when compared to signalized intersections.  However, the safety of roundabouts for pedestrians is less clear, and significant concerns about the accessibility and safety of roundabouts for pedestrians who are blind have often been raised.

This webinar will take place tomorrow, Wednesday, March 7, from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. CT.  Register at https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/941771786.

The Association of Bicycle and Pedestrian Professionals (APBP) will host a webinar, “Emerging Technologies for Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning,” today, February 15, 2012, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. CT.

Together, land use patterns and transportation policies determine whether walking and bicycling are practical and enjoyable.  This webinar will help participants understand how land use policy and regulations are the basis for pedestrian and bicycle friendly communities, and what to look for in plan review. Through an overview and examples of policy and regulations, and the experience of one small Wisconsin city (Fitchburg, pop. 20,000), participants will find out how innovative zoning codes and policies can help promote active transportation.

The cost is $50 per site for APBP members and $75 per site for non-APBP members.  Register online.  For more information, contact Debra Goeks (262-228-7025 or deb@apbp.org).

As part of the “Safe Routes to School Coaching Action Network Webinar Series,” developed by America Walks and the National Center for Safe Routes to School (NCSRTS), a webinar entitled “Pump Down the Volume: SRTS and Traffic Reduction” will be presented on January 31, 2012, from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. CT.  The webinar will look at the problem of traffic congestion as it relates to SRTS.  It will also focus on two SRTS programs that have had success in reducing congestion and measuring traffic reductions.  The first program, developed by an elementary school in Longmont, CO, surveyed families in order to understand travel patterns to school.  After learning that 75 percent of students arrived by car, the program focused on increasing walking and bicycling rates through education and encouragement. After just one year, the school saw a 40 percent reduction in motor vehicle traffic.  The second program, from Pinehurst, NC, focused on encouraging the school's 650 students to become engaged as leaders in the effort to get more students walking to school. The Student Council presented neighborhood walkability recommendations to the Mayor and Village Council, resulting in a $150,000 allocation for a greenway to connect the elementary school to other areas of the Village.  Their efforts resulted in a 22 percent reduction in traffic volume on walking school bus days.

The webinar is free but requires advance registration.  For more information please contact Michelle Gulley at mgulley@americawalks.org.

The Association of Bicycle and Pedestrian Professionals (APBP) will host a webinar, “Emerging Technologies for Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning,” on January 18, 2012, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. CT.

The cost is $50 per site for APBP members and $75 per site for non-APBP members.  Register online.  For more information, contact Debra Goeks (262-228-7025 or deb@apbp.org).

On Tuesday, October 11, America Walks and the National Center for Safe Routes to School (NCSRTS) present the webinar, “Location, Location, Location: New Guidance for Locating Schools in a Healthy, Sustainable Way.”

The webinar will consist of a panel discussion of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidelines for locating school facilities and the model school siting policies for school districts developed by Public Health Law & Policy.  Panelists will also discuss how to use the Active School Neighborhood Checklist developed by the Arizona Department of Transportation and the policy recommendations in “Helping Johnny Walk to School,” developed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.  

The webinar will take place Tuesday, October 11, 2011 from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. CT.  The webinar is free but requires advance registration.

On Wednesday, October 12, the National Center on Senior Transportation and Easter Seals Project ACTION present the webinar, “Promising Practices and Solutions in Accessible Transportation: Public Involvement in the Transportation Planning Process," from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. CT.

The webinar will address the importance of public involvement in the transportation planning process and is designed for transportation planners and advocates, as well as aging, educational, and human service agency staff and administrators.

The webinar is free, but space is limited, and requires advance registration by October 7.