The United States Access Board is developing new guidelines for public rights-of-way (PROWAG) that will address various issues, including access for blind pedestrians at street crossings, wheelchair access to on-street parking, and various constraints posed by space limitations, roadway design practices, slope, and terrain.

As part of the Access Board’s monthly series AccessibilityOnline, the webinar “Accessible Sidewalks and Street Crossings” will be held on Thursday, June 3 from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. CDT.

This webinar will present and describe the most recent draft of PROWAG and provide an update on the status of this rulemaking. Presenters include Lois Thibault and Scott J. Windley.  The following professional development certificates will be available:

• Certificate of Attendance (Free)
• American Institute of Architects Continuing Education System  ($25.00) : 1.5 Credits
• Landscape Architecture Continuing Education System  ($25.00) : 1.5 Credits

To register for this free webinar, visit www.accessibilityonline.org.

Upcoming webinar: Pedestrian safety from around the world

In this presentation -- one in the series of webinars offered by the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC) -- Charlie Zegeer will discuss pedestrian safety from an international perspective.  From China to Dubai to New York City to India, Mr. Zegeer will lead us on a quick tour of pedestrian safety design and treatments from around the globe.

Beginning with pedestrian safety statistics at the global and regional level, the presentation will uncover relationships between design, engineering treatments, and pedestrian safety and establish the basic principles that guide and inform these relationships.  Charlie will also present a selection of results from the International Scan on Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety and Mobility, which examined pedestrian safety treatments at a number of locations throughout the world.  He will also describe a case study from Miami-Dade County, Florida, regarding safety benefits that can potentially result from a comprehensive pedestrian safety program.

The webinar is free and takes place Wednesday, June 30, 2010 from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. CDT.  Registration is available online.

Learn about the evolving best practices in the creation of bicycle boulevards.  This Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP) webinar will draw from lessons learned in Portland, OR, and other cities across the nation.  Presenters Mia Birk of Alta Planning+Design and Greg Raisman of Portland Bureau of Transportation will describe the current state of the practice and the “next big thing” -- neighborhood greenways -- which incorporate the idea of bicycle boulevards with green streets, neighborhood enhancements, and community building.  This broader concept of sustainable, bike-friendly streets appeals to diverse groups and can help communities obtain funding.

The webinar is designed to help practitioners fully optimize existing bicycle boulevards. Attendees will learn about:

• route selection
• levels of intervention
• examples of challenges and solutions for a range of design issues
• neighborhood greenway strategies, and
• processes for getting project buy-in and approval

The webinar takes place Wednesday, July 21 from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. CDT.  Cost is $50 per site for APBP members, $75 per site for non-APBP members.  Online registration is available.  For more information, contact Debra Goeks at 262-228-7025 or deb@apbp.org.

Part 1 of the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center’s (PBIC) Pedestrian Safety Webinar Series take place on July  20, 2010, from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. CDT.  The title of the webinar is “Introduction to Pedestrian Safety Design and Planning Principles.”

The webinar will provide an overview of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)/PBIC course, "Designing for Pedestrian Safety" and will also provide participants with a background in planning and pedestrian safety issues. Nationwide statistics on pedestrian safety and crash trends in the U.S. will be presented to give participants an understanding of the scope of the problem.

The presentation also covers key questions regarding pedestrian planning principles and related accommodations, and builds the case for including pedestrians in all Transportation and design decisions. Participants will then be presented with an overview of planning elements that affect pedestrian safety, including land use, connectivity, access management, site design, and level of service.

The instructors will be Michael Ronkin of Designing Streets for People, LLC, and Craig Allred, FHWA resource center technical specialist.  Online registration is available.

Easter Seals Project ACTION, in partnership with the Transportation Research Board (TRB), is offering a free online conference entitled “Promising Practices and Solutions in Accessible Transportation.”

The conference will take place from August 2 to August 5, 2010, with one session on each of the four consecutive days.  Sessions begin at 1:00 p.m. CDT and last approximately an hour and a half.  The deadline to RSVP is July 28.  The four sessions are as follows:

Session 1: Monday, August 2, 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. CDT
Accessible Taxis Getting the Cabs into Service on the Street

Session 2: Tuesday, August 3, 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. CDT
Technology in Transit: Innovation and Evaluation

Session 3: Wednesday, August 4, 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. CDT
Public Right-of-Way Accessibility Guidelines for Roundabouts and Intersections

Session 4: Thursday, August 5, 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. CDT
The Role of Transit-Oriented Development: Livable and Sustainable Communities

Presenters will include representatives from metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), transit agencies, academics, and advocates.  For more information, visit the Easter Seals website.  Register online.

The second webinar in the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC) series, Designing for Pedestrian Safety, will take place on Tuesday, August 3 at 1:00 p.m. CDT.  The webinar, “Sidewalk Design,” will cover pedestrian safety and design issues related to sidewalks and walkways, ADA requirements, and treatments to reduce pedestrian crashes, improve pedestrian mobility, and increase pedestrian activity.  The webinar is free.  More information and registration is available at the PBIC website.

The Association of Bicycle and Pedestrian Professionals (APBP) will host a webinar on “road diets” on August 18, 2010 from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. CDT.  A road diet narrows or eliminates travel lanes on a roadway in order to make more room for pedestrians and bicyclists, manage speed, and/or improve overall traffic flow.  Increasingly, cities and Transportation agencies around the country are implementing road diets to improve road conditions for all users and to enhance the opportunity for social and economic exchange in urban commercial and mixed use areas.  Presenters include Chicago’s own Mark de la Vergne, of Sam Schwartz Engineering.

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).