From Ideas to Implementation: A Collaborative Conversation on Effective Safety Advisory Groups

Presenters: 

• Barb Chamberlain, WSDOT
• Alex Alston, Washington Bikes and Cascade Bicycle Club
• Anna Zivarts, Disability Rights Washington
• Charlotte Claybrooke, WSDOT Active Transportation Division
• Tanisha Sepúlveda, Cooper Jones Active Transportation Safety Council

In the last few years, the Washington state legislature has enacted many improvements in active transportation safety statutes, dramatically expanded funding for grant programs and capacity-building with an equity emphasis, and supported increasing staffing for WSDOT's Active Transportation Division. The Cooper Jones Active Transportation Safety Council's work in studying key issues and recommending changes can be credited with many of these outcomes, along with effective organizing, activation, and legislative relations work by a number of nonprofits. If you're having a "won't work here" reaction, this session is for you. We'll talk about what moves something from an idea to an implemented program. Engage with your peers and share your own experiences and ideas for broadening the definition of safety and building capacity to support meaningful, positive change, with emphasis on those whose perspectives have been excluded from transportation policymaking in the past. Gain insights from WSDOT staff, effective advocates, and other attendees about their work on the ground, including what didn't work well, and you'll share and take away ideas for your state, regional, or local safety work.