BikeWalk NC envisions a state where anyone can choose to bicycle, roll, run, and walk as practical, healthy, safe and active transportation

ORANGE SLICES

By Laurie Paolicelli

Crossswalk with activity

More than 200 visitors will attend the 13^th NC BikeWalk Transportation Summit in Chapel Hill from September 22-24, 2024.

The Summit is a multi-day conference focusing exclusively on the safety, health, community design, and equity dimensions of active mobility. This year marks the first time Chapel Hill has hosted the Summit. The event features both nationally recognized and regional presenters and offers interactive, “hands on” tools and experiences that attendees can take back to their own communities. The BikeWalk Transportation Summit is a valuable educational and networking resource for anyone who cares about creating safer streets and healthier, more equitable communities for all road users.

Several national speakers will take the stage. Ryan Sharp has served as the Director of Transportation and Parking for the City of Hoboken since 2017, spearheading safe, equitable, and efficient operation of Hoboken’s surface transportation systems. He oversees Hoboken’s award-winning Complete Streets and Vision Zero Programs, which have received national acclaim after seven consecutive years without a traffic death. Ryan is also responsible for Hoboken’s shared mobility programs and green transportation initiatives, such as bike share, car share, local public transit, and the buildout of New Jersey’s largest public on-street EV charging network.

Anna Zivarts, low-vision cyclist.

Also speaking is Anna Zivarts, a low-vision parent, nondriver and author of When Driving Is Not an Option: Steering Away from Car Dependency (Island Press, 2024). Zivarts created the #WeekWithoutDriving challenge and is passionate about bringing the voices of nondrivers to the planning and policy-making tables.

Carrboro resident Heidi Perov reminds that the conference includes a lot of walking and transit conversation. “We are not just about bicycling, rather this is a multi modal discussion.”

Heidi Perov is a Carrboro resident, BikeWalk NC Board member, and longtime advocate on planning for a future that relies less on automobiles and more on multi-modal transportation. She writes: “Sunday, Sept 22, we will have an afternoon bike ride from 2-4 pm with one of our keynote speakers, John Bauters. This will be a 10 to 12 mile ride/bike audit, and will begin and end at the Friday Center.” The ride is open to the public, whether they are attending the Summit on Monday or not.

John Bauters.

Since he was selected mayor in 2021, John Bauters has gained an international reputation for his work to transform transportation and housing in the tiny city of Emeryville, which is wedged between Oakland and Berkeley on the shores of San Francisco Bay. Emeryville, population 13,000, is only one square mile in area. But it’s home to some big employers, including Pixar, and several big box stores. It also has I-80 blasting through it, and is a major hub for Amtrak, regional rail, and freight rail. It’s a challenging environment in which to create a green city with a great active transportation network..

This is not an issue confined to the transportation community: The Nation, a progressive American monthly magazine covering political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis, focuses on it as well. From its pages: “Young voters also want to live in walkable cities. With Generation Z facing higher housing costs, student loans, and increasing wealth inequality, providing affordable transportation to access their community and resources is crucial.

“Young people are threading the needle between how auto-centricity, promoted by policies and actions of previous generations, exacerbates climate change, the housing crisis, racial and economic disparities, and a feeling that cities center cars over people. Young people recognize that auto-centricity doesn’t benefit them.”

Jaysen Wilson, Owner of The Flying Pierogi. Photo by Jake Hogan at The Daily Tar Heel.

The bulk of the Summit is on Monday, September 23^rd. In addition to a stellar program, there will be an opportunity to try out e-bikes, courtesy of E-Bike Central during the day. There will also be a social gathering after the Summit on Monday at The Flying Pierogi, with Transportation Trivia included. The Flying Pierogi Delicatessen recently opened a storefront in the South Green shopping center in Carrboro, filling the former Coronato’s Pizza location.

Tuesday offers two workshops, a Traffic Bicycling class and a walk audit. 

Here is a link to the summit info, where you can click on the draft agenda and register.

The summit offers valuable information for transportation planners, elected officials, students of City Planning and Public Health programs, road engineers, planning consultants, nonprofit advocates, health promotion personnel, bike/ped professionals, nonprofit trail groups, and others who are interested in safer roads and transportation options. And, it offers a “choose your price” registration, making it accessible to all.

The Summit’s primary venue will be the Friday Conference Center at UNC, with several offsite educational and social opportunities. 

You can also check in at the BikeWalk NC’s 2024 Summit webpage for periodic updates.

We look forward to seeing you, no matter how you get there.

Laurie Paolicelli is executive director for the Chapel Hill/Orange County Visitors Bureau, a position she has held since 2005. Laurie has worked in tourism and marketing for twenty-five years, having served in leadership roles in Houston and California convention and visitor bureaus. She is a native of the Twin Ports of Duluth, MN/Superior Wisconsin. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Communications from the University Wisconsin-Superior and graduate certification in Technology In Marketing from the UNC-Chapel Hill’s Hussman School of Journalism and Media.
This reporter can be reached at Info@TheLocalReporter.press