Date: August 22, 2019
Time: 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Location: Norris Conference Centers | 2525 W Anderson Ln #365, Austin, TX 78757
The Texas Statewide Pedestrian Safety Coalition, the Texas Department of Transportation, and the Texas A&M Transportation Institute will hold the second annual Texas Statewide Pedestrian Safety Forum on August 22 in Austin. The Forum will focus on pedestrian safety initiatives and developing strong working relationships between pedestrian safety advocates.
Agenda
| 8:00 – 8:30 | REGISTRATION OPEN |
| 8:30 – 9:00 | OPENING REMARKS
|
| 9:00 – 9:15 | BREAK/NETWORKING |
| 9:15 – 10:30 | BREAKOUT SESSION #1 CONCURRENT SESSIONS
SESSION #1: TRANSPORTATION EQUITY AND PEDESTRIAN SAFETY IMPLICATIONS Transportation equity is a complex topic and has significant impacts on pedestrian safety. Presenters at this session will discuss how transportation equity impacts pedestrians and their ability to safely navigate the transportation system.
SESSION #2: BALANCING TRADEOFFS WHEN IMPLEMENTING SAFE PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES Safe pedestrian facilities are one of the most important aspects of improving pedestrian safety in our transportation system. Often, implementing improved pedestrian facilities requires transportation agencies to make tradeoffs. This session will present a range of perspectives on the important considerations that must be made when considering these tradeoffs, including communication with the public, design considerations and negotiating outcomes.
SESSION #3: CONTEXT SENSITIVE PEDESTRIAN SAFETY COUNTERMEASURES AND DESIGN There are various approaches to street design as well as countermeasures that improve pedestrian safety—but what are the right approaches for your community? Presenters at this session will discuss context sensitive solutions to pedestrian safety design and countermeasures from a range of community sizes and types.
|
| 10:30 – 10:45 | BREAK/NETWORKING |
| 10:45 – 11:30 | KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Ivan Cheung, Ph.D., National Transportation Safety Board
Ivan Cheung is a transportation research analyst at the National Transportation Safety Board. He has conducted highway safety research studies on aging drivers, speed, and the use of red light cameras. He also has extensive experience in using geographic information systems, remote sensing technology and spatial analysis as applied to public health, environmental, and climate studies. Before joining NTSB, he was a research scientist at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. |
| 11:30 – 12:00 | KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Texas State Representative Celia Israel
Elected in January 2014, Celia Israel represents House District 50 in the Texas Legislature. She serves on the House Committee on Homeland Security & Public Safety and the House Committee on Elections, focusing on public safety and making voting easier for all Texans. Rep. Israel serves as Vice Chair of the Texas House Democratic Caucus, overseeing the Steering and Policy Committee. She is a member of the Legislative Study Group, the Women’s Health Caucus, the Mexican American Legislative Caucus, and is a founding member of the Texas House LGBTQ Caucus. Raised in El Paso, Texas, Rep. Israel moved to the Austin area in 1982 to attend the University of Texas at Austin. After graduating with a degree in Government, she served in Governor Ann Richards’ administration, tasked with recruiting the best and brightest to public service. Rep. Israel has served on numerous boards and committees focused on multimodal transportation, food scarcity, and empowering the next generation of female leaders. During her first term in the legislature, she was named Freshman of the Year by the Legislative Study Group, a Champion of Equality by Equality Texas, and a Progressive Champion by Progress Texas. In 2018, Rep. Israel was inducted into the Austin Women’s Hall of Fame. |
| 12:00 – 1:00 | LUNCH AND NETWORKING |
| 1:00 – 2:15 | BREAKOUT SESSION #2 CONCURRENT SESSIONS
SESSION #1: TRANSPORTATION POLICY AND PEDESTRIAN SAFETY IN TEXAS Transportation policy has a significant impact on pedestrian safety in the State of Texas. This session will feature safety advocates and policy professionals who can speak to the impacts and barriers to developing policy that improves pedestrian safety.
SESSION #2: PLANNING FOR PEDESTRIAN SAFETY Pedestrian safety plans are crucial components for improving pedestrian safety in Texas’ communities. Cities, regional planning organizations and TxDOT are actively engaged in developing plans and plan components that will enhance the safety of pedestrians in our transportation systems. This session will explore what Texas transportation agencies have learned during these processes, and what pedestrian safety work is on the horizon.
SESSION #3: HOW CITIES AND AGENCIES ARE USING DATA TO IMPROVE PEDESTRIAN SAFETY Cities and agencies across the state are utilizing data in innovative ways to improve pedestrian safety. This session will highlight case studies of how this data is being used to improve decision making regarding pedestrian safety.
|
| 2:15 – 2:30 | BREAK/NETWORKING |
| 2:30 – 3:45 | BREAKOUT SESSION #3 CONCURRENT SESSIONS
SESSION #1: IMPLICATIONS OF ZERO-DEATH INITIATIVES ON PEDESTRIAN SAFETY Four cities within the State of Texas (Houston, San Antonio, Austin, and Laredo) as well as the Texas Department of Transportation have adopted zero-death initiatives to guide transportation safety into the future. This session will provide an overview of how zero-death initiatives intend to shift the culture around transportation safety and presenters will discuss how they impact pedestrian safety.
SESSION #2: PERCEPTIONS AND REALITY: BRIDGING THE COMMUNICATION GAP AROUND PEDESTRIAN SAFETY This session will focus on how the pedestrian safety community communicates about key issues related to transportation safety. Presenters will discuss communication gaps that exist in pedestrian safety and lead a structured discussion about how the pedestrian safety community can create common understanding among transportation professionals and advocates
SESSION #3: PEDESTRIAN SAFETY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT Enforcing the laws that protect vulnerable roadway users is a crucial aspect of pedestrian safety. This session will provide a preview of law enforcement training on pedestrian safety laws in the State of Texas that researchers at TTI are conducting. Presenters will share their experiences and perspectives from the trainings that they have held and elicit input from transportation professionals on the enforcement of pedestrian safety laws.
|
| 3:45 – 4:00 | CLOSING REMARKS
|
| 4:00 | ADJOURN |