California Walks

Programs: Community engagement & educationcalifornia walks partnered with the alliance for a healthy orange county to host and facilitate the active transportation leadership program (atlp)in the cities of anaheim and garden grove to increase participants' understanding of local, regional and statewide active transportation policies. A total of 50 individual garden grove residents and 53 anaheim residents attended at least one of the six atlp workshops, while 241 people total attended the six workshops. All of the anaheim participants were high school youth between the ages of 16 and 17. Participants were able to communicate their active transportation concerns and needs directly to city agency staff and the anaheim city council. Since the anaheim atlp ended, the anaheim public works dept. Worked with the anaheim police dept. And public utilities dept. To address participants concerns, including: restriping and signage of a high-visibility crosswalk at the sycamore/citron intersection; installing speed humps along sycamore; and installing new stop signs, high-visibility crosswalk markings, curb ramps, and pedestrian warning signage at citron/cypress. Through our joint community pedestrian and bicycle safety training (cpbst) project with uc berkeley safe transportation research and education center (safetrec), california walks completed trainings in 10 communities across the state and trained 239 participants on the best practices for pedestrian and bicycle safety strategies and how to conduct walkability and bikeability assessments in their communities. California walks also conducted extensive outreach to potential communities that could benefit from the cpbst program and is in the process of delivering ten additional workshops through the end of october 2017. California walks co-facilitated nine walk and bike audits in december 2016 to assit the kern council of governments (kerncog) in the development of its regional active transportation plan. California walks staff traveled to bakersfield, arvin, lamont, delano, ridgecrest, mojave, oildale, shafter, and taft to help residents identify and elevate their pedestrian and bicycle safety concerns and priorities for inclusion in the plan. In san jose, california walks worked with city department of transportation staff to conduct fourteen walk/bike safety assessments on the city's safety priority streets, conduct a survey of residents in english, vietnamese, and spanish on traffic safety concerns and priorities (reaching over 200 residents), and draft two-year action plan for the city's vision zero traffic safety initiative. California walks also partnered with the california dept. Of public health to provide technical assistance and facilitation services to the solano county dept. Of public health and the san joaquin dept. Of public health, delivering the first annual making safe strides symposium for san joaquin county in september 2016 and a community training for the community of vallejo in january 2017.

policy advocacycalifornia walks participated regularly and provided verbal and written feedback in state agency meetings related to transportation, pedestrian, and bicycle safety related issues, including:california active transportation program (atp)- technical advisory committee (ca dept. Of transportation): provided feedback on potential revisions to the atp's guidelines and application. California state bicycle and pedestrian plan - technical advisory committee (ca dept. Of transportation): provided feedback on the draft plan and helped to strengthen the plan's focus on social equity.

youth leadership developmentas part of california walks ongoing youth leadership development work in kern county, staff supported two youth to attend and facilitate a presentation at the american public health assoc annual meeting in denver, co in november 2016. California walks staff also supported south kern youth leaders' successful campaign to secure $5. 6 million in funding from the state active transportation program to install sidewalks and safe crossings in the unincorporated community of rexland acres. California walks provided training and education to our south kern youth leaders on the county general plan update and the draft regional active transportation plan. Following these trainings, california walks staff supported youth in attending and providing comments and insights on their needs and priorities for these planning processes. Lastly, california walks launched, in partnership with the california bicycle coalition and the california center for civic participation, the walk and bike youth leaders program, which will be training a cohort of eleven youth from all across the state on active transportation design and advocacy best practices. This program will culminate in the youth attending the california bicycle summit in october 2017, where they will present photo and video voice projects highlighting their communities and what they would like to see changed.