On Thursday, October 7, 2010, the first-ever New England Bike-Walk Summit convened in downtown Providence, RI, for a day of learning and sharing. Nine breakout sessions covered the gamut of bicycle- and pedestrian-related topics including funding of bike-ped infrastructure, successful collaboration between advocates and agency personnel, and the economic development potential of biking and walking. Nationally-renowned speakers included Tim Blumenthal (President, Bikes Belong) and Jeff Miller (President/CEO, The Alliance for Biking & Walking).
This important regional event returns to Providence this fall, on Friday, October 7, at the Providence Biltmore. Another full day of sessions is in store, covering the full range of issues of interest to advocates, planners, engineers, and all other bike-walk stakeholders. This year, among the nine breakout session topics are street design fundamentals, low-cost improvements for bike & pedestrian mobility, bike sharing systems, emerging bike/ped transportation design, kids’ programs that work, and how to conduct a pedestrian safety audit (field visit). There will also be a poster session, exhibits, and plenty of opportunity to network, including at a complimentary reception that evening.
Summit organizers are accepting presentation proposals, and registration is already open. The fee is only $40, or half that if you are a dues-paying member of the East Coast Greenway Alliance. Public agency officials can apply for reimbursement of their travel funds, available as long as funds last. All the information you need, including the call for presentations, registration instructions, sponsorship benefits, and more, can be found at newenglandbikewalksummit.org. Further questions can be directed to Eric Weis: eric@greenway.org or 401-450-7155. There are other fun (free!) events happening that weekend in Providence, including Waterfire, the Providence Cyclocross Festival, and VeloSwap, so consider staying over. See you in Providence!