Oregon Active Transportation Summit

This presentation and interactive Q&A will explore innovative partnerships between ODOT and communities that advance active transportation and make our transportation system more awesome: the panel presentation will highlight partnerships to activate underutilized ODOT ROW to create skateparks and other urban amenities, promote bikeshare programs in underserved communities, amd improve and build trail access and connectivity, while the Q&A/Discussion will provide space for people with ideas to activate ODOT spaces to discuss with practitioners and the community.Participants will gain insights into collaborative approaches that support Oregon’s vision for safe, inclusive, and sustainable transportation options. Bring your own ideas to share!

Burgess & Niple (B&N) will present on innovative strategies to advance Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs by minimizing design costs and leveraging technology.

Traditional design scopes can make small projects as costly to design as they are to construct. Through a series of case studies from Ohio, Arizona, and Idaho, B&N will demonstrate how modifying scopes, utilizing technology, and adjusting deliverable expectations can reduce design costs while delivering easily constructible plans and projects.

The presentation will also showcase Peoria, AZ’s innovative use of geospatial technology to modernize Safe Routes to School planning. A GIS-based solution replaced traditional static paper maps with an interactive web application that allows parents to map customized, safe routes from home to school. This dynamic tool integrates real-time GIS data, adapting to infrastructure updates and safety improvements, while fostering collaboration among parents, schools, and planners. Attendees will learn how to advance SRTS programs by minimizing design costs and leveraging technology.

On the bike bus side: Several organizers representing different schools will join this panel, including Lauren McCune from Abernethy Elementary School, Jodi Jacobson-Swartfager from Atkinson Elementary School, Rob Galanakis from Glencoe Elementary School, and Bryant Letterlough from James John Elementary School. The presentation will include a toolkit element: bike buses are volunteer run and much of the growth is due to grassroots information sharing so there will be a crowdsourced list of "tips and tricks" for starting a bike bus in one's community.

On the walking school bus side: Following a spring 2025 pilot, Oregon Walks is in its first full school year of a professionalized Walking School Bus program. Central to our success is the School Liaison model, which provides community champions with stipends, gear, and training. However, rather than a "one-size-fits-all" approach, our framework is designed for local adaptation. We recognize that every neighborhood has unique cultural, geographic, and social dynamics; our role is to provide the "scaffold" of support—professional tools and funding—while empowering Liaisons to build a transportation program that best fits their specific community’s needs. Sharing stories across diverse communities, this session offers a look at our first-year implementation. We will discuss the logistics of managing a paid-leadership model and how we balance program standards with the flexibility needed for neighborhood customization, plus lessons on identifying, training, and empowering School Liaisons. Attendees will learn how providing "Active Transportation Champions" with agency and professional support allows for more resilient, community-led solutions, particularly in underserved areas.

Participants will learn about the competitive grant opportunities for tribes, cities, counties, school districts, and non-profits at the Oregon Department of Transportation. Grant programs that can specifically fund active transportation project will be highlighted like Safe Routes to School and Oregon Community Paths. Participants will also engage in a discussion to help them identify projects that would be good candidates for current grant programs and plan ahead for funding over the next two years.