What We Learned at the 2022 Bike, Walk, Roll Summit

• We had a blast at the 2022 Bike, Walk, Roll Summit. From policies that address climate resiliency to best practices in safe road design, we heard from experts across Washington state and beyond on the ways we can create “Just and Resilient Communities” for people biking, walking, and rolling.

This fall, more than 300 advocates, planners, engineers, and community members tuned in to 14 sessions at the Bike, Walk, Roll Summit. Discussions and panels centered on topics including disability access, technical tools to increase safety on our roads, and trail infrastructure’s role in climate resiliency. We also heard from an expert keynote speaker, Zabe Bent (Director of Design at NACTO), who discussed multimodal accessibility and strategic planning, centering equity and safety in our system-level planning.

Highlights from the Summit

This year’s theme was “Building Just and Resilient Communities,” and we centered conversations around the ways in which we can and must create streets, neighborhoods, and communities that are safe, healthy, and equitable for all. Session highlights included: 

A discussion with representatives from Gov. Jay Inslee’s office, WSDOT, and Futurewise on embedding climate resiliency in transportation and land use planning. 

Conversation with Representative Marcus Riccelli (Spokane), Charlene Kay (WSDOT), Rowena Pineda (Environmental Justice Advisor), Council President Breean Beggs, and Shauna Harshman (Spokane Low Income Housing Coalition) on how to center communities most impacted by highway expansion.

Information on new investments, funding, and opportunities in the historic Move Ahead Washington law passed in 2022 from a panel led by Barb Chamberlain (WSDOT), Joel Barnett (FHWA), and Darren Buck (FHWA).

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Cutting edge tools from WSDOT on how we can lower traffic stress and street speeds.

A panel of disability justice advocates – Juliette Rizzo (Former Ms Wheelchair America), John Waterman (Programs to Educate all Cyclists), and Armando Zelada – speaking to the ways we center and amplify the voices of people with disabilities in transportation and mobility justice. 

Experts from Toole Design and Eastrail Partners laid out the ways that trails can help address and mitigate the climate crisis.

Our expert speakers shared the most up-to-date tools and resources, discussed their personal experiences with issues like mobility justice, youth education, and advocacy communication, and made space for conversations about how we make our communities more equitable and safe. We are excited to continue the conversations we had at the 2022 Summit, and to work towards creating safer, healthier, and more just communities alongside leaders like you.

PS: If you missed the Summit, or want to revisit some of the sessions you enjoyed most, you can check out all the Summit session recordings here, and share them with your community!