Killed by a Traffic Engineer Author Speaks at Bike Walk Roll Summit

As a society we often blame the victims of traffic crashes rather than pointing the finger at flawed street designs and bad engineering standards.

Wes Marshall, author of Killed by a Traffic Engineer: Shattering the Delusion that Science Underlies Our Transportation System, wants to flip the script. 

“We assume that when someone gets killed it’s their fault for not following the rules of the road,” says Marshall. Rather than being the fault of individuals, “fatal crashes are systemic.”

Director of the Human-Centered Transportation program and the Transportation Research Center at the University of Colorado Denver, Marshall will deliver one of the keynote addresses at the Washington Bike Walk Roll Summit.

The theme for the 2026 Summit, April 1-3 in Wenatchee, is “Designing the Future We Want.”

Register for the Summit

The Summit is intended to inspire, educate, and inform elected officials, community advocates, policymakers, academics, planners, traffic engineers, and concerned citizens about ways to create safe streets and bikeable communities that serve everyone rather than just motor vehicle drivers. 

The Summit schedule includes community walks, bike rides and networking opportunities, in addition to 15 workshops and panel discussions. See the full schedule here. 

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Held at the Wenatchee Convention Center, the Summit features a second keynote address from Dr. Destiny Thomas, who will discuss ways to design accessible and safe public spaces for historically marginalized communities.

AASHTO and NACTO Design Guides

Attendees will learn about updates to the so-called bibles of street and highway design from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO). 

Experts from Toole Design will discuss how updates to the AASHTO and NACTO guides provide a framework for creating safe and connected bike networks. Other speakers and presenters include local and state transportation officials, academics, consultants, and bike advocates who will all share knowledge about how to advance progress in communities across Washington state. 

Topics include: 

• How to create winning advocacy campaigns for bikeable streets
• Case studies in the use of traffic speed cameras
• Safe Routes to School program updates
• A state-of-the-state plenary sessions with Washington legislative leaders and active transportation experts.

Not Everyone Drives

“A lot of traffic engineers are still struggling to understand that not everyone drives, and that in fact a good 30 percent of the population may not drive,” says Marshall, adding that the needs of people who bike, walk and roll have historically been ignored by the traffic engineering profession.

One example of how traffic engineers kill or put people in harm’s way, Marshall notes, is in the design of crosswalks and intersections. Oftentimes, people walking are given the signal that it’s OK to cross at the same time that drivers have a green light to turn into that crosswalk.

Many people who read Marshall’s book are surprised to learn that “it’s a bike book,” he says. Click here to order a copy.

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If you never attended any previous Summits but want to learn more, check out the photo album and blog post from our 2024 Bike Walk Roll Summit in Tacoma.

Register for the 2026 Bike Walk Roll Summit
 

The Washington Bike Walk Roll Summit is sponsored by the Washington State Department of Transportation, Amazon, Hopp, Transpo Group, and Dero.