Attend upcoming Walkinars to learn how to advocate for safe walking infrastructure

October 3, 2022

Looking for an opportunity to learn how to advocate for safe walking infrastructure in your community?

Join the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) all month long this October - National Pedestrian Safety Month - for their free Walkinar series! All webinars will take place Thursdays from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. PST. 

Two parents and a child walk in a park, all are wearing masks. The sun is shining from behind them.

(Photo credit: MDOT)


October 6 - National Perspectives on Walking and Pedestrian Safety: Where We Are and How We Move Forward

For the kickoff Walkinar, panelists will discuss national efforts to create safer streets for pedestrians and where the future will take us. 

Panelists include:

  • Thomas B. Chapman - Member, National Transportation Safety Board

  • Mike McGinn - Executive Director, America Walks

  • Laura Mehegan - Senior Research Advisor, AARP

Register here


October 13 - Equity and Walkability: Improving Pedestrian Infrastructure in Underserved Neighborhoods

The second Walkinar focuses on how to create equitable, safe streets in underserved neighborhoods across the country. 

Panelists include:

  • Anna Ziwarts - Director, Disability Mobility Initiative Program

  • Christina Jang - Technical Assistance Program Manager, Trust for Public Land

  • James Rojas - Place It!

  • John Kamp - Place It!

Register here


October 20 - Walking and Public Health: Research Insights into the Value of Active Living

This Walkinar will focus on walking and public health, with a focus on new data sources with the advent of wearable smart devices and the benefits of mindfulness in our everyday lives.

Panelists include:

  • Pedro Saint-Maurice, Ph.D. - National Cancer Institute, Metabolic Epidemiology Branch

  • Dhruti U. Patel, MD - University of Maryland Extension, Family and Consumer Sciences Educator

Register here


October 27 - Great Partners and Creative Approaches for Promoting Safe Walk Opportunities

MDOT closes out the Walkinar series with a focus on the work happening in Maryland and beyond, looking at how transit and pedestrian infrastructure can be improved to expand access and improve public safety.

Panelists include:

  • Stephanie DiPetrillo - Senior Research Specialist , Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center

  • David Anspacher - Transportation Supervisor, Montgomery County Planning Department

  • Jesse Cohn McGowan, AICP - Transportation Planner, Montgomery County Planning Department

  • Carden Wyckoff - Disability Advocate

Register here


MDOT hopes to help planners, local officials, pedestrian advocates and the public at large learn how to advocate for safe walking infrastructure through the Walkinar series. You can learn more about the series, watch past Walkinars, and explore more of the work MDOT does on their website.