The Community Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Training (CPBST) program is a joint project of UC Berkeley SafeTREC and California Walks. Funding for this program is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The purpose of the CPBST program is to train local neighborhood residents and safety advocates on how to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety and to strengthen collaboration with local officials and agency staff to make California communities safer and more pleasant to walk and bike.
The program, begun in 2009 as the Community Pedestrian Safety Training (CPST) program, was expanded in 2016 to incorporate strategies to improve bicycle safety and renamed the Community Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Training (CPBST) program.
Results
As of 2019, SafeTREC and California Walks have conducted 89 pedestrian and bicycle safety trainings throughout California.
Explore our interactive map of the CPBST Program to view and access summary reports where available of each workshop proceeding, as well as ideas identified during the process and recommendations for pedestrian/bicycle safety projects, policies, and programs.
View a web accessible, text version of the CPBST Interactive Map.
For an evaluation of the effectiveness of the CPBST, please view:
- How effective are community pedestrian safety training workshops? Short-term findings from a program in California. Jesus M. Barajas, Kate M. Beck, Jill F. Cooper, Ana Lopez, Amanda Reynosa. (2019)
- Community Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Training Program Evaluation Report. Sarah Doggett, Kate M. Beck, Ana Lopez, Jill F. Cooper. (2019)
About the CPBST
The CPBST works with local residents and safety advocates to develop a tailored, community-driven action plan to improve walking and biking safety in their communities and strengthen collaboration with local officials and agency staff. The CPBST includes training and skills building in pedestrian and bicycle safety and creates opportunities for collaboration among communities, local officials, and residents. The goal is to help make communities safer and more pleasant for walking and biking. The half day training is designed to provide participants with: 1) knowledge on how to conduct walking/biking assessments; 2) walking and biking safety countermeasures through the 6 E's safety approach: Equity, Evaluation, Engineering, Encouragement and Empowerment, Education, and Enforcement; and 3) an opportunity to address and plan for pedestrian and bicycle safety projects and programs with their community.
This training teaches basic pedestrian and bicycle safety best practices (e.g. high visibility crosswalks, crash reduction factors), community engagement skills (e.g. identifying community professionals empowered to solve problems), walkability/bikeability assessment of a selected pedestrian/bicyclist danger area, and mapping or other small group interactive prioritization of safety issues.
The training uses SafeTREC analytic tools such as the Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS) and data analysis. At the training, participants will engage in:
- Expert-led presentations
- Interactive training sessions
- Small group discussion
- Walkability/bikeability Assessment
At the end of the training, participants will have a set of pedestrian and bicycle safety priorities and a next steps action plan to promote safe walking and biking in the community. The training is also designed to help communities with the development and implementation of a Pedestrian/Bicycle Safety Action Plan.
Who is eligible to apply?
- Underserved communities, including non-English speaking, communities of concern, and low-income communities:
- Tribal communities and governments;
- Community-based organizations, groups, and coalitions;
- School communities and school districts; and
- City and county agencies.
Learn more:
- 2020 CPBST Fact Sheet: English / Spanish coming soon!
Applications for the 2020 CPBST Program are now closed. If you have any questions about the CPBST Program or are interested in applying for a workshop in the next cycle, please contact Jill Cooper at cooperj@berkeley.edu.
2020 CPBST Workshops
Due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and our efforts to prioritize the public health of our communities and our staff, UC Berkeley SafeTREC and CPBST project partner California Walks have shifted our community outreach and workshop in-person activities online. This year, we will be conducting workshops in the following communities:
- Pico-Aliso, Boyle Heights
- Old Town, Victorville
- Shackelford Elementary School, Modesto
- Adelanto
- Fowler
- South Merced County
- San Leandro
- Marshall Elementary School, Modesto
- Cambodia Town, Long Beach
- Santa Rosa
- Costa Mesa
- Placentia
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.