Stories

Stories from the Field with Esther Rivera

For this video installment of Stories from the Field, we're excited to share a recent conversation with Esther Rivera, Deputy Director of California Walks, an organization that partners with state agencies, organizations and communities to establish and strengthen policies and practices that support pedestrian safety and healthy, walkable communities. In this safety story, Rivera shares her passion for social justice, public health and creating...

Stories From the Field with Tracy McMillan: Complete Streets, Equity and COVID-19

In the Spring of 2020, Charles T. Brown, Founder and Managing Principal of Equitable Cities LLC, sat down for a series of virtual interviews with Esther Rivera, the Deputy Director of California Walks; Warren Logan, Policy Director of Mobility and Inter Agency Relations at the City of Oakland Mayor’s Office; and Tracy McMillan, Senior Associate at Nelson\Nygaard. Brown led conversations with each transportation professional about complete streets, equity, and COVID-19. The video "What makes a street complete?" highlights each...

Safety Story with Patrick Phelan

For this installment of Stories from the Field, Berkeley SafeTREC’s Jarah Crowner chatted with Patrick Phelan, Infrastructure Administrator with the City of Richmond. Patrick speaks to the importance of community engagement in implementing successful, active transportation projects and about his inspiration for working to make biking, walking and rolling safer for the residents of Richmond. Check out his Safety Story below!

What is your current role?

I am the Infrastructure Administrator in the Public...

The CPBST at work in Florence-Firestone

Pedestrians and bicyclists make up a disproportionate share of road deaths and injuries, and low-income, majority person-of-color communities tend to face the greatest danger. Comprehensive pedestrian safety programs targeted toward such communities have the potential to build communities’ capacity to address safety issues, but there is a lack of systematic research and evaluation on how effective these...

Stories From the Field with Jarah Crowner

For this installment of Stories from the Field, we're excited to share a recent conversation with Jarah Crowner, Policy and Program Analyst at UC Berkeley Safe Transportation Research and Education Center (SafeTREC). She is the program lead for Street Story, an online community engagement tool funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety that allows residents, community groups and agencies to collect...

Safety Story with Diana Meehan

What is your current role?

I’m a Senior Program Planner/Administrator, Active Transportation Coordinator and also manage our Travel Demand programs for the Napa Valley Transportation Authority.

What inspired you to work in active transportation?

I’ve been a life-long lover of the outdoors, especially cycling. I had some significant life changes and returned to college to finish my degree in my 40’s. Transportation wasn’t really on my radar, but I landed an internship at the agency I am now working for just prior to finishing my degree in Environmental Studies and...

Stories From the Field with Esther Rivera: Complete Streets, Equity and COVID-19

In the Spring of 2020, Charles T. Brown, Founder and Managing Principal of Equitable Cities LLC, sat down for a series of virtual interviews with Esther Rivera, the Deputy Director of California Walks; Warren Logan, Policy Director of Mobility and Inter Agency Relations at the City of Oakland Mayor’s Office; and Tracy McMillan, Senior Associate at Nelson\Nygaard. Brown led conversations with each transportation professional about complete streets, equity, and COVID-19. The video "What makes a street complete?" highlights each...

Dave's Safety Story: Lessons from Oakland

For this installment of Stories from the Field, SafeTREC Policy and Program Analyst, Ali von Klan, sat down with Dave Campbell, Bike East Bay's Advocacy Director. Campbell talks about his decades-long of advocacy work promoting bicycling for transportation in the Bay Area and the importance of trust, relationship-building, and maintaining expectations during the planning and design process.

Interview condensed for length and clarity.

AVK: Let’s start by having you describe Bike East Bay and your role within it.

DC:...

Safety Story with Noel Pond-Danchik

What is your current role?

I’m currently the Pedestrian Program Coordinator on the Bike & Pedestrian section of the Safe Streets Division at Oakland’s Department of Transportation.

What inspired you to work in active transportation?

I fell into it as a mix of my two passions: urban planning and environmental sustainability. My dad also had an electric bike when I was a teenager and being able to get myself places before I could drive gave me a sense of autonomy and freedom I later wanted to share with everyone who doesn’t drive.

How...

Stories from the Field

Stories from the Field highlights activities by people on the frontline of improving pedestrian and bicycle safety in California communities.

Berkeley SafeTREC gathered the stories shared here, based on areas where urban planners, designers, engineers, and advocates have implemented safe streets programs, employed best practices, or reported successful outcomes. Explore each Safety Story by clicking the thumbnail images below.

Are you an active transportation practitioner who's been successful prioritizing road safety for people...