We’re looking forward to the 2024 Safe Routes to School National Conference, being held October 22–24 in Fort Collins, Colorado. Toole Design staff will share highlights from recent projects, including tailoring Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs for high schoolers, developing equitable engagement strategies in Colorado, and building cross-sector partnerships to scale up the Safe Routes Program in Alameda County. We’ve also organized a can’t-miss panel of top SRTS experts who are leading the way in integrating youth travel concerns into broader transportation planning efforts.
Throughout the conference, Toole Design staff will be on hand to connect with you, including Safe Routes to School Practice Lead Diane Lambert, Planning Manager Nick Oyler, and senior planners Mia Candy, Wendy Phelps, and Sara Schooley. Learn more about our SRTS projects and our approach by attending the sessions below.
Tuesday, October 22
Senior Planner Sara Schooley will lead a session on developing impactful high school-focused SRTS programs, featuring insights from high school students in Fremont, CA, Cincinnati, OH, and Fort Collins, CO. The students will share their unique view on what makes these programs effective for older students, while SRTS practitioners offer key considerations for launching successful initiatives.
Nick Oyler, alongside staff from the Colorado Department of Transportation and the City of Fort Collins, will highlight how we’ve been embedding equity-centered engagement in active transportation projects. This session will illustrate how equitable engagement can be tailored to different scales and communities, ensuring inclusive participation and impactful results across varied settings.
Wednesday, October 23
Join Safe Routes to School Practice Lead Diane Lambert and Senior Planner Wendy Phelps as they moderate a panel on how SRTS is an important and impactful strategy that can move the needle in the broader transportation safety movement and how it intersects with the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program. The panel brings together experts from the National Center for Safe Routes to School, the National Organizations for Youth Safety, and several city-level SRTS programs.
Senior Planner Mia Candy will discuss our role on the Alameda County Safe Routes to Schools Program. Alongside our public, private, and non-profit partners, Mia will highlight how this cross-sector approach has helped scale one of the nation’s largest SRTS programs to serve thousands of students across nearly 300 elementary, middle, and high schools — and how we’re keeping equity at the center along the way.
We’re excited for this opportunity to learn and share how we’ve been making SRTS strides to help children and youth to walk, bike, and roll safely and joyfully. Please reach out if you’d like to set up a time to meet with a Toole Design presenter. See you in Fort Collins!
