When Angie Byrne, MCHES, CPH, was a high school student in Ohio, several of her classmates died in car crashes. Most people didn’t take it too seriously, chalking it up to kids making poor decisions. But Angie isn’t most people. She harnessed her anger to start the Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) chapter at her school and laid the foundation for a lifelong commitment to transportation safety.
A self-described safety nerd, Angie has spent the past 18 years working at the U.S. Department of Transportation, culminating in a key role operationalizing the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program. Now, as Toole Design’s new Safety Practice lead, she’s bringing deep knowledge of SS4A and the Safe System Approach to clients across the country — people who are starting to understand what Angie has known since high school: Roadway deaths are unacceptable, and we can do something about it.
Tell us about your transportation background.
I’m really a public health person who’s been infiltrating the transportation space for years. I started at NHTSA, focusing on impaired driving and youth safety, and then I moved to the Volpe Center to focus on truck safety, behavioral research, and vehicle blind zones.
I’ve been beating the systemic safety drum throughout my career, so in 2021 I was asked to help develop the National Roadway Safety Strategy and, soon after, launch the SS4A grant program.
What’s it like to pivot from the public sector to Toole Design?
SS4A has been my baby for the last several years, so it’s exciting to be working in a place where I can see my baby grow up and see the infrastructure and safety strategies get put into place. It’s also energizing to be working in a transportation space with so many other women. That makes a huge difference.
One of the things that struck me, and that I’ve heard many people say here, is that Toole Design wants people to have the space to fail and learn. I almost jumped over the desk and hugged my new coworker when they said that.
What do you wish everyone understood about the Safe System Approach?
The Safe System Approach is a radical paradigm shift. It’s not easy, and it should feel different. If you’re doing what you’ve always done but calling it by a new name, that’s not it. If you’re staying in your particular safety silo or placing blame on road users for safety issues, that’s not it. If your safety plan only includes safer roads but ignores things like vehicles, speeding, education, or post-crash care, that is not system-focused. Truly moving to a Safe System model requires a fundamental shift in thinking and practice.
Who in the U.S. is doing it right?
A lot of cities are doing great work and taking the right steps, such as Minneapolis, Seattle, Boston, New York… the list goes on. But it’s not just big cities: Edna, MN, is achieving zero. The Yakama Nation in Washington is on board and making progress. At the state level, Vermont has unified its transportation safety staff under shared leadership, so they can tackle problems systematically and collaboratively.
These places and many others are moving in the right direction. They understand that safety is an iterative process. You do something, learn, adjust if needed, and keep going.
How can municipalities navigate changing priorities at the Federal level?
Whatever the administration, the core message is the same: safety. I’m a ground-level-up type of person, so I think this is a great time for municipalities and states to focus on what they can control. And they can control a lot, for example:
- The size, safety features, and types of vehicles in their fleets
- Post-crash response, especially in rural areas
- Quick, systemic safety responses on locally owned roads using temporary materials, such as paint and plastic bollards
Claim the powers you do have and focus on those. Federal funding helps, but not all safety improvements have to be expensive. You shouldn’t wait on funding for a permanent safety solution; you can be proactive immediately with low-cost solutions that can be spread over a wide area.
What’s your favorite way to get around Boston?
I’m a big fan of walking and public transportation. For longer distances, I love to take a train. I don’t bike very much, mostly because I’m uncoordinated!
Walking and public transit let me embrace being an extrovert — and a Midwesterner. I’m constantly asked for directions on public transportation because I’m the only one smiling and making eye contact.
