We’re looking forward to the 2026 Safe Routes to School National Conference, being held October 20–22 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Toole Design staff will share highlights from recent projects that span every aspect of Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programming, from engagement and education to engineering. Our session topics include using traffic gardens and bike rodeos as creative ways to boost participation in local programs and the Kansas Department of Transportation’s newest resource for designing safer school zones. We’ve also organized an interactive session with our cross-sector partners on how the Alameda County Safe Routes to Schools Program is scaling up its curriculum for older youth.
Throughout the conference, Toole Design staff will be on hand to connect with you, including Planners Sara Schooley, Erika Kulpa, Katie Heuser Selkirk, Patti Sistrunk, Harry Graham, as well as Landscape Architect John Dempsey from our Minneapolis team. We’re also proud to support the conference as a sponsor, so stop by our booth to say hello and learn more about our work.
Scroll down for our full lineup of speakers and sessions.
Tuesday, October 20
Join Senior Planner Erika in learning more about how traffic gardens, car-free spaces where children and new riders practice biking and road safety skills, can serve as powerful engagement tools that strengthen Safe Routes to School and active transportation efforts. Drawing on specific case studies, Erika will share practical lessons on planning and designing outreach and hands-on activities that engage both youth and adults in a fun way to shape safer streets.
Wednesday, October 21
Wednesday morning, Erika and Principal Planner Sara Schooley will join an interactive session on how the Alameda County Safe Routes to Schools Program is scaling up for older youth by turning a curriculum pilot into a teacher-led curriculum that covers emerging topics like e-bike safety. Alongside our public, private, and non-profit partners, they’ll walk through the process and lead a hands-on Train-the-Trainer exercise, sharing practical tools and lessons learned from rolling out the curriculum across a wide range of schools.
In the afternoon, Sara will join a panel on practical tools and strategies for creating safer school zones, featuring examples from Ohio, Kansas, New Jersey, and Riverside, CA. She’ll share how we worked with the Kansas Department of Transportation to develop its first-ever School Zone Guide, which combines MUTCD standards with SRTS best practices to help keep students and families safe in both urban and rural communities.
This session explores how SRTS programs in Palo Alto and Iowa have evolved their bike rodeos to build confidence, spark excitement, and rally community support. Drawing on her work with the City of Palo Alto’s bike rodeo program before joining Toole Design, Project Planner Katie Heuser Selkirk will share how the city’s zero-waste, in-school rodeos for every third grader have become a cherished tradition that engages families, school staff, and local partners.
We’re excited to learn, share, and connect with others working to help children and youth walk, bike, and roll safely. Reach out if you’d like to set up a time to meet with a Toole Design presenter. See you in Minneapolis!
