Friday, November 17

8:00 a.m.

Ballroom

Registration opens.

9:00 a.m. — 9:25 a.m.

Galleria I (Downstairs)

Summit Welcome, John Devine, AICP, Georgia Bikes Executive Director

9:30 a.m. — 10:00 a.m.

Galleria I (Downstairs)

From observation, to analysis, and upgrades – The paths to getting projects done, Patti Pittman, Safe Routes to School and Ron Knezevich, GDOT

 

Road Safety Audits (RSA’s), School RSA’s, Observations, and Safety Walks.  Moving from paper to getting projects done. Past road design and implementation has left us with opportunities for improvement. This session informs on how past observations (and future) are being organized to make improvements happen. Allows for understanding of this process for potential projects.

Galleria II (Upstairs)

Placemaking Principles for Creating Community, Sadie Krawczyk


How to use the placemaking to enhance the culture of biking and walking in a community. I’ll also share about the Georgia Economic Placemaking Collaborative available to cities through GMA. The content will focus on why placemaking matters and the basic principles of creating meaningful connections between places and people.

10:00 a.m. — 10:30 a.m.

Networking break! Grab a coffee and catch up with colleagues and friends from around the state.

10:30 a.m. — 11:00 a.m.

Galleria I (Downstairs)

AARP Age-Friendly Communities Panel Discussion

 

AARP Georgia moderates an engaging conversation with three Age-Friendly partners who will share their best practices for creating more livable, walkable and bike-friendly communities for people of all ages.

Galleria II (Upstairs)
Bike/Ped Grant Opportunities for FY25, Katie Fallon
 
The application process for the FY25 grant period with the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS) will open up in December. For those new to the process with GOHS, this presentation will help you get an idea of how to prepare in order to have a successful application process. From problem identification to data and objectives, this will help you get a head start.

11:15 a.m. — 11:45 a.m.

Galleria I (Downstairs)

Adopting and Evaluating Safety Projects

Transforming Macon’s Streets: Embracing Complete Streets and Traffic Calming Initiatives, Rachel Umana

This presentation will focus on advocating for the adoption of a Complete Streets Policy in Macon. I will also highlight the efforts of Bike Walk Macon in implementing tactical urbanism and traffic calming measures to create safer and more accessible streets for all users. We’ll explore the potential of Complete Streets and the positive impact of community-driven traffic calming initiatives on Macon’s mobility.

 

Increase Safety with Walking Audits, Caila Brown

Audits are a great way to bring a neighborhood together, identify opportunities for improvement on our streets, and increase safety. Participants will learn how to conduct a walking audit in their own neighborhood and discuss partnership opportunities, as well as ways to keep audits going.

Galleria II (Upstairs)
The Firefly Trail: Building a 39-Mile Rail-Trail
 
Find out how local governments and a small nonprofit are building mile after mile of the Firefly Trail in Northeast Georgia. We’ll talk about how the Firefly has achieved major funding and construction successes, met substantial challenges, and generated plenty of opportunities for transferring lessons learned from our project to yours. 
 
Panel Members:
Derek Doster, P.E.
SPLOST Project Administrator for Athens-Clarke County Unified Government
 
Byron Lombard
County Manager, Greene Co.
 Mobile Workshops

Shared Sidewalks: Wheelchair Safety Aduit

This informative and interactive mobile workshop serves to draw attention to wheelchair accessibility. By utilizing wheelchairs, participants will conduct an audit of a downtown Athens route. The participants will be provided with wheelchairs and auditing worksheets created by the Northeast Georgia Regional Commission to assess conditions enroute.

 

Meet for the workshop in the Ballroom. Be aware that, due to the nature of the workshop, activities may stretch beyond the regular 11:45 end time. We won’t keep you from your lunch, though!

 

2:00 p.m. — 2:30 p.m.

Galleria I (Downstairs)

Safe Routes to School Super Heroes! Strategies and Successes in Georgia, Marielena Gutierrez, Nick Anderson

Whether it’s your origin story or you’re already well into your Safe Routes to School (SRTS) adventure, this Summit session will give you ideas and resources to be the best Safety Super Hero you can be! SRTS Resource Center team members will share the basics of a sustainable SRTS school partner program, provide resources and materials for effective bike/walk/roll strategies, and give compelling success stories that can be adapted for attendees to use in their own worlds!  

Galleria II (Upstairs)
The East Coast Greenway in GIS: Demographics and Long Distance Trip Planning, Brent Buice
 
Learn how the East Coast Greenway Alliance has leveraged open source GIS software to track development, visit counts, and investment data for an envisioned 3,000-mile network of multi-use paths. The Alliance also uses GIS to share a public facing route for planning a walking or biking trip along all, or some, of the Greenway corridor. Users can see relative stress levels for on-road sections of the road and can download turn-by-turn directions for use in most navigation devices.
 Mobile Workshops

Ped. Ed 101: Georgia Bikes’ New Pedestrian Education Programs

Georgia Bikes’ Safety Education team is going to take you on a walk around Athens! Join us for a brief pilot presentation of our new pedestrian education programming and let how to safely navigate your community. 

 

This mobile workshop will begin in the Ballroom.

 

2:45 p.m. — 3:15 p.m.

Galleria I (Downstairs)

Design Collaboration on Urban Trails: A Case Study of the Atlanta BeltLine, Diane Jlelaty PE, Chloe Weigle PLA, Matthew Coleman

 

Collaboration between landscape architects and engineers at all stages of trail design results in positive outcomes for the client and community. Presenters will outline specific steps for interdisciplinary team success and provide examples/lessons learned using the Atlanta BeltLine as a case study. 

Galleria II (Upstairs)
Advocating for Trails and Outdoor Recreation, Panel Discussion
 
For four years, the Georgia Outdoor Recreation Coalition has been advocating for the creation of a statewide trails master plan and the creation of a State Office of the Outdoors. Come learn about these initiatives and how you can help move bike and trail advocacy forward in Georgia.

3:30 p.m. — 4:15 p.m.

Galleria I (Downstairs)
Vision Zero Practitioners Roundtable 
 
This roundtable discussion will bring together practitioners from around the state implementing Vision Zero or similar systemic safety strategies in their communities. This discussion will focus on sharing knowledge and experiences to support those who are already engaged in this work as well as those who may be newer to it, particularly in our current moment of Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) federal funding.
Galleria II (Upstairs)
The Accessible Trail Marking Project, Keith Larson

See how a recent participant in the Georgia Walking College advocated for Peachtree City to add accessibility markers for the disabled at six local greenspace parks. This project was published by America Walks in their 2023 edition of Stories From the State Walking College, an AARP Walkability Webinar released in June 2023, and with new AARP Walk Audit Worksheets for Multiuse Paths and Trails.
 Mobile Workshops

Walk/Ride the Updated Prince Ave. Corridor

NOTE: This mobile workshop is scheduled to last until 5:00

Two groups will be available to guide you down Athens’ newly-revamped Prince Avenue corridor. Ride through the updated bike lane or stroll along improved sidewalks and pedestrian crossings. 

 

Mayor Kelly Girtz and Georgia Bikes Executive Director John Devine will lead the walking group. The bike group will be led by BikeAthens Executive Director Scott Long and Athens-Clarke County Pedestrian, and Safety Coordinator Daniel Sizemore will lead the cycling group.


Both groups will meet in the Ballroom for a brief introduction before departing.  

5:00 p.m.

Mobile Workshop

The BikeAthens Joyride will leave from the Graduate at 5:00. 

The route is available here: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/44990968