session #21 - "introducing bike planning to planners and engineers: a continuing education...
DESCRIPTION
Last winter, the League of Illinois Bicyclists conducted a 2.5-hour "Introduction to Bicycle Planning" continuing education seminar in ten locations. Nearly 500 local planners, engineers, consultants, and others attended – most having no prior training on the range of technical and strategic topics presented. In this talk, our experiences and suggestions are offered for those wanting to replicate such a program, including seminar content, attracting intended audiences, resources, and more.TRANSCRIPT
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Introducing Bike Planning to AICPs and PEs:
A Continuing Education Seminar
Ed BarsottiLeague of Illinois [email protected] www.bikelib.or
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Outline
1) Introduction– goals and motivation, drawing target audiences
2) Seminar content– list of topics covered
3) Seminar details– tone, logistics, publicity, finances, attendance
4) Wrap-up– university course, resources for replicating
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Primary advocacy goal: Educating staff
• Lack of local staff (planners, engineers, …) knowledge on bicycle issues a problem
• Education dispels myths, builds buy-in
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Deciding to conduct our own seminars
• Earlier experiences in partnering with others
• One statewide event vs. many regional sessions
• “Introduction to Bicycle Planning” seminar
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Other advocacy goals
• Building org’s credibility, exposure as a resource
• Marketing for bike planning consultant work
• Making some “profit”, perhaps adding members?
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Luring target audiences: Continuing Ed
• Local planners, engineers; consultants; DOTs, …
• Need continuing ed credits, but lower travel budgets
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Planners – AICP details
• APA charges small non-profits $995/year to provide AICP CM credits
• Not as many AICP attendees as hoped
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Engineers – PDH (Professional Development Hours) details
• In IL, PDHs required by law to maintain standing
• No provider certification (yet), just “expert” in field
• Increase credibility as provider by partnering?
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Outline
1) Introduction– goals and motivation, drawing target audiences
2) Seminar content– list of topics covered
3) Seminar details– tone, logistics, publicity, finances, attendance
4) Wrap-up– university course, resources for replicating
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Seminar content: Opening discussion
• Introductory questions?
• Motivations, products, process of bike planning
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Seminar content: Bike safety lesson
• Types of cyclists, where/why they ride
• Traffic Skills 101, car-bike interactions, crash causes
• Break myths, build case for infrastructure discussion
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Seminar content: Bikeway network
• Standards and guidelines
• Overview of bikeway types; costs; selection process including general applicability, objective planning tools
• Strategic guidelines and examples of selections
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Seminar content: Other infrastructure
• Signal actuation; drain grates; skewed RR crossings
• Bike parking & policies; reducing intersection conflicts
• When to do at-grade vs. separated grade crossings
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Seminar content: Non-infrastructure
• Quick overview, examples of “other E’s”
• “Resources are readily available”
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Seminar content: Implementation
• Complete Streets policies
• Internal, external funding; grant-seeking advice
• “Top 10 List” to avoid real-life pitfalls
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Seminar handouts
• Copy of Power Point slides
• LIB’s “Guide to Municipal Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning”
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Outline
1) Introduction– goals and motivation, drawing target audiences
2) Seminar content– list of topics covered
3) Seminar details– tone, logistics, publicity, finances, attendance
4) Wrap-up– university course, resources for replicating
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Seminar “tone”
• Professional learning experience, not a perceived advocacy “attack”. Praise=specific, criticism=general
• Solutions recognizing other engineering needs. Use objective approaches, engineer/planner language.
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Seminar logistics – 10 seminars
• Partnered with MPOs, who hosted, publicized
• 2.5 hours, morning; winter Tuesdays and Fridays
• Short breaks, occasional Q&A throughout
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Publicizing seminars
• Advertisement postcard pointing to webpage sent to 250 cities (admin, plan, eng/PW), 250 consulting firms
• MPO publicity; APA website; our newsletter
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Registration fees, membership
• $25 fee. Free for LIB members, MPOs (& IDOT)
• Optional membership for free – 210 joined
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Attendance
• 488 total for 10 seminars, ranging from 32 to 95
• Most: gov’t (from 125 towns, other agencies), then: consultants (80 firms), others. 90% professionals
• Estimated 75% with no prior info on bike issues
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Expenses
• Travel; postcards and postage; copies of handouts; AICP provider fee; some room rental & refreshments
• Netted several thousand dollars (not incl. staff time)
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Outline
1) Introduction– goals and motivation, drawing target audiences
2) Seminar content– list of topics covered
3) Seminar details– tone, logistics, publicity, finances, attendance
4) Wrap-up– university course, resources for replicating
![Page 25: Session #21 - "Introducing Bike Planning to Planners and Engineers: A Continuing Education Seminar"](https://reader033.vdocuments.mx/reader033/viewer/2022061217/54b4cbe44a7959fd588b45d3/html5/thumbnails/25.jpg)
University mini-course (4 weeks)
• U of Illinois-Chicago, 2009, 2010 – adjunct lecturers
• Seminar content, plus public input exercise, more
• Group project: brief bike plan, presentation for actual suburbs/city wards
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“Packaging” for others to replicate
• Seminar video, power point slides, other handouts
• 4-page detailed writeup (also online)
• www.bikelib.org/bike-planning/bike-planning-instruction/ continuing-education (or just www.bikelib.org)
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Thank you…
Advocacy Advance grant from Alliance for Bicycling and Walking