Matthew Ridgeway of Fehr and Peers on a walkabout with training participants in Santa Rosa, California. Groups convene post-walkabout to discuss the design issues they encountered and how they would address them.
	More Information
	For more information about the Healthy Transportation Network, please visit www.healthytransportation.net.

RTC Helps Bring Free Bicycle/Pedestrian Training Workshops to Northern California:

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) has always been a proponent of active transportation. However, it recognizes that walking and biking instead of driving is not always easy to do—especially in urban areas that cater mainly to automobiles.

One way RTC's Western Regional Office promotes alternative transportation is through its partnership with the Healthy Transportation Network (HTN). Along with other HTN members, they've recently teamed up with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) to design interactive pedestrian and bicycle training workshops for the nine-county Bay Area region of California. Utilizing several federal transportation funding sources, they've been able to offer these courses to participants at no charge.

The workshops were created to provide urban planning and design professionals with the latest bicycle and pedestrian design tools. The most unique and popular feature of the trainings is the "walkabout," which gives participants the chance to break into small groups and tour the city by foot, observing and discussing pedestrian and bike safety concerns and solutions. Other aspects of the workshops include a review of safe routes to school plans and trends, updates on the latest ADA and bicycle boulevard requirements, and a review of the MTC's new routine accommodation checklist.

Response to the trainings has been overwhelmingly positive. Presenters are transportation consultants from Fehr & Peers and Eisen Letunic, and are considered to be experts in their fields. Two workshops have already occurred—one in Santa Rosa on April 27 and one in Pleasanton on May 22—and were filled to capacity. A third workshop is scheduled for June 19 in San Mateo, and is expected to fill up in advance as well.

"The only bad thing about this workshop is that it isn't a required course for all City Planning staff," says a Santa Rosa City Council member in attendance at the first meeting.