At the Pedestrian Summit on November 29th, Provo was well-represented by  attendees (at least five) and presenters. Chad Thomas, from Economic Development, and Mary Wade from the PTA board at Timpanogos Elementary, participating in a panel discussion that followed the keynote speech of Jon Larsen, Salt Lake City’s Transportation Director.
Here are the highlights of that talk and the panel:
Jon Larsen: “It is our job to “design for stupid” because we’re all a little stupid sometimes. I hope to someday see pedestrian fatality as a thing of the past as we now view polio. The best way to make real strides toward our zero fatalities goal is this: we need to differentiate between the design for highways and the design for streets.”
Juliette Ruzzio, keynote speaker and Miss Wheelchair America 2005: “Transportation is an equalizer for people with disabilities. When we design for the most vulnerable, the transportation system works for us all.”
Chad Thomas: It’s important to be willing to say no to developers until they agree to standards we have set to keep our cities attractive and walkable. Chad also stressed the importance of leaders truly walking the talk and moving toward active transportation and transit.
Mary Wade:Â Nearly 100 families responded to the PTA’s survey to find out how they feel about walking or biking to Timpanogos, a walking-designated elementary school here in Provo. Regularly seeking out and responding to their voices is essential if we want to get our Safe Routes to School plans right for education, engineering, enforcement, encouragement, and evaluation. We can work toward healthier cultural norms as we positively frame our messaging for what’s possible in our neighborhoods.
