2022 Washington Region Vision Zero Summit

The Vision Zero Summit brings together elected officials, decision-makers, advocates, thought leaders, and the private sector to share best practices, insights and innovations to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on our region’s streets and highways. 

This year’s Summit will take place on Tuesday, September 13th, and will focus on Safe Streets for All: A Safe System Approach. The Safe System approach was founded on the principle that no one should be killed or injured when using the road system. It consists of five elements: Safe Road Users, Safe Vehicles, Safe Speeds, Safe Roads, and Post-Crash Care.

The Summit itself will take place over Zoom. The link will be sent out along with the programming closer to the date of the event.

Lunch is included in the cost of the ticket. WABA will provide an Uber Eats promo code to all attendees.

After the Summit, there will be an in-person meetup at Buena Vida Gastrolounge (2900 Wilson Blvd #103, Arlington, VA 22201), from 7pm to 9:00pm (Doors open at 6:30 PM). This gathering is an opportunity to revisit some of the day’s key themes, socialize, and decompress. Space is limited, so be sure to sign up for this event when you register for the summit. Free food and non-alcoholic drinks will be provided! We’d love to see you there!

Closed captioning will be available throughout the day on Zoom, and ASL interpretation services will be provided for the in-person meetup.

The full agenda is below.

Welcome & Opening Plenary: 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM

Welcome

Opening Remarks

Keynote Speaker: Jennifer Boyd, Director of The Street Project, a documentary on the massive international movement to turn public streets into safe spaces for all.

Panel Session: 10:40 AM – 11:40 AM

Safe Street Design Panel:

•Cheryl Cort, Policy Director, Coalition for Smarter Growth

•Sonya Breehey, Fairfax Families for Safe Streets and Coalition for Smarter Growth

•Jennifer Cooper, Steering Committee Member, D.C. Families for Safe Streets

Background: The panelists will discuss how new thinking and practical constraints require revisions to urban street design standards to ensure street designs include safe bike and walking facilities. These panelists will also discuss how to prioritize the most vulnerable people on our streets to ensure we reach Vision Zero.

Breakout Sessions: 11:50 AM – 12:50 PM

Transportation Journalism Panel:

•Kea Wilson, Senior Editor of Streetsblog USA

•Jordan Pascale, Transportation Reporter, WAMU

•Scott Brodbeck, Founder and CEO, Local News Now

Background: In this panel, you will hear from experienced transportation journalists who are on the front lines covering our issues. The panelists will speak to how government agencies, advocates, and residents can collaborate with transportation journalists, and you will get an opportunity to ask questions to our seasoned panelists. The panelists will also discuss how they make coverage decisions and challenges to covering crashes and Vision Zero.

Systemic Safety Analysis Presentation:

•Jesse McGowan, Multimodal Transportation Planner Coordinator, Montgomery County Planning Department

Background: As part of Montgomery County’s Vision Zero goal to eliminate traffic deaths and severe injuries by 2030, Montgomery Planning is using a new strategy to improve road safety for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians called the Predictive Safety Analysis. It is a proactive data-driven approach that works to prevent severe and fatal crashes before they happen.

This will be a technical presentation focused on a statistical analysis and its applications. This presentation will be most useful to data-focused agency staff, consultants, and advocates.

Lunchtime Breakout Sessions: 1:00 PM – 1:30 PM

Applying for Safe Streets Funding Opportunities Presentation:

•Tiffany Smith, Program Manager, Vision Zero Network

Background: This presentation will offer tips and key takeaways on how advocates and government agencies can use federal funding to integrate Safe System approaches.

Mobility Next: What’s Next for National Landing’s Planned People-First Transportation Infrastructure Presentation:

•Robert Mandle, National Landing BID

Background: Reclaiming streets and prioritizing pedestrians has become a growing interest within urban downtowns. The National Landing BID will present the story of how National Landing’s $4 billion portfolio of transportation projects will transform the public realm into one of the most well-connected, intermodal downtowns in Virginia and the Country.

The audience will learn about the projects underway in National Landing, what it takes to become the most connected downtown in the country, and learn the importance of keeping Vision Zero principles in the forefront of the planning process.

Breakout Sessions: 1:40 PM – 2:40 PM

Data Mapping Panel:

•Andrea Lasker, Vision Zero Coordinator, Prince George’s County

•Zachary Bishop, Planner

•Sydney Walker, Communications Assistant

•Mike Doyle, Founder, Northern Virginia Families for Safe Streets

Background: These panelists will discuss how mapping and data visualization is key to telling the story of Vision Zero, and how to use near miss/dangerous location surveys for street safety advocacy with policymakers, complete street planners, and law enforcement.

Building Coalitions with People Before Cars Panel:

Moderator: Jeremiah Lowery, Advocacy Director, Washington Area Bicyclist Association

•Gillian Burgess, Steering Committee Member, People Before Cars Coalition

•Malaika Scriven, National Landing BID

•Sonya Breehey, Fairfax Families for Safe Streets and Coalition for Smarter Growth

Background: The National Landing BID, in partnership with local organizations representing advocacy and business interests, created the People Before Cars Coalition in 2021. The Coalition amplifies next generational transportation infrastructure necessary to create a safer, people-centric network in National Landing. This panel explores how BIDs and place management organizations can collaborate with community stakeholders to garner support for big ideas that diverge from antiquated vehicle centered practices. Through advocacy, campaigns, storytelling and collaboration, BIDs can help harness the power of shared interests to build coalitions and champion major capital projects. This session will explore the People Before Cars Coalition model and lessons-learned to deliver a shared vision of people-centered mobility within National Landing.

Panel Session: 2:50 PM – 3:50 PM

Getting to Good: Building a Regional Bus System that Works for Marginalized and Underserved Communities Panel:

•Moderator: Ron Thompson, Transportation Equity Network Organizer, Greater Greater Washington

•Faith Walker, Executive Director, RVA Rapid Transit 

•Jane Lyons, Maryland Advocacy Manager – Coalition for Smarter Growth 

•Max Richman, Ward 7 Representative to the DC Bicyclist Advisory Council (DC BAC)

Background: Public transportation, critical to keeping current and new drivers off the road, is increasingly recognized among some advocates as a pillar of a Safe System Approach. Public bus service is often neglected in conversations about improving public transit in our region, and subsequently those who choose and rely upon bus service have their needs neglected. A Safe System approach requires an intentional focus on marginalized and underserved communities, groups that are disproportionately impacted by traffic violence and also heavily represented among the Washington region’s bus riders.

Hear from three panelists working to identify and correct disparities in bus service.

Panel Session: 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Keynote Speaker: Jessie Singer, journalist and author of There Are No Accidents: The Deadly Rise of Injury and Disaster – Who Profits and Who Pays the Price

*In-Person Programming 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM*

Remarks: Randy Clarke, WMATA General Manager