The Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study (AMATS) will host the Switching Gears - Active Transportation Conference, a free one-day conference on Thursday, June 26 in downtown Akron as part of its efforts to promote cycling and walking in the Greater Akron area.
The conference will highlight successful policy and implementation strategies, as well as grassroots efforts, to create more walkable and bikeable communities, which foster economic growth, improve health and increase transportation options.
Find out what's happening in Stowfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Switching Gears is sponsored by AMATS to promote cycling throughout the region. Since its launch several years ago, the program includes a web site - Switching-Gears.org - devoted to advocacy and information regarding regional cycling. The program has also created a Bike User Map detailing various area bike routes and their levels of difficulty and has hosted numerous events, such as its popular Bike-N-Brainstorms, which are group rides that allow participants to share their insights on how to improve the cycling experience through a given community.
Find out what's happening in Stowfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Among the events scheduled during the conference are featured presentations by Jason Roberts of The Better Block project and Dave Cieslewicz, executive director of Wisconsin Bike Fed and former mayor of Madison, Wisconsin. Roberts will explain how Better Block can influence city policies and lead to rapid changes and Cieslewicz will describe how Madison became a top bike-friendly community.
“We’re really excited about this conference. This event is an opportunity for our region to learn about national models for creating active, healthy communities. Along with our guest speakers, we have many events planned, including a Bike-N-Brainstorm through downtown Akron and how-to workshops on bike share programs and active transportation design,” says Krista Beniston, AMATS planning coordinator.
Registration and all morning activities are at the Akron-Summit County Public Library located at 60 South High Street in Akron starting at 8:30 a.m. Lunch and all afternoon sessions will be at the nearby John S. Knight Center located at 77 East Mill Street in Akron.
The deadline to register is Wednesday, June 18. To register for the Switching Gears – Active Transportation Conference, please click here.
For additional information, please contact Krista Beniston at 330-375-2436 or by email at KBeniston@AkronOhio.gov.
AMATS is the regional transportation planning agency serving the Village, City and County governments of Portage and Summit Counties and a portion of Wayne County. Please feel free to visit our agency’s web site at www.amatsplanning.org.