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Speaking

April 22 - 24, 2026

Portland State University Smith Memorial Union Portland, Oregon Visit Event Website

Wednesday, April 22
11:45 am

Burgess & Niple (B&N) will present on innovative strategies to advance Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs by minimizing design costs and leveraging technology. Traditional design scopes can make small projects as costly to design as they are to construct. Through a series of case studies from Ohio, Arizona and Idaho, B&N will demonstrate how modifying scopes, utilizing technology and adjusting deliverable expectations can reduce design costs while delivering easily constructable plans and projects.

The presentation will also showcase Peoria, Arizona's innovative use of geospatial technology to modernize Safe Routes to School planning. A GIS-based solution replaced traditional static paper maps with an interactive web application that allows parents to map customized, safe routes from home to school. This dynamic tool integrates real-time GIS data, adapting to infrastructure updates and safety improvements, while fostering collaboration among parents, schools and planners.

B&N Presenters:

Ashley Bryers, AICP

Molly Loucks, PE

Wednesday, April 22
2:15 pm

Public agencies launching active transportation programs often face the same challenge: they lack reliable bicycle and pedestrian volume data. Without exposure data, it is difficult to quantify risk, prioritize corridors or justify investments. Third-party datasets like Strava Metro offer new opportunities but also introduce bias, often overrepresenting recreational and higher-income users. When left unaddressed, these biases can unintentionally reinforce inequities.

This session explores how to use Strava as one component of a structured, bias-aware analytical framework grounded in mobility justice. Through a Vision Zero case study, we will demonstrate how a public agency estimated Vulnerable Road User (VRU) volumes across an entire network despite limited count infrastructure. By triangulating Strava Metro with demographic indicators (zero-car households, income and age), land use patterns, crash history and proximity to essential destinations, the team developed an Active Transportation Need and Demand Index that distinguished between observed activity and latent demand.

Addressing sparse data is only part of the challenge. Equally important is recognizing and correcting bias across all data sources to ensure that active transportation investments reflect who needs safe mobility—not just who is already being counted. Attendees will leave with a replicable, practical approach for responsibly integrating emerging datasets into equitable Vision Zero and active transportation planning efforts.
B&N Presenters:

Ashley Bryers, AICP

Bryan O'Reilly

Ashley Bryers, AICP, Senior Transportation Planner

ASHLEY BRYERS, AICP
Senior Transportation Planner

Molly Loucks, PE, Transportation Project Manager

MOLLY LOUCKS, PE
Transportation Project Manager

Bryan O'Reilly, GIS Designer

BRYAN O'REILLY
GIS Designer

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