High-Profile Speakers to Headline Bike Summit ‘22
In a region facing enormous intertwined challenges — from high housing and transportation costs to social and income inequity — Bike Summit ’22 promises to detail new and innovative approaches to building healthier, more just communities.
The tone is set from the start, with high-profile keynote speakers including Caltrans’ district director for the Bay Area, who oversees budget for $2 billion in programs, and a panel discussion on the future of the bike movement, a candid exploration by the executive directors of three of the nation’s biggest bicycle coalitions.
Bike Summit ’22, is the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition’s marquee annual conference. This year’s event, Aug. 18 in Millbrae, brings together bicycling enthusiasts and leading voices from the region’s bicycle-movement, government, education, public-interest, industry and advocacy entities, for insights into the latest ideas in safe, accessible, bike-driven transportation.
Don’t Miss the Special Keynote
You won’t want to miss the special two-part opening session.
Dina El-Tawansy, Bay Area district director for Caltrans
Come meet the woman who is key to the planning, funding and success of many of the Bay Area’s transportation projects so important to the bike movement.
Dina El-Tawansy is director for Caltrans District 4, which covers the Bay Area. She’s a veteran of more than two decades with Caltrans who manages a $2 billion budget and leads nearly 3,500 staff. Her described focus is on partnerships and working toward multimodal, safe and reliable transportation solutions that serve all people equitably in the Bay Area.
El-Tawansy’s Caltrans district owns and operates the state highway system in the Bay Area, including facilities for the biking public. As such it’s vital to projects including efforts to improve safety and access for cycling along El Camino Real, a critical Bay Area north-south route, and many other major arterials.
An important note: Caltrans recently set a state-wide priority on sustainable and equitable modes of transportation.
The Future of the Bike Movement – Panel
This rich panel discussion brings together the executive directors of three of the nation’s biggest bicycle coalitions — Ginger Jui of Bike East Bay, Janelle Wong of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, and Shiloh Ballard of the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition.
With Covid in early 2019 came dramatic changes in transportation, commuting and bicycle advocacy. And as we emerge from the pandemic bike coalitions are shifting gears in leadership, organization and demographics.
Bike East Bay is hiring a new co-Executive Director. CalBike, a state-wide organization, is seeking an Executive Director. The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and Napa Bike have new Executive Directors. The Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition just adopted a new strategic plan that upends how it has historically approached advocacy and programs. And now that more people are starting to return to work in-person, public agencies are scrambling to understand and address changing needs.
Join us for a conversation about the future of the bike movement in a post-pandemic Bay Area – and the relevance of the fact that, for the first time, not a single Bay Area bike coalition is being led by a cis-gender white male.
This guest blog is written by SVBC Volunteer Scott Brown. Scott is a writer, editor, content strategist and former journalist based in the Bay Area.