Meet Toks Omishakin, Day-1 Keynote at Bike Summit 2020
Toks Omishakin, Caltrans Director is our opening Speaker for the 10th Annual Bike Summit to be held online on Aug 6 & 7, 2020.Toks Omishakin was appointed the 33rd Director of the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). Omishakin’s transportation vision for California features a safe, sustainable and multimodal transportation system that builds on strong local partnerships. Before joining Caltrans, he worked at the Tennessee Department of Transportation for 8 years to make TDOT one of the best DOTs in the country. Prior to that he served as Director of Healthy Living Initiatives in the Nashville Mayor’s Office prior to that.
1. Tell us about your previous experience in active transportation and developing safer biking and walking options.
Toks’ interest and involvement in active transportation can be traced back decades, as he was one of the first bike/pedestrian coordinators in Tennessee. Toks holds a Master of Arts degree in urban and regional planning and served as the deputy commissioner for environment and planning at the Tennessee Department of Transportation. Consistently accumulating active transportation experience, Toks served on the Board of Directors for American Walks and as Vice Chair of AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials) Council on Active Transportation, where he has provided thoughtful leadership. Additionally, Toks directed Healthy Living Initiatives for the mayor of Nashville, where he led the development of a Complete Streets policy for the city. At the 2019 National Bike Summit for the League of American Bicyclists, Toks emphasized his support of active transportation development and safety and how design is symbiotically part of the equation: “If we want to get more people—especially novice riders—out and about on bikes, we need more protected facilities. If we think just striping and paint are solutions, that will not happen – especially on roads, in urban environments, where the right turning movements by cars can be a big danger to pedestrians and bicyclists.”
2. Given the current situation, what do you think are some opportunities cities and agencies should take advantage of to make their streets safer for people walking and biking?
Caltrans firmly embraces racial equity, inclusion, and diversity. Achieving greater equity by eliminating disparities and improving outcomes for all is our goal. This includes equitable transportation benefits across society: equal access to mass transit and addressing active transportation needs. Equity in planning is also integral in Caltrans’ goal of being part of the solution: Being more proactive to hearing all voices in our planning and community input process and providing equitable access to the decision-making process for allcommunities, groups, and people.
3. Tell us about your bike and where you like to ride?
Toks has a mountain bike which he enjoys riding into Caltrans Headquarters daily.