More than 300 community leaders and advocates from across the state will gather at Transylvania University from August 15-16 for a Bike Walk Kentucky Summit.
The conference will explore how to improve cycling and walking options and safety in Kentucky through a variety of means — from government funding to education to design to economic development. Transylvania hosted a similar summit in 2018.
“We are thrilled to be hosting the Bike Walk Kentucky Summit,” professor Sharon Brown said. “Participants will celebrate the progress made in recent years and build upon those accomplishments to make Kentucky a safer, healthier, more bike and pedestrian friendly place to live and work.”
The Kentucky Bicycle and Bikeway Commission awarded an $18,000 Paula Nye Memorial grant, funded by the state’s Share the Road license plates, to Bike Walk Kentucky.
“We are proud to support the 2024 Bike Walk Kentucky Summit, which will promote safe practices and encourage more complete streets to support a safer and more inclusive transportation system that protects all road users,” said Jim Gray, secretary of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. The grant comes on the heels of the Cabinet publishing a Complete Streets, Roads and Highways Policy and Designs Manual to consider the needs of cyclists and pedestrians in all new infrastructure projects.
The August summit, sponsored by the Bike Walk Kentucky advocacy organization, will draw participants from both urban and rural areas of the state. Their goals include developing advocacy networks and biking and walking facilities with statewide and citywide trails, along with educational activities for all ages. They also hope to improve the state’s bike-friendly ranking to further boost tourism.
National keynote speakers at the summit will include Bill Nesper, director of the League of American Bicyclists; Angie Schmitt, author of “Right of Way: Race, Class, and the Silent Epidemic of Pedestrian Deaths in America”; Kathleen Griffith and David Wright, tourism and recreation leaders from Bentonville, Arkansas; and Ben Sollee, a Kentucky cellist and cycling advocate.