Summit 2025 - New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition

Saturday, March 29, 2025 at Princeton University

McDonnell Hall

Welcome to the 14th Annual

New Jersey Bike & Walk Summit

The Bike & Walk Summit is New Jersey’s statewide meeting of bicycle and pedestrian advocates, elected officials and state, county, and municipal leaders, transportation and urban planners, bike shop owners and managers, cycling, walking, fitness and health enthusiasts and experts, recreation, trails and club leaders and others who are interested in making our state a better place to live.

Online registration is open!

Early bird pricing ends on March 12 at 11:59pm.
Online sales end on March 26 at 11:59pm.
Become a ‘Friends’ level sponsor ($350) OR purchase a Club/Advocacy Group membership ($350) and receive 1 comp ticket AND 20% discount on up to 4 tickets to the 2025 Summit! Visit the ‘Sponsor the Summit‘ tab for more benefits available.

***All sessions are eligible for AICP Certification Maintenance (CM) credits.***

Program and Schedule Overview

8am – Registration

9am – Opening Plenary

Welcome Remarks: Charlie Tennyson, Debra Kagan, Dan Benson
Keynote Speaker: Fran K. O’Connor, NJ Department of Transportation Commissioner
Keynote Panel: The Crossroads of Transportation Policy
- Barbara McCann, Former Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secretary, USDOT
- Caron Whitaker, Deputy Executive Director, League of American Bicyclists
- Zoe Baldwin, Vice President, State Programs & New Jersey Director, Regional Plan Association
- Cathleen Lewis, Clean Transportation Programs Manager, NJ Board of Utilities

10:10am – Breakout Session 1

Trails: Catalyst for Change
Safety Plans: From Policy to Pop-Up to Permanent
Choosing the Right Funding to Get Stuff Done
Safe Routes Academy: Taking it to the Streets – Conducting Walkability Audits (Extended Session Part 1)

11:20am – Breakout Session 2

Building Better Trails: Insights and Strategies for Funding and Development
Driver Accountability: Myth and Reality
Data Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Data
Safe Routes Academy: Taking it to the Streets – Conducting Walkability Audits (Extended Session Part 2)
Walk Witherspoon Street Hosted by Sustainable Princeton

12:20pm – Lunch & Networking

1:05pm – Afternoon Plenary

Keynote: Charles L. Marohn Jr., Founder & President, Strong Towns
Marty Epstein Advocates of the Year Awards

2:15pm – Breakout Session 3

Trail Networks: Going the Distance
Building Trust in Communities by Implementing Meaningful Engagement Strategies
Student Advocate Showcase
Safe Routes Academy: Bring Your Questions! How to Engage Your Community to Build Better Streets
A Walk Through Alleyways to Coffee Hosted by Princeton Future

3:25pm – Breakout Session 4

Getting Engineers to Yes
Expanding the SAFE Network Program & Strengthening Local Advocacy
Build a Bike Safety Wheel for Fun Engagement with WWBPA
Safe Routes Academy: School Zone Safety Takes a Team

Supporting the 2025 NJ Bike & Walk Summit is beneficial to your business and those who attend! Promote your business to individuals and organizations working toward connected, livable, thriving communities.

Become a ‘Friends’ level sponsor ($350) OR purchase a Club/Advocacy Group membership ($350) and receive 1 comp ticket AND 20% discount on up to 4 tickets to the 2025 Summit!

Open the sponsorship package to learn more about sponsor tiers!

Location

McDonnell Hall and Jadwin Hall, Washington Road, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08540
Registration is in Brush Gallery

Transportation Services

Getting to Campus
My Commute
Walking & Rolling
Public Transit (Bus and Train to Campus)
Bikes on NJ TRANSIT
Driving

Parking Services

After 4 PM on weekdays and all day on the weekends, University visitors may park in any numbered and non-restricted parking lots, including the Theater Drive Garage, Prospect Ave Garage, and Stadium Drive Garage. Motorists must be parked in a legal space between two white lines and adhere to signage and state regulations.

Accessibility and Shuttles

Accessible Transit
TigerTransit Shuttles(Unfortunately, Stadium Garage is not serviced on Saturdays, but those wishing to explore campus or utilize TigerTransit are welcome to take advantage of this free service).

Wayfinding

Loading/Unloading Instructions for Vendors

Vendors may temporarily park vehicles on Scholar Way (off Washington Road) and unload materials into Jadwin Hall via the building’s south entrance. Vehicles must not block the roadway and should be moved to Stadium Drive once unloading is complete.

Internet

Campus Visitors WiFi Instructions
All visitors and guests may connect to wireless network ‘PUVisitor’

2025 Summit Organizers

Keynote Speaker

Fran K. O’Connor, NJ Department of Transportation Commissioner

Francis (Fran) K. O’Connor was confirmed as the 20th Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Transportation by the New Jersey State Senate on June 28, 2024. He was nominated for the Cabinet position by Governor Phil Murphy in January 2024 and began serving as Acting Commissioner on February 12, 2024. A proud native of Jersey City, New Jersey, O’Connor is honored to serve his home state and brings with him more than 40 years of senior-level experience in both the public and private sectors. His industry expertise spans executive leadership, operations, planning, customer service, and oversight of complex, multi-million-dollar projects for public sector clients across the country.

Keynote: Transportation for a Strong Town

Charles L. Marohn Jr., Founder and President, Strong Towns

Charles Marohn, known as “Chuck” to friends and colleagues, is the founder and president of Strong Towns. He is a land use planner and civil engineer with decades of experience. He holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning, both from the University of Minnesota. Marohn is the author of Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Rebuild American Prosperity (Wiley, 2019), Confessions of a Recovering Engineer: Transportation for a Strong Town (Wiley, 2021), and Escaping the Housing Trap: The Strong Towns Response to the Housing Crisis (Wiley, 2024). He hosts the Strong Towns Podcast and is a primary writer for Strong Towns’ web content. He has presented Strong Towns concepts in hundreds of cities and towns across North America. Planetizen named him one of the 10 Most Influential Urbanists of all time.

Keynote Panel: The Crossroads of Transportation Policy

Barbara McCann, Former Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secretary, USDOT

Barbara McCann recently retired from the US Department of Transportation, where she served in several leadership roles related to surface transportation safety and environment. Most recently she served as Senior Advisor to Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg. Over her 11 years at the Department she had major roles in the development of safety initiatives including the National Roadway Safety Strategy, the Safe Streets and Roads for All grant program, and the USDOT Safety Council. She also spearheaded the Safety Data Initiative, the Mayor’s Challenge for Safer People and Safer Streets, and the Federal Highway Administration’s work to integrate Complete Streets across its programs. Prior to coming to DOT, she founded and served as Executive Director of the National Complete Streets Coalition, developing and advancing the adoption of policies to design streets to be safe for all users. Her book on that work, Completing our Streets, was published by Island Press in 2013.

Caron Whitaker, Deputy Executive Director, League of American Bicyclists

In her role as Deputy Executive Director, Caron helps with organizational strategy as well as leads the League’s federal policy efforts to secure bicycle and pedestrian friendly policies and funding through advocacy with Congress, the Administration and national advocacy partners. Prior to joining the League of American Bicyclists in 2012, Caron served as the Campaign Director for America Bikes. Before that, she worked for the National Wildlife Federation on smart growth, international policy, and community engagement. In addition, Caron served as a Community Land Use Planner for the State of North Carolina Division of Coastal Management, providing technical assistance to local governments and staffing a stakeholders’ council responsible for revising state planning regulations. She has a Masters in Environmental Management from Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment and a Bachelors of Arts from Williams College.

Zoe Baldwin, Vice President, State Programs & New Jersey Director, Regional Plan Association

As the Vice President of State Programs, Zoe works to expand RPA’s presence and efficacy in each state, helping to build diverse support for policies that promote a stronger, more connected region. Zoe also leads research, planning, and advocacy activities in her home state of New Jersey, where she draws on her considerable experience in public policy and community engagement to develop and advance policies and projects that facilitate equitable, vibrant, and resilient communities.

Cathleen Lewis, Clean Transportation Programs Manager, NJ Board of Utilities

Cathleen Lewis served Lawrence Township as a Council Member since 2012, serving as Mayor in 2014 and 2015. She has served on the Lawrence Zoning Board and has been council liaison to the Growth and Redevelopment Committee, the Trails and Open Space Committee, the Health Committee, Recreation committee and the Diversity, Inclusion and Equity committee. Ms. Lewis is employed at the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities where she is helping to lead New Jersey’s Electric Vehicle transition, administering incentive programs for vehicles and charging stations and establishing policies to encourage adoption. She is an active member of the community, serving as a Girl Scout Troop leader in 2 troops, a Board member of the Girl Scouts of Central and Southern New Jersey and Board member of the NJ Bike/Walk Coalition.