Speaker Forums
Snotrac frequently hosts speaker forums to bring new ideas for discussion to Snohomish County.
Recordings can be watched on Snotrac's Youtube channel.
Oct. 27, 2023: Perspectives: North & East County Mayors
Snotrac held an online panel discussion with mayors from North & East Snohomish County to hear their perspectives on transportation issues.
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Mayor Barb Tolbert, Arlington
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Mayor Dan Rankin, Darrington
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Mayor Matt Hartman, Granite Falls
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Mayor Brett Gailey, Lake Stevens
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Mayor Sid Roberts, Stanwood
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Mayor Russel Wiita, Sultan
Oct. 20, 2023: Perspectives: South County Mayors
Snotrac held an online panel discussion with mayors from South Snohomish County to hear their perspectives on transportation issues.
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Mayor Christine Frizzell, Lynnwood
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Mayor Brian Hortzclaw, Mill Creek
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Mayor Joe Marine, Mukilteo
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Mayor Kyoko Matsumoto Wright, Mountlake Terrace
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Mayor Mason Thompson, Bothell
Oct. 13, 2023: Perspectives: City Councilmembers
Snotrac held an online panel discussion with city councilmembers from across Snohomish County to hear their perspectives on transportation issues.
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Don Vanney, Arlington
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Amanda Dodd, Bothell
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Susan Paine, Edmonds
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Paula Rhyne, Everett
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Kim Daughtry, Lake Stevens
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Rory Paine-Donovan, Mountlake Terrace
Sept. 22, 2023: Perspectives: The Media
Snotrac held an panel discussion with transportation reporters and editors on Snohomish County transportation issues. Due to a technical error, no video recording was made of this first panel discussion. For this reason, a lightly edited transcript based on an AI transcription is posted to Snotrac's blog.
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Tom Fucoloro, Seattle Bike Blog
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Mike Lindblom, The Seattle Times
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Ryan Packer, The Urbanist
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Teressa Wippel, Lynnwood Today, MLTnews, MyEdmondsNews
June 21, 2023: Nathan Vass, "The Lines That Make Us"
Nathan Vass is an artist, filmmaker, photographer, and King County Metro driver. As a driver, he's been called a "therapist, anthropologist, and lion tamer." In "The Lines That Make Us," Nathan lyrically connects people of all backgrounds across Seattle. Nathan's empathic approach towards bus driving and community-building are a genuine inspiration.
June 5, 2023: Jarrett Walker,
"Clearer Thinking on Public Transit"
As president of the consulting firm Jarrett Walker + Associates, based in Portland, Oregon, Jarrett Walker is an international consultant in public transit network design and policy. He is the author of "Human Transit: How clearer thinking about public transit can enrich our communities and our lives" (Island Press, 2011).
May 17, 2023: Melissa & Chris Bruntlett,
"Creating Age- & Ability-Friendly Cities"
Melissa and Chris Bruntlett are Canadian authors and urban mobility advocates who strive to communicate the benefits of sustainable transport and inspire happier, healthier, more human-scale cities.
May 3, 2023: Angie Schmitt,
"Race, Class, & the Silent Epidemic of Pedestrian Deaths"
Angie Schmitt, principal of 3MPH Planning + Consulting, is an internationally recognized expert on pedestrian safety. She is the author of "Right of Way: Race, Class and the Silent Epidemic of Pedestrian Deaths in America," which was published in 2020 by Island Press.
Apr. 14, 2023: The Future of CTR & TDM
Snotrac held a panel presentation with Tien-Tien Chan and Melanie Truhn of Nelson\Nygaard and Jessica Roberts of Alta Planning & Design as they discussed the future of commute trip reduction (CTR) and transportation demand management (TDM) programs.
Mar. 2, 2023: Paul Comfort, Transit Unplugged
An expert on leadership, transportation infrastructure and transit trends, Paul Comfort Esq., former CEO of the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA), most recently led a revolutionary change from a 50-year-old antiquated transit system to the world-class BaltimoreLink, an efficient, high-frequency, connected rail and bus transit system in Baltimore, Maryland. He is currently Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer of Modaxo Americas, and has written four books on transit, and hosts a national podcast “Transit Unplugged” interviewing top public transportation leaders about their lives, operations and transit trends.
Oct. 17, 2022: Lessons from the Week Without Driving
The Week Without Driving challenge puts leaders almost literally in these people's shoes, providing new perspectives on how their policy and funding decisions restrict or enable mobility for all people.
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Ric Ilgenfritz, Community Transit CEO
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Tom Hingson, Everett Transit Director
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June Robinson, State Senator
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Shelley Kloba, State Representative
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Megan Dunn, Snohomish County Councilmember
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Paula Rhyne, Everett City Councilmember
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Liz Vogeli, Everett City Councilmember
May 26, 2022: Snohomish County Bike Panel
The panel discussion covered what local jurisdictions are doing to make bicycling safer and more comfortable in Snohomish County communities
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City of Bothell: Sherman Goong
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City of Everett: Christina Curtis
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City of Lake Stevens: Ryan Wietholter
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City of Marysville: Jesse Hannahs
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Leafline Trails Coalition: Claire Martini
Mar. 31, 2022: Fair Fares & Fare Faeries
Hester Serebrin, Transportation Choices Coalition
Russ Arnold, Sound Transit
Justin Leighton, Washington State Transit Association
The presentations and panel discussion covered the shift toward free fares for youth and the shift away from punitive enforcement measures.
Feb. 23, 2022: Senator Marko Liias
Sen. Marko Liias outlined the proposed Move Ahead Washington package and other transportation issues before the 2022 state legislature.
Sept. 24, 2021: Paulo Nunes-Ueno, Front & Centered
Front and Centered is the largest coalition of communities of color-led groups in the Pacific Northwest, whose diverse missions and work come together at the intersection of equity, environmental and climate justice. Front and Centered has led the effort for a bolder state transportation package, one that would spend half the expenditure on transit, walking, biking, and ADA needs.
July 2021: Anna Zivarts, Disability Mobility Initiative
Anna Zivarts is the Director of the Disability Mobility Initiative Program at Disability Rights Washington. She advocates for people who can’t drive or don’t have access to a car, people are are more likely to be disabled, elderly, young, BIPOC, indigenous, and immigrants. Her advocacy begins with learning the lived experiences of individuals, and documenting and sharing these stories through photo, video and on social media.
June 2021: The Future of Transit Funding in the Capitols
Chris Rall, Transportation for America
Alex Hudson, Transportation Choices Coalition
Based in D.C., Transportation For America (T4A) is an advocacy organization made up of local, regional and state leaders who envision a transportation system that safely, affordably and conveniently connects people of all means and ability to jobs, services, and opportunity through multiple modes of travel. T4A has been the leading voice on progressive federal transportation funding for the last decade. Founded in 1993, Transportation Choices Coalition (TCC) is a policy and advocacy nonprofit dedicated to making transportation accessible to all in Washington State. TCC passes policies that support more transit, bike, and pedestrian improvements at the state, regional, and local levels
May 27, 2021: Ed Bronsdon, Outdoors for All
Outdoors for All is a national leader in providing adaptive cycling and other recreational opportunities for children and adults with disabilities.
April 30, 2021: Sound Transit: Everett Link Extension
Snotrac and Everett Station District Alliance co-hosted a presentation by Erik Ashlie-Vinke and Carrie Avila-Mooney of Sound Transit presented Sound Transit's plans for the Everett Link Extension and how the agency's current financial shortfall might affect the project. Following the presentation, staff from the Everett Station District Alliance presented conceptual illustrations for how light rail may come into the final northern station near Downtown Everett. These were merely draft conceptual renderings for potential alignments that Sound Transit may consider when it starts its actual analysis over the next few years.
March 25, 2021: Sound Transit: Transit-Oriented Development
Snotrac and the Everett Station District Alliance co-hosted a speaker forum presentation by Thatcher Imboden of Sound Transit about the agency's strategies for supporting transit-oriented development and affordable housing.
February 2021: Mike McGinn, America Walks
America Walks is a national organization that advances safe, equitable, accessible, and enjoyable places to walk and move by giving people and communities the resources to effectively advocate for change. America Walks provides a voice for walking and walkable communities to federal agencies and Congress, and provides strategy support, training, and technical assistance to state and local organizations.
January 2021: Dongho Chang on Vision Zero
Dongho Chang, the Chief Traffic Engineer for the City of Everett, discussed how to create safer streets for all people following the principles of "Vision Zero." Vision Zero is a strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries, while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all. Vision Zero starts with the ethical belief that everyone has the right to move safely in their communities, and that system designers and policy makers share the responsibility to ensure safe systems for travel. First implemented in Sweden in the 1990s, Vision Zero has proved successful across Europe — and now it’s gaining momentum in major American cities.