Our new department is headed up by Jessica Roberts, a longtime bicycle advocate and planner. Jessica most recently completed five years on staff of the well-known Bicycle Transportation Alliance and has represented Oregon bicyclists at the National Bicycle Summit as well as part of a city delegation to the Netherlands. Jessica looks forward to applying her grassroots organizing and community education experience to Alta’s growing number of "soft" projects.

   Joining Jessica is Susan Peithman, who previously worked both at the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation and the Chicago Department of Transportation. Susan coordinated the Junior Ambassador Program, a skills training program that taught bicycle repair, urban riding, and bike safety leadership training to 50 Chicago teens.

   Jessica and Susan offer Alta’s clients unparalleled knowledge about successful program models, cost/benefit analysis, program evaluation, applicable research, and funding sources for special projects. Please contact Jessica Roberts to discuss your program needs and explore how Alta can help you reach more people, more effectively.

Alta is growing! We're pleased to announce the opening of a new Western states office in Bozeman, Montana; a Southern California office in San Diego; and an addition Eastern office in Arlington, Virginia.

Joe Gilpin, Alta's new branch manager in Bozeman.

   Joe Gilpin is joining Alta to head up the new Western branch. With a background in traffic engineering, planning, and transportation advocacy, Joe has specialized in bicycle and pedestrian planning since 2001. He also has the unique experience of having worked at length in the private sector, the public sector, and the nonprofit sector. Some of his past hats include bicycle/pedestrian nonprofit Executive Director, multi-modal planner at RRM Design Group, and Bicycle Coordinator of a Metropolitan Planning Organization. Joe has lived in the Bozeman area on and off for over 20 years, and he’s excited to work with communities he’s known since childhood.
   Alta’s new Western office will serve the intermountain west, offering bicycle and pedestrian expertise to communities in Montana, Idaho, Utah, and beyond. Alta’s services include trail planning and design, Safe Routes to School programs, non-motorized elements of larger transportation plans, and ADA/disability assessments.
   Contact Joe Gilpin to find out more about how Alta can make your community better for walking and biking.

   Our San Diego office offers expertise in Pedestrian Master Planning, Bicycle Master Planning, Trail Planning and Feasibility Studies, and GIS. Sherry Ryan joined Alta in 2007 to head up the new Southern California office. She has a background in transportation planning and GIS, and holds graduate degrees in Civil Engineering and Transportation Sciences from U. C. Irvine. In addition to leading several pedestrian master planning projects, she is a professor at San Diego State University in the Graduate Program in City Planning, where she teaches transportation and land use planning courses. She is a native of San Diego and has worked for more than 10 years in the region as a professional planner.
   Contact Sherry Ryan for information about pedestrian and bicycle improvements in the Southern California region.

Charlie Denney, Alta's new branch manager in Arlington.

   We're excited to announce the opening of a new office in Arlington, VA, located just across the Potomac River from Washington, DC. The office is led by Charlie Denney, a professional planner with over 15 years of experience in bicycle and pedestrian planning and design. Charlie has worked in the public, private and non-profit sectors, most recently serving as the Bicycle & Pedestrian Program Manager for Arlington, VA, a national leader in creating a truly multi-modal community. Charlie worked on projects throughout the US as a consultant and, as a Planner for the Bicycle Federation of America, he delivered training courses on bicycle and pedestrian planning and design around the country. Charlie is excited to join Alta and to have the opportunity to work with communities interested in becoming more walkable and bikeable.
   The Arlington office will primarily serve clients in the Middle-Atlantic and Southeastern States focusing on trail planning and design, municipal bicycle and pedestrian planning, complete streets projects, safe routes to schools, and marketing and programs. Contact Charlie Denney to talk about how Alta can help your community.

Alta principal George Hudson, ASLA, along with senior landscape architects Steve Durrant, ASLA and Mike Rose, ASLA, conducted a day-long continuing education course on trail design for the Institute for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation in Portland on October 19th. Thirty professionals from northern California to Vancouver, BC, and Bozeman, MT. attended the 9 hour session. After a fast paced classroom session, the class spent four hours in the field and another three in small groups developing and discussing their own solutions to a very difficult gap in Portland's Willamette River Greenway.

   One participant comment at the end of the day: "This was the best CE course I've ever attended, it was really relevant to our own challenges. I wish it was longer."

   The Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation, located in the Center for Transportation Studies at Portland State University, is a collaborative partnership with the Department of Planning, Public Policy and Management at the University of Oregon, and the College of Engineering at Oregon State University.

   A vital part of IBPI's mission is providing educational opportunities for students and practitioners to enhance their knowledge and expertise in all facets of policy, policy development, design, and programs that advance bicycle and pedestrian travel and safety. IBPI is offering professional development courses, and working with academics and professionals to create new courses and course curricula at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Contact: Lynn Weigand.

• Portland, Oregon recently received national attention for its budding bike industry and the culture it’s cultivating. The New York Times consulted Alta’s own Mia Birk on the city’s bike-related business growth including Alta as a firm supporting cycling.
• Mia also weighed in on the economic benefits of Portland's bicycle infrastructure in a recent Willamette Week article.
• The Clackamas Review featured an interview with Alta Landscape Architect Mike Rose about his work on the North Clackamas Community Park Plan.

Brooke DuBose, Senior Planner - Berkeley, California
Brooke DuBose joined the Alta team in November 2007. Prior to Alta, Brooke was a planner for Transportation Alternatives, New York City’s leading advocate for walking, biking and sensible transportation. She provided technical assistance to communities throughout New York City to help design safe and livable streets. While working towards a Masters degree in urban planning, she worked for the Highway Safety Research Center in North Carolina, where she researched current applications of engineering, design, and planning techniques for walking and bicycling. She also worked on smart growth initiatives and comprehensive corridor schemes for Project for Public Spaces in New York City. Her experience includes traffic calming design and public space revitalization, placemaking methodologies, and community-based planning.

• Pro-Bono Assistance: Alta staff are available to help community groups and agencies on a pro bono basis, whether it is answering questions or assisting with research. Every year we donate hundreds of hours to help our colleagues in a variety of areas. Call an Alta professional today to find out more about this, or come into one of our offices and use our library of resources.
   
• Conference Support Program: Alta offers help to deserving individuals who wish to attend conferences in fields related to bicycles, pedestrians, and trails. This may include plane tickets, other travel costs, and conference costs. Contact Julie McDougal to find out more about this program.