KYLE SIMPSON

APBP Board of Directors Candidate Statement

Kyle Simpson
Active Transportation Planner 
Forward Pinellas

Please briefly describe your current position and how your work relates to the bicycle/pedestrian field: 
Through my work as an Active Transportation Planner with Forward Pinellas, the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and land use planning agency for Pinellas County, every project I work on relates to the bicycle/pedestrian field. Since Forward Pinellas is responsible for transportation and land use planning, I help ensure that our existing active transportation investments, Long-range Transportation Plan, and Active Transportation Plan align with compatible planned land uses. I am the staff member responsible for managing our Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) and Pinellas Trail Security Task Force (PTSTF). I also represent Forward Pinellas on the Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT) Pedestrian Bicycle Safety Coalition, which brings together agency staff and stakeholders from around the state on a quarterly basis to realize the Vision Zero target that FDOT and Forward Pinellas have set. On a daily basis I work with the 25 local governments in Pinellas County to help advance active transportation projects. Most of our local governments do not have professional transportation staff and rely on Forward Pinellas for technical guidance and support. Examples of my work with our local partners include providing guidance bicycle facility options to connect from the mainland to our barrier islands, identifying safety countermeasures to incorporate into resurfacing projects, and wayfinding along our trail systems. I also manage our Complete Streets Grant Program, through which local governments are eligible to apply for on an annual basis to advance complete street concept planning and construction projects.

Why do you want to serve on the APBP Board of Directors? What do you hope to gain over the term of your Board Membership?:
I want to be an APBP Board member to advance APBP’s mission of creating walkable, bikeable places. Walking and bicycling are cost-effective transportation modes that result in numerous positive externalities, counter to the numerous negative externalities that result from a vehicle-based transportation system. As communities across North America struggle with increasing transportation and housing costs, decreasing mental and physical health, and a decreased sense of community, active transportation is uniquely positioned to help address these challenges, and can do so at a significantly accelerated pace compared to any other mode of transportation. As a Board member, my work would revolve around achieving the strategic plan goals identified in the 2022-2024 Strategic Planning Report, while staying true to APBP’s core values of connection, learning, equity and inclusion, and best practice development. Personally, I hope to gain additional connections with fellow Board members and practitioners throughout North America, while continuing to learn, personally and professionally, to serve APBP and the citizens of Pinellas County to the best of my ability.

Please describe your goals for APBP and how your leadership on the Board will benefit the association. 
My desire is for APBP to continue serving as the primary voice and resource for all topics related to Active Transportation in North America. To accomplish this, an intentional effort must be maintained to ensure professionals and advocates continue proactively working together, and that equity and inclusion are core to all projects from concept to implementation. I plan to ensure that APBP continues to have a strong voice in institutional materials and guidance from state and federal departments of transportation on materials such as state design guides and the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). I also intend to focus on maintaining and strengthening relationships with professional organizations such as the American Planning Association (APA), Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE), and the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO). Working for a MPO requires leadership, collaboration, and technical capability to advance the goals and objectives of the organization since we do not own, operate, or maintain any of the infrastructure we help plan and fund. I would apply the leadership experience gained through my work with Forward Pinellas, as well as my previous employment with the City of St. Petersburg, to achieve these goals and serve APBP and its members.

Past volunteer/leadership positions with APBP: 
I served on the 2021 Conference Planning Committee and am currently serving on the Advocacy Committee.

Past volunteer/leadership positions with other organizations: 
While obtaining my master’s degree at the University at Albany, I was the Vice President of Student Involvement for the Graduate Planning Student Organization, through which I organized multiple professional development activities and tactical urbanism projects such as PARKing Day. Throughout my time in St. Petersburg, I have been involved with the Sun Coast chapter of the American Planning Association and the Tampa Bay chapter of APBP. I am also active in a personal and professional capacity with local advocacy organizations such as Car Free St. Pete.