Dutch Cycling Embassy Returns to Southeast Florida in February 2025
27 January 2025From February 3rd to 7th, 2025, the Dutch Cycling Embassy will return to Southeast Florida for the third time in as many years, together with a small delegation of experts from our public-private network, for a series of activities around the 12th annual Safe Streets Summit in West Palm Beach.
A collaborative effort between the Palm Beach Transportation Planning Agency (TPA), Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), and Miami-Dade Transportation Planning Organization (TPO), the Safe Streets Summit brings together over 400 national speakers, public officials, technical staff, and community partners to discuss the design and implementation of safe and equitable transportation facilities for all modes. This year, it will be held on February 6th and 7th at The Hilton in West Palm Beach, where Dutch Cycling Embassy International Relations Manager Chris Bruntlett will provide a keynote address with Modacity Creative Urban Mobility Advisor Melissa Bruntlett entitled “A Global Shift to Urban Vitality”. This event takes place in advance of a high-level study visit to the Netherlands and France by the Palm Beach TPA in April 2025, organized by the Dutch Cycling Embassy.
Prior to the summit, the Dutch Cycling Embassy will lead a ThinkBike Workshop with the Broward MPO on February 3rd and 4th, which includes contributions from Maurits Lopes Cardozo of Bike-minded Design Consulting and Dick van Veen of Dickvanveen Street Design Public Space. This follows a May 2024 ThinkBike Workshop in Fort Lauderdale, which resulted in the identification of several strategic projects, one of which is the Dixie Highway. Attendees will be introduced to best practice infrastructure and intersection design by the Dutch experts and then apply these principles to the local case study in breakout groups. The final proposals will be presented to the larger group, where elected officials are invited to attend and provide their feedback.
From there, Melissa, Maurits, and Dick will travel to the Village of Pinecrest, where they have been engaged to lead a ThinkBike Workshop with elected officials, civil servants, and community leaders on February 5th and 6th. This program will be focused on the principles of network design, while identifying and prioritizing key projects on which to get started. The experts will also discuss safe routes to school, and how infrastructural, cultural, and institutional change can encourage more young people to walk and cycle.
On February 5th, Chris will moderate a Bicycle Safety Workshop with the Miami-Dade TPO, which is intended to follow up on their Bike Immersion Program that visited The Netherlands in May 2024. Following a cycling tour of Downtown Miami’s emerging network of protected bike lanes, approximately 25 elected officials from across the region will gather in the TPO’s offices for a technical session on improving safety through new street design standards which will include input from local experts.
All of these activities are generously supported by the Consulate-General of the Netherlands in Miami. If you have any questions about our work in the United States, or would like to get involved. please contact Chris Bruntlett directly. We are excited to build on our fruitful cooperation with local and regional governments across Southeast Florida, as we help them grow in a safe, sustainable, and prosperous way.