Comunidades Activas y Seguras (Active and Safe Communities) Program

Ten adults wearing fluorescent safety vests stand together to take a group photo.

Facilitators gather community input from residents and local stakeholders to advocate for pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements in Tranquillity, California.

Nine adults engage in a discussion with a facilitator about pedestrian and bicycle safety.

An instructor leads a Safe Route to School (SRTS) focused CAyS workshop in Cudahy, California, to improve safety for youth and families who walk or bike to and from school.

A group of twelve people wearing fluorescent safety vests stand together to discuss roadway conditions and concerns.

Community members and transportation safety champions participate in a walking and biking assessment in Ashland-Cherryland, California.

Nine adults engage in a discussion about pedestrian and bicycle safety.

An instructor leads a CAyS workshop in Tranquillity, California, where community members discuss safety concerns and identify opportunities for key safety improvements.

Comunidades Activas y Seguras (Active and Safe Communities) is a joint program of UC Berkeley SafeTREC (SafeTREC) and California Walks (Cal Walks). After working with communities of diverse backgrounds through our statewide Community Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Training program, we decided to create a curriculum tailored to better meet the needs of Spanish-speaking communities. Since its inception in 2021, Comunidades Activas y Seguras (CAyS) has been dedicated to enhancing walking and biking safety through a community-centered approach. We prioritize cultural and linguistic sensitivity to effectively identify and address walking and biking safety concerns. Our team works with a local Planning Committee to customize the workshop to ensure that it meets the unique needs of the community.

CAyS collaborates with communities to:

Improve safety for pedestrians and bicyclists in Spanish-speaking communities in California;
Engage communities in active transportation safety discussions and be a part of decision-making processes;
Connect community members and stakeholders within participating communities to each other and create opportunities for collaboration;
Partner with stakeholders working on issues adjacent to transportation safety, e.g: environmental justice, housing, food security; and
Create shareable educational content for social media and other virtual outlets.

2026 Comunidades Activas y Seguras trainings

Applications are now open for the 2026 CAyS and the program will partner with up to three communities throughout California to discuss, plan, and implement active transportation safety improvements. Applications are available in both English and Spanish. For early consideration, please apply by Wednesday, December 19, 2025. Applications will remain open until all slots are filled. Reach out with any questions about the process to our team at cpbsp@berkeley.edu

Learn more:

Download and review the 2026 CPBSP flier: English / Spanish

Follow-up support

Has your community hosted either a CPBST or CAyS workshop and would like more support? We offer follow-up technical assistance for former CPBST and CAyS communities to support their community’s implementation of programs, projects, and recommendations outlined in their community action plan. We are currently seeking up to three CAyS communities to partner with us. To inquire about follow-up technical assistance, please contact us at cpbsp@berkeley.edu

Our past work

As of 2025, SafeTREC and Cal Walks have conducted 155 pedestrian and bicycle safety trainings throughout California, including 19 CAyS trainings. Explore our interactive map of the Community Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Program (CPBSP) or our web accessible, text version page to view summary reports, where available, of each workshop proceeding, including ideas identified during the process and recommendations for pedestrian/bicycle safety projects, policies, and programs.

A map of California with the locations of all 19 CAyS trainings identified with pink markers.

What to expect

CAyS is jointly planned with a local Planning Committee of community leaders, residents, schools, agencies and other safety partners over the course of two to three months. During the workshop, the Project Team reviews local crash data and the community’s traffic safety experiences, reviews an adapted Safe System Approach framework and pedestrian and bicycle safety best practices, guides participants on a walking and biking safety assessment, facilitates action planning with community members, and engages participants during a lotería activity that uses Safe System Approach strategies. The CAyS program is committed to equitable and accessible community outreach and engagement in active transportation planning. We prioritize working in communities that are at higher risk for road traffic injuries and addressing the safety needs of people who are underserved by traditional transportation planning and resources. Through collaborative work, the program helps build rapport between residents, local officials, agency staff, coalitions, and other stakeholders.

Activities may include

Safe System Approach presentation: A presentation of an adapted Safe System Approach, including its principles, layers of protection, and strategies to eliminate fatal and serious injuries on the road;
Pedestrian and bicyclist crash overview: Analysis and presentation of crash data in the community’s focus area and crash trends to identify causes and potential solutions to active transportation safety challenges;

Walking and biking assessment: An assessment of pedestrian and bicyclist safety conditions, concerns, and road user behavior patterns around selected routes conducted either in the field or as a table-top activity;
Action planning: An interactive activity with local residents and safety advocates to develop a community-driven action plan to improve walking and biking safety in their communities;

Arrival and dismissal observations: Observation of desired and risky behaviors of people walking, rolling, and driving in school zones; and

Experiences and stories: To increase understanding of effective advocacy approaches. This may include developing audiovisual tools for advocacy with the community.

Communities can use this training to

Support grant applications for infrastructure and community education programs;
Implement education efforts;
Build or strengthen local coalitions;
Increase understanding of effective policy change approaches;
Expand outreach within communities; and
Explore and implement Safe Routes to School programming.

Interested in learning more about the program or an upcoming training? Please contact us atcpbsp@berkeley.edu

Research and program evaluation

The CPBSP team reviews the program and its impact on a regular basis. Please see below for a list of recent follow-up surveys, research briefs, and an evaluation of the effectiveness of the CPBSP:

Advancing Youth Helmet Adoption Through Community-Based Programming. Melie Ekunno, Lilette Gorostieta, Kris Leckie (2025).

An Early Analysis of Speed Safety Camera Program Rollout in California. Kyler Blodgett (2025).

Pairing Speed Limit Reductions and Infrastructure to Lower Fatal and Serious (FSI) Crashes. Noelani Fixler, Melie Ekunno (2025).
Community Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Training (CPBST) Program Workshop Follow-Up Survey Highlights: 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020
Connecting Public Health and Transportation - Applying Crowdsourcing and Community Engagement Principles to Traffic Safety. Jarah Crowner, Katherine L. Chen (2024).
Equitable Transportation Planning for Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety through the Use of the Safe System Approach. Noelani Fixler, Lucia Ornelas, Kris Leckie (2024).
Mobility Safety for California's Affordable Housing Residents: Co-locating Improvements. Kyler Blodgett (2024).
Peer Exchange Series 2024: My community is eager to collaborate and grow! Where do we go from here? Areli Ariana Balderrama (2024).
2023 CPBSP Annual Report. Katherine L. Chen (2023).
Toward a Better Understanding of Best Implementation Practice for the Community Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Training Program. Aqshems Nichols, Areli Ariana Balderrama, and Katherine L. Chen (2023)
Conducting Community Engagement with a Safe System Lens. Katherine L. Chen and Jill F. Cooper (2021).
How effective are community pedestrian safety training workshops? Short-term findings from a program in California. Jesus M. Barajas, Kate M. Beck, Jill F. Cooper, Ana Lopez, Amanda Reynosa (2019).
Community Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Training Program Evaluation Report. Sarah Doggett, Kate M. Beck, Ana Lopez, Jill F. Cooper (2019).

Implementing the Safe System Approach Toolkit

Explore our toolkit, available in English and Spanish, which aims to help create safer communities for walking and biking across California through the use of the Safe System Approach. The toolkit contains potential Safe System strategies which are organized into key categories and can be easily navigated using listed keywords.

There are many ways to plan a bikeable and walkable community; this toolkit is just a starting point.

Download the full toolkit:

Los Caminos de las Vías: RadioNovelas

From 2021-2024, CAyS workshop participants created RadioNovelas, podcasts that highlight community concerns and propose solutions through the power of storytelling. These audio-visual projects were intended to be used as a tool for advocacy to create their local community visions for a healthy, walkable, and bikeable community. A RadioNovela episode developed from a workshop held in Tulare in 2024 highlighted the experience of community members and students walking and biking to school. Participants shared that they are in need of infrastructure, such as complete sidewalks, high-visibility crosswalks, and traffic-calming measures, to ensure the safety of students walking and biking to and from Roosevelt Elementary School and Alice Mulcahy Middle School. This episode and all past Camino de las Vias podcasts can be found on Soundcloud.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).