Street Story: A platform for community engagement

Street Story can be used in any city or county in California and is available for California residents ages 13 and older. The platform features a survey where people can record their travel experiences, including anonymously reporting crashes, near-misses and places they feel safe or unsafe. Once a record has been entered, the information is publicly accessible with maps and tables that can be downloaded. SafeTREC also offers a paper version of the tool for in-person events. Please review the Street Story FAQ Facts Sheet (available in English and Spanish) for more information about how to use the platform.

Organizations and agencies can use Street Story data as part of qualitative information-gathering approaches for local needs assessments, transportation safety planning efforts, safety programs and plans, and project proposals. In order to help ensure access to the tool, we work directly with community organizations across California to demonstrate how they can incorporate Street Story into existing projects and programs. SafeTREC continually evaluates how Street Story is used and what changes need to be made to strengthen it.

SafeTREC researchers recognized that community members have a wealth of information about transportation safety. Street Story is designed to help residents and community organizations record and understand this kind of information. The program was created by a team of city planners, public health professionals, engineers, social welfare experts, and computer scientists at SafeTREC, with significant input from members of the public, community organizations, city and county agencies, and industry experts.

• The webinar recording, “I have the data, now what? Part 2” describes how agencies and organizations can utilize data collected from Street Story to develop findings, action plans, and recommendations.

• The tutorial, “Introducing Street Story: A Tool for Community Engagement,” (available in Spanish, “Presentamos Street Story: Una herramienta para la participación de la comunidad”) describes how to use the Street Story tool to submit different report types including crashes, near-misses, hazards, and safe places.

• The Street Story Starter Guide, “Street Story: A Starter Guide for Communities and Agencies,” (available in Spanish, “Historias de la Vía Pública: Guía de inicio para comunidades y agencias”) provides information about what Street Story is, how to enter information, how organizations can use the tool in community engagement efforts, and how people can use the information collected to improve street safety.

If you are interested in learning about how your community can use Street Story, please email our team at streetstory@berkeley.edu

• Sep 26, 2024 - In the "Engaging Decision-Makers Using Street Story" webinar, presenters from the City of Tulare and the Altadena Town Council share strategies and insights on how to engage with elected officials, law enforcement, and other governing officials while collecting and analyzing Street Story data to help inform transportation safety projects.

• July 11, 2024 - Do you shy away from speaking with decision-makers regarding traffic safety concerns in your community? In this webinar, “Engaging Decision-Makers using Street Story”, participants learned strategies and gained insight on how to engage with elected officials, law enforcement, and other governing officials while collecting and analyzing Street Story data in their community. Our presenters, decision-makers from Tulare and Altadena, also shared their experiences on engaging with community members for transportation safety projects. A recording of the webinar is available.

• April 17, 2024 - I have the data, now what? Part 2. In this webinar, participants heard success stories about our Street Story partners, gained knowledge about packaging data, and acquired resources to help better address challenges when collecting and analyzing transportation safety data. A recording of the webinar is available.

• September 12, 2023 - Street Story and Perceptions of Safety. In this webinar the UC Berkeley SafeTREC team led a discussion about the importance of narratives and how perceptions of safety play an integral role in traffic data analyses. A recording of the webinar is available.

• May 17, 2022 - "I have the data, now what?" A closer look at data collection, collaboration, and planning between community and governmental agencies." In this webinar, you'll learn how agencies and coalitions collaborate to collect and analyze data from Street Story, an online community engagement tool. The panelists will discuss collaborative efforts and how the data has been used to apply for grant funding and implement projects to make walking, biking and rolling safer in their communities. A recording of the webinar is available.

• April 19, 2023 - Using Street Story in Spanish Speaking Communities. In this webinar the UC Berkeley SafeTREC team led a discussion on how Spanish-speaking communities can use Street Story. Participants learned how to enter data, features of the tool, and how to use data to support transportation safety advocacy, community engagement, and planning efforts. This webinar was facilitated in Spanish with English translation. The video recording for this webinar is currently undergoing updates for digital accessibility and will be made available soon. If you have any questions, please contact us at safetrec@berkeley.edu

• March 29, 2021 - From Practice to Progress: Street Story in the Field. In this webinar, presenters from the Altadena Town Council, Bike Bakersfield, and WALKSacramento discussed how they use Street Story, a community engagement tool that allows residents to share where they’ve been in a crash or near miss, or where they feel safe or unsafe traveling. In this webinar, learn how local governments and community organizations have been using Street Story prior to and during the pandemic period to support their transportation safety advocacy, community engagement, and planning efforts. A recording of the webinar is available.

• February 25, 2020 - Street Story Workshop, Los Angeles, CA. Participants at this workshop, hosted by HCIDLA, the West Latino Resource Center and the California Office of Traffic Safety, will learn how to improve walking and biking safety in their community and how Street Story can be used to share transportation safety stories. Download the flyer for more details.

• February 20, 2020 - Street Story 101, Altadena, CA. Had a crash, or near miss in Altadena? Feeling unsafe while traveling? Join UC Berkeley SafeTREC staff at an upcoming workshop, "Street Story 101" on Thursday, February 20th to learn about Street StorySafeTREC staff will demonstrate how to use the tool, followed by an opportunity for you to share your stories. More details Download the flyer

• August 7, 2019 - Street Story at Work: How Communities are Using the Tool. In this webinar, you'll hear from UC Berkeley SafeTREC, California Walks, Bike Bakersfield and Humboldt County's Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities how community organizations are learning about local transportation safety issues from their community members via Street Story. The presenters will also share ideas about how you can use Street Story in community engagement activities. A recording of the webinar is available.

• July 17, 2019 - Introducing Street Story: A Tool for Community Engagement. In this webinar, you will hear about how Street Story works, and learn about ideas on how you can use Street Story in community engagement activities. A recording of the webinar is available.

• August 16, 2022 - "Office Hour" with the Street Story Team. In this webinar, the UC Berkeley SafeTREC team provided a hands-on Street Story small group practice session via Zoom.

• June 25, 2020 - How to Conduct a Walk Audit. In this webinar hosted by WALKSacramento, you'll learn about tools needed to lead and conduct your own assessment of walking and biking conditions in your neighborhoods. The webinar will also highlight elements that should be considered when walking the streets: pedestrian facilities, bicycle facilities, transit facilities, vehicle facilities, and land used to consider when conducting an audit. Jarah Crowner from UC Berkeley SafeTREC also provides an overview of the Street Story community engagement tool. Watch the webinar