My core values are harmony, integrity, and achievement. I relish listening deeply with policy makers, planners, engineers, and community members to create plans and projects that reflect common values implicit in safer and more livable systems of transportation and land use. Doing good work, individually, and in community, brings me great joy. I love the work that we do at Alta, because we uncover the possibilities for more walkable and bikeable communities that will improve health and well being, sustainability, and civic engagement. My favorite bicycles are cargo bikes, and my favorite walking shoes are running shoes.
Dru joins Alta with over 15 years of experience in transportation. She has worked for the City of Santa Barbara as both the Supervising Transportation Engineer and Mobility Coordinator, and has taught urban planning at California State Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo. During her time at the City of Santa Barbara, she led efforts that doubled the number of bike lanes, initiated the Safe Routes to School Program, started a Work Trip Reduction Incentive Program for city employees, opened a Bikestation, earned the Bicycle Friendly Community Silver award, completed conceptual development for several downtown intersection projects using a values based project selection process, and conducted several planning efforts including the Bicycle Master Plan and the Neighborhood Traffic Management Program. She has secured over $3 million in grants for Safe Routes to School, bicycle, and safety projects, and has presented at numerous conferences. In addition to her transportation planning and operations experience, she has an MBA focused in Sustainable Business, is a Bronze level Toastmaster, and a former U.S. National Team and Olympic Athlete.
Recent Projects
- Neighborhood Traffic Management Program, Santa Barbara, CA
Under City Council direction, Dru authored the city’s first Neighborhood Traffic Management Program, and led its first area-wide traffic calming capital improvement project from development through construction. Dru led the city’s technical team, consultants, and neighborhood volunteers through transportation and zoning issues, public process and implementation for both the planning and the design activities. - Citywide Operational Upgrades, Santa Barbara, CA
Dru led the city’s successful application on a combination of funding that supported multimodal use of traffic signals citywide. Securing Bicycle Transportation Account and American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds, Dru was the project manager for the installation of battery backup, video detection for bicyclists, and pedestrian countdown timers at signalized intersections. Dru successfully worked within the constraints of the budget to prioritize the installations appropriately and successfully turn the new equipment over to traffic signal maintenance staff. - Access Ramp and Sidewalk Infill Program, Santa Barbara, CA
Dru created GIS planning tools for the City’s access ramp and sidewalk infill programs utilizing Council adopted criteria to prioritize design and construction Citywide. - Bicycle Master Plan, Santa Barbara, CA
As the principal author of the city’s Bicycle Master Plan, Dru was responsible for initial fieldwork and existing conditions analysis, as well as developing recommendations for policy and strategic changes to meet the three goals of the plan: making it easier to decide to ride; improving the bicycle network; and removing destination barriers.
Publications/Presentations
- van Hengel, D.R. 2005. “Sidewalk Infill” and “Safe Routes to School on a Shoestring Budget.” California Walk/Bike Conference. Ventura, CA.
- van Hengel, D.R. 2005. “Complete Streets Implementation Barriers. American Planning Association National Planning Conference. San Francisco, CA.
