About WatsonActive
WatsonActive fosters healthy communities by providing consulting, community engagement, and government relations services in the area of active transportation. It is a core value of WatsonActive that every engagement is the beginning of a sustainable program, policy, or project that will continue long after the engagement is concluded. Working at the intersection of transportation, public health, the environment, and economic development, WatsonActive assists communities to identify context-sensitive active transportation goals, and supports their efforts to achieve those goals.
WatsonActive has extensive experience working with state and local agencies on policies that promote biking and walking and enhance the safety of all road users; building capacity in local communities to effectively pursue active transportation goals; educating police, bus drivers, motorists, children, and adults about safe interactions among road users; changing laws and regulations to protect vulnerable road users; advising on the design of bicycle facilities; and bringing disparate stakeholders together to work collaboratively on biking and walking solutions.
WatsonActive has extensive experience working with state and local agencies on policies that promote biking and walking and enhance the safety of all road users; building capacity in local communities to effectively pursue active transportation goals; educating police, bus drivers, motorists, children, and adults about safe interactions among road users; changing laws and regulations to protect vulnerable road users; advising on the design of bicycle facilities; and bringing disparate stakeholders together to work collaboratively on biking and walking solutions.
David Watson, Principal (email)
David implements active transportation projects, programs, and policies, working with local, state, and federal agencies, advocacy groups, planners and engineers, and community members. He played a major role in establishing groundbreaking policies to promote bicycling and walking in Massachusetts, including the Healthy Transportation Compact, statewide Mode Shift Goal, Strategic Highway Safety Plan, Healthy Transportation Policy Directive, and MassDOT design criteria. David was one of the advocates who successfully lobbied the Legislature and MassDOT to establish the Complete Streets Funding Program, and has assisted numerous communities adopt Complete Streets policies, create Complete Streets Prioritization Plans, and implement Complete Streets projects.
David has both managed and personally delivered a wide range of services for Mass in Motion communities, the MassDOT Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Awareness and Enforcement Program, the City of Boston, the City of Springfield, Massachusetts Safe Routes to Schools communities, and more. He has served on numerous transportation advisory boards and committees. He most recently served on the Policy Committee of the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals, and was also APBP's representative to the national Highway Safety Partners Venture. David has taught bicycle advocacy and planning in the Boston University City Planning and Urban Affairs program. Prior to founding WatsonActive, David was the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition (MassBike), a statewide bicycling advocacy organization, from 2006 to 2014.
David also has extensive experience in local planning, zoning, and development, and served on the Arlington Redevelopment Board from 2016 to 2021.
David implements active transportation projects, programs, and policies, working with local, state, and federal agencies, advocacy groups, planners and engineers, and community members. He played a major role in establishing groundbreaking policies to promote bicycling and walking in Massachusetts, including the Healthy Transportation Compact, statewide Mode Shift Goal, Strategic Highway Safety Plan, Healthy Transportation Policy Directive, and MassDOT design criteria. David was one of the advocates who successfully lobbied the Legislature and MassDOT to establish the Complete Streets Funding Program, and has assisted numerous communities adopt Complete Streets policies, create Complete Streets Prioritization Plans, and implement Complete Streets projects.
David has both managed and personally delivered a wide range of services for Mass in Motion communities, the MassDOT Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Awareness and Enforcement Program, the City of Boston, the City of Springfield, Massachusetts Safe Routes to Schools communities, and more. He has served on numerous transportation advisory boards and committees. He most recently served on the Policy Committee of the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals, and was also APBP's representative to the national Highway Safety Partners Venture. David has taught bicycle advocacy and planning in the Boston University City Planning and Urban Affairs program. Prior to founding WatsonActive, David was the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition (MassBike), a statewide bicycling advocacy organization, from 2006 to 2014.
David also has extensive experience in local planning, zoning, and development, and served on the Arlington Redevelopment Board from 2016 to 2021.
Representative Clients• Massachusetts Department of Public Health
• Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition • Alta Planning + Design • HRIA/Boston Public Health Commission • Lowell Community Health Center Publications |
Education & Licenses• BS, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• JD, Cornell Law School • Licensed Attorney: MA and DC |
Affiliations• Past Member, American Planning Association
• Past Member, Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals |