Talia Coon is a senior in the geography program at the University of South Florida. She currently works with CUTR promoting bicyclist and pedestrian safety through various outreach programs. Talia gravitated towards transportation in college because of her experiences in her hometown. Without a car, Talia found maneuvering through her hometown was difficult and dangerous. “I believe there’s a large amount of inequity when it comes to transportation,” said Talia. “It’s an injustice. I am passionate about spreading awareness and educating others.”
Talia also loves mapping and geospatial-related research; transportation was the best choice.
As former president of the USF Bicycle Club, Talia is interested in multimodal travel. Before the pandemic, Talia was also a part of a study abroad course that traveled to the Netherlands to study sustainable transportation. Talia and her classmates learned about incorporating bicycles into everyday options and the importance of city and road design.
“If I could change something in the field of transportation, I would want to try and shift the public perception in Florida away from cars and have multimodal ideas like rail and dedicated bicycle lanes be more accepted for commuting. These solutions are not only more equitable financially, but they are better for the environment and can be cheaper than yearly road maintenance in the long run.”
Outside of school and work, Talia loves to watch anime, practice her graphic design skills, taking long, nighttime drives, and drinking coffee.
