Biking Across Snoqualmie Pass?

This post was contributed by Scott Chilberg.

Biking across the Cascades just ain’t what it used to be, thanks to I-90 construction along Keechelus Lake and a series of tunnel closures on the John Wayne Pioneer Trail between Thorp and South Cle Elum. Luckily, alternate east-west routes allow for continued bicycle access through these areas, so if you’re planning a bike trip make sure to read up on the closures prior to heading out and look out for bicycle route signs along the way. Here’s the low-down on the detours:

Due to construction of the I-90 Snoqualmie Pass East Project, WSDOT is restricting interstate bicycle access between Exit 54 and Exit 62. The suggested detour runs along the west side of the Keechelus Lake on the John Wayne Pioneer Trail. According to the WSDOT website, this 8-mile trail loops around the lake for about an hour before reconnecting with the freeway and is not recommended for racing-style bikes due to the occasional loose gravel spots and potholes. Bicyclist may also use US 12 White Pass or US 2 Stevens Pass to cross the Cascades. A map of the detour and more information regarding trail conditions and the construction project can be found here.

Four tunnels along the John Wayne Pioneer Trail between Thorp and Cle Elum will also be closed for an indefinite period because of safety concerns. Detours for both eastbound and westbound travelers are marked along the route, so cyclists should look out for yellow signs and maps marking alternate routes. Visit the Washington State Parks website for detailed directions and more information about the tunnel closures.

As long as you’re aware of the detours, biking along this stretch will remain very doable, so don’t be discouraged! Just make sure you’re on the alert for detour signs and, as always, do your research before embarking on your trip.

Stand up for Tacoma's Progress to Grow Biking and Walking

Do you envision Tacoma as a vibrant and active community with bikeways, neighborhood sidewalks, trails and streets designed with all users in mind?  Do you envision a community that encourages its citizens to lead healthy and active lives by implementing its Mobility Master Plan, supporting Safe Routes to School, and making it possible for more people to safely bike and walk around town?

If you answered YES, then the City of Tacoma needs to hear from you now!

The City of Tacoma is holding a series of Community Budget Input Meetings in preparation for the 2013-2014 biennial budget.  Citizen input will help determine how General Fund dollars will be spent and what choices the City makes as it faces a projected budget gap of $60-65 million.

Over the past few years Tacoma has taken some great strides with the development of its award winning Mobility Master Plan.  This year the League of American Bicyclists rewarded Tacoma for its impressive work with a a Bronze level Bicycle-Friendly Community designation.  

City officials need to hear from you that it’s important to build on its good work to create safer streets for walking and biking. 

Please attend one of the following meetings to make your voice heard:

• June 27 – 5:30 p.m. at the Wheelock Library, 3722 N. 26th St.
• June 28 – 6 p.m. at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, 6730 N. 17th St.
• July 9 – 6 p.m. at the Boys & Girls Club, 3875 S. 66th St., Community Room
• July 11 – 6 p.m. at the Moore Library, 215 S. 56th St.
• July 12 – 6 p.m. at the Center at Norpoint, 4818 Nassau Ave.
• July 16 – 6 p.m. at the Snake Lake Nature Center, 1919 S. Tyler St.
• July 18 – 6 p.m. at Stadium High School, 111 N. E St.
• July 19 – 6 p.m. at Lincoln High School, 701 S. 37th St.
• July 23 – 6 p.m. at Baker Middle School, 8320 S. I St.

If you cannot attend a meeting, submit written comments via the following link:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/City_of_Tacoma_City_Services_Questionnaire_2012

Thanks for your good work in growing biking and walking in Tacoma!

Alert: Funding Needed for Hood Canal Bridge

Calling on all recreational riders, cycling tourists, randonneuers, trail advocates and anyone who bikes on the Kitsap or Olympic Peninsulas!

Please send a letter to Secretary of Transportation Paula Hammond to request additional funding for the Hood Canal Bridge to make it SAFE for all users including bicyclists!

When the Hood Canal Bridge reopened in the summer of 2009, bicyclists from Squeaky Wheels, West Sound Cycling Club, and the Port Townsend Bicycle Association immediately identified serious safety issues with the bridge: the width and surface treatment of the plates placed over the metal grating, and gaps, joints and height variations betweeen the bridge sections.  Those same cyclists notified and met with WSDOT representatives. In the first few months that the bridge was opened, several cyclists were seriously injuried.

As executive director of the Bicycle Alliance, I started working in early 2010 with those same bicycle advocates and we successfully allied with WSDOT to acquire $1.3 million to address the safety concerns identified. WSDOT then met with those organizations to discuss design proposals and material selection with the stated goal to retrofit the bridge during the 2012 construction season.

Unfortunately, according the WSDOT project engineer, the various options under consideration will likely exceed the $1.3 million allocated for this project. Instead the cost appears more likely in the $1.8 million range. WSDOT continues to “evaluate the options with WSDOT bridge designers and the evaluation has not changed” meaning this project needs more money to create a safe riding surface for bicyclists.

Because of WSDOT’s concern over the increased cost of the project and the uncertainty over the additional funding needed, design work on the project has stopped and will not resume until such time the project engineer is advised that more funding is available to complete this project.

As process requires, a project summary was submitted to the WSDOT Program Management group that oversees funding issues, and “requested guidance on the funding piece.” ASK Secretary Hammond to please make a determination that additional funding is warranted to fix the safety issues that were identified back in the summer of 2009. 

Now is the time for WSDOT to fund the Hood Canal Bridge’s safety issues for bicycles before more cyclists are injured. Ask Secretary Hammond to:

• Please allocate the remaining $500,000 to make the Hood Canal Bridge safe for bicycles.
• The Hood Canal Bridge is the only connection between the Kitsap Peninsula and Olympic Peninsula and is a critical link for all types of riders.
• The Hood Canal route attracts bicycle club riders, recreational riders, and cycling tourists from around the world. It is critical for bicycle tourism.
• A fix will save the state money. Ongoing safety concerns about the route make the state liable for future accidents along this improperly designed bicycle connection.
• Safety fixes now will save millions of dollars in potential liability settlements.

Send your emails to Secretary Hammond before March 30th.

Paula Hammond, Secretary of Transportation: HammonP@wsdot.wa.gov
Jerry Lenzi, Chief Engineer, lenzijc@wsdot.wa.gov
David Dye, Chief Operations Officer, DyeD@wsdot.wa.gov
Kevin Dayton – Olympic Regional Administrator, daytonk@wsdot.wa.gov
cc Jeff Cook, Olympia Region, Bridge Project Engineer, cookjd@wsdot.wa.gov
 
Please also send your emails to elected officials in the 23rd and 24th Legislative Districts:
Christine.Rolfes@leg.wa.gov
Sherry.Appleton@leg.wa.gov
Drew@drewhansen.com
Steve.Tharinger@leg.wa.gov
Jim.Hargrove@leg.wa.gov
kevin.vandewege@leg.wa.gov

Thank you again for your support and good work to make the Bridge safe for all of us.

Tailwinds

Legislative Update: We Need Your Voice Now

It’s day 52 in Olympia and, thanks to all of your good work, the push for safer neighborhood streets legislation continues.

www.pedbikeimages.org / Dan Burden

Just last week the Neighborhood Safe Speeds Bill (SHB 1217) was voted out of the Senate Transportation Committee and forwarded onto the Senate Rules Committee. Due to the letters, emails, and calls from supporters across the state, Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown pulled the bill in yesterday’s Senate Rules Committee!

Excellent news for sure, but we now have less than three days to get the Senate to vote for SHB1217. If we miss Friday’s 5 p.m. Senate cutoff, the bill dies.

We need you to lend your voice of support to the state senate.

To make this vote happen, your senator again needs to hear from you about how this bill removes red tape and unnecessary hurdles for cities and towns to create safer streets in our neighborhoods.

Already sent in a note? Thank you and please send another!

Here’s how:

#1 - Follow the accompanying link to contact your State Senator (no need to contact your representatives) by entering your mailing address here: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/

#2 - Email your senator a note expressing your support of this important public safety legislation. Below we've included some model text for you to use: 

Dear Senator. _________,

SHB 1217 - the Neighborhood Safe Speeds Bill – just passed out of the Rules Committee and is poised for a vote on the Senate floor. I urge you to support this important legislation. 

The Neighborhood Safe Speeds bill provides more local control, offers an additional safety tool for local governments, removes additional study costs and red tape currently required by the state, and it encourages active living by offering cities and towns the chance to create safer streets.. Most importantly, when used in conjunction with engineering and enforcement, lower speeds on non-arterial streets can save lives.

Additionally, it is bipartisan legislation with co-sponsors from both parties. It passed out of the House 96-0

Please support the Neighborhood Safe Speeds Bill (SHB 1217). 

Thank you for your service, 

[Your Name here]

Thanks for your good work to make safer streets in Washington!

Federal Transportation Update: Votes delayed, action still needed

Two weeks ago, the Bicycle Alliance and other biking and walking organizations asked our members to contact their Congressional representatives in an effort to save biking and walking programs in the federal transportation bills. Specifically, we asked you to tell your House members to kill HR-7 (the House version) and ask your Senator to support the Cardin-Cochran Amendment to the Senate bill. Read the alert.

You responded! According to the League of American Bicyclists, members of Congress received 50,000 messages asking them to support biking and walking programs in the transportation bill. You made it clear that many Americans care about safe streets, Safe Routes to School, transit and trails.

Speaker of the House John Boehner, who is no friend to folks who bike, walk or use public transit, reacted to the outcry by delaying the vote on HR-7 until the week of February 27. The Senate will likely vote on the Cardin-Cochran amendment that same week.

If you were one of the thousands who responded to the call for action already, thank you! If you have not, there is still time to weigh in. Use this link to the LAB’s Action Center to weigh in.

Action Alert: Contact your state senator to make safer streets!

Just two weeks ago the Washington House of Representatives unanimously voted 96-0 in favor of the Neighborhood Safe Speeds Bill (SHB 1217). Your emails and calls were critical in making this vote such a bipartisan success!

This bill, drafted by the Bicycle Alliance of Washington and championed by Representative Cindy Ryu (D-Shoreline), gives cities and towns the ability to create safer neighborhood streets by lowering speed limits on non-arterial streets to 20 miles per hour, while at the same time reducing government red tape and cutting study costs currently required by the state.
 

We just found out that this Thursday the Senate Transportation Committee has scheduled a public hearing for the bill.

Now we need your help again to let your senators know that you want to remove red tape, cut costs for cities and towns, and give cities a new safety tool to make it safer to travel along neighborhood streets.

Your email to your state senator is a crucial component in the bill’s success. And it only requires two simple steps:
 

#1 - Follow the accompanying link to contact your State Senator (no need to contact your representatives) by entering your mailing address here: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/

#2 - Email your senator a note expressing your support of this important public safety legislation. Below we've included some model text for you to use:

Dear Senator. _________,

SHB 1217 - the Neighborhood Safe Speeds Bill - is about to be heard in the Senate Transportation Committee and I urge you to support this important legislation.

The Neighborhood Safe Speeds bill provides more local control, offers an additional safety tool for local governments, removes additional study costs and red tape currently required by the state, and it encourages active living by offering cities and towns the chance to create safer streets. Most importantly, when used in conjunction with engineering and enforcement, lower speeds on non-arterial streets can save lives.

Please support the Neighborhood Safe Speeds Bill (SHB 1217).

Thank you for your service,

[Your Name here]

The City of Bellingham is one of a growing list of communities and organizations supporting the Neighborhood Safe Speeds Bill.  The Bellingham Herald published a commentary written by City Councilmember Michael Lilliquist in favor of the bill.

Act Now on Key Senate and House Transportation Votes!

Support Cardin-Cochran Senate Amendment, Oppose the House Transportation Bill

It’s time to ask our Senators and Representatives in Congress to save our streets for everyone who walks and bikes.

The current Senate transportation bill removes dedicated funding for biking and walking programs and Safe Routes to School.  It gives state DOTs the authority to decide if any funding should be spent on these programs.  Local governments will not have a voice.

To improve the bill, please ask Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell to vote for the Cardin-Cochran amendment on the floor to guarantee local governments a voice in transportation decisions, allowing them to build sidewalks, crosswalks, and bikeways to keep Washingtonians safe. 

Please take actionNOW—this vote will occur next week!

On the other side of Congress, the House has a transportation bill that reverses 20 years of progress in making streets safer for people.  It’s time to defeat this bill.  Please ask your Representative to oppose the House transportation bill.  Despite the fact that walking and bicycling infrastructure is a low-cost investment that creates more jobs per dollar than any other kind of highway spending, the House bill eliminates dedicated funding for walking and bicycling and repeals the Safe Routes to School program.

Votes will occur next week—please contact your Representative and Senators today and ask them to save our streets.  Use this link from the League of American Bicyclists’ Action Center to send a message now.

Thanks for taking action!

Bicycle and Pedestrian Programs Are Under Attack! Don’t let Congress turn the clock back on biking and walking

Tomorrow, Thursday February 2, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will vote on the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act, a bill that eliminates crucial funding for biking and walking programs and guts two decades of progress. US Representatives Rick Larsen (WA-02) and Jaime Herrera Beutler (WA-03) are members of this committee and they are in a key position to save dedicated funding for biking and walking.

The American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act turns the clock back on two decades of biking and walking progress.  The bill

• Destroys Transportation Enhancements by making the program optional 
• Repeals the Safe Routes to School program, reversing years of progress in creating safe ways for kids to walk and ride bicycles to school 
• Removes requirements for states to build bridges with safe access for pedestrians and bicycles 
• Eliminates bicycle and pedestrian coordinators in state DOTs

If you live in Representative Larsen’s or Representative Beutler Herrera’s district, please contact them today!

Use this link to the League of American Bicyclists' Action Center to ask them to support the Petri-Johnson amendment to restore dedicated funding for biking and walking programs.

Thanks for taking action!
 

Alert: Remind your state legislators about their good, but unfinished work from 2011

Happy New Year! 

Send a reminder to your State Legislators about their good, but unfinished work from 2011.

Last February, the Washington State House of Representatives unanimously voted 92-0 in favor of the Neighborhood Safe Speeds Bill (SHB 1217). This bill, drafted by the Bicycle Alliance and championed by Representative Cindy Ryu (D-Shoreline), gives cities and towns the ability to create safer neighborhood streets by lowering speed limits on non-arterial streets to 20 miles per hour, while at the same time reducing government red tape and cutting study costs currently required by the state.

The Neighborhood Safe Speeds Bill didn't make it through the Senate last year, but now we have a chance to give this important safety legislation a jump start in the State House of Representatives.

Because time is critical in this year's short 60-day session, we need to remind our House Representatives of their essential and unanimous support for this legislation in 2011 and that the time is now to support it again. In the coming weeks, the Neighborhood Safe Speeds Bill is ready for another vote in the House of Representatives so that it can move quickly over to the Senate.

Your reminder to your elected officials is critical in making this happen. And it only requires two simple steps:  UPDATE: Scroll down for one-step action!

#1 - Follow the accompanying link to contact both of your State Representatives (no need to contact your State Senators right now) by entering your mailing address here: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/

#2 - Email each Representative a note expressing your support of this important public safety legislation. Below we've included some model text for you to use:

Dear Rep. _________,

Thank you for your support last year of SHB 1217 - the Neighborhood Safe Speeds Bill. SHB 1217 is now in House Rules Committee for third reading and is ready for a vote in the first two weeks of session.

I urge you to vote again for this important safety legislation. The Neighborhood Safe Speeds Bill provides more local control, offers an additional safety tool for local governments, removes additional study costs and red tape currently required by the state, and it encourages active living by offering cities and towns the chance to create safer streets. Most importantly, when used in conjunction with engineering and enforcement, lower speeds on non-arterial streets can save lives.

Please repeat the vote of the 2011 House of Representatives. Vote yes on the Neighborhood Safe Speeds Bill (SHB 1217).

Sincerely,

[Your Name here]

Use this simplified link to send a prepared message to your legislators!  Thanks to Cascade Bicycle Club for providing it.

For more information about the Neighborhood Safe Speeds Bill, please visit www.bicyclealliance.org/programs/legislation.html or read yesterday's blog post.

Thank you for your work in creating safer streets!

Take Action for Complete Streets!

If you believe in safe roads for everyone—including those who walk, bike, take transit, or drive a car—please weigh in today in favor of Complete Streets!  Tomorrow, the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation will consider an amendment offered by Senator Mark Begich of Alaska to provide safe and adequate accommodations for all users in all federally-funded street projects. 

Washington Senator Maria Cantwell sits on this committee.  Please use this form to contact Senator Cantwell today and ask her to support Complete Streets!

Complete Streets Spokane

Live in Spokane?  You have an opportunity to voice your support for a Complete Streets ordinance for your community!  Tomorrow evening (December 14), the Plan Commission is holding a public hearing on the Complete Streets ordinance.  Please attend the meeting and speak up in favor of safe roads for everyone.  This post from the Spokesman-Review includes details about the Plan Commission meeting.  You can also show your support for Complete Streets in Spokane by signing the online petition.

Federal Bike and Ped Funds Under Attack Again

Updated 11/2/2011:  Thanks to all who took action on this one!  The amendment was defeated!

It’s happening again, folks.  Another US Senator is attacking Transportation Enhancements funding.  This time it’s Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky.  He has offered an amendment that will strip all funding for Transportation Enhancements and shift it to bridge repair.

Please contact SenatorsPatty Murray and Maria Cantwell and ask them to vote against the Paul amendment (SA-821) to eliminate Transportation Enhancements.  The Senate is expected to finalize its Transportation appropriations bill on November 1, so please take action quickly.

Jeff Miller of the Alliance for Biking and Walking stated in a message:

We agree on the need to keep our bridges safe, but the lives of pedestrians and cyclists are important too. Thirteen people died when the Minneapolis bridge collapsed in 2007. Since then, close to 20,000 pedestrians and 2,800 cyclists have died on our nation’s highways, largely as a result of poor highway design and a lack of safe non-motorized infrastructure – exactly what the enhancement program was created to fix.
 
If Sen. Paul’s amendment is successful, it would eliminate approximately $700 million in federal funding for FY2012 that is used to construct sidewalks, bike lanes, bike paths, trails and other infrastructure that makes it safe for bicyclists and pedestrians to get around. Even if every penny of these funds is diverted to bridge repairs, Senator Paul’s plan will still take 80 years to fix the backlog of bridge repairs we have today — by which time all those repaired bridges would be falling down again.

Please use this link to the League of American Bicyclists Action Center to contact Senators Murray and Cantwell today.

National Park Service Makes Bad Design Proposal for the Spruce Rail Road Trail- Olympic Discovery Trail: Make Comment by October 21

The Bicycle Alliance of Washington and the Peninsula Trails Coalition are announcing that the National Park Service (NPS) has released the Environmental Assessment and preferred alternative for the Spruce Railroad Trail (SRRT) segment of the Olympic Discovery Trail (ODT) www.olympicdiscoverytrail.com.

The NPS will be accepting public comment on phase two of the project until October 21, 2011. Phase two is for the last four mile section of the ODT that will complete the shared use path through the Olympic National Park.

At issue is the fact that the NPS is proposing to use a 6 foot minimum width in the design criteria for the last four mile section. The NPS proposal contradicts the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board’s (Access Board) 2011 Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for creation of shared use paths which cites the AASHTO bicycle facilities guide 8-10 ft MINIMUM as a MUST to ensure Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance. If this proposal were implemented, the final section of the ODT would be considerably inferior to the 40 miles of AASHTO compliant shared use path that has already been built and would not be ADA compliant.

The Peninsula Trails Coalition and the Bicycle Alliance of Washington ask that you offer comment to the NPS on the width issue. Specifically, make it clear to the NPS that for a shared use path, the 8-10 foot minimum guidelines established in the AASHTO bicycle facilities guide is a minimum that must be adhered to and as experienced cyclists, we know, based upon our own personal experiences, that a 6 foot path is unsafe for all users.

For your review copies of the EA can be downloaded from the NPS at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/documentsList.cfm?projectID=29848

Comments should be made online at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/commentForm.cfm?documentID=43392

The Peninsula Trails Coalition, and the Bicycle Alliance of Washington thank you for your support. We hope that by sharing your personal experiences as cyclists on shared use paths we can demonstrate to the NPS the complete unanimity of the cycling community, and convince them to change their plans.

Bicycle Alliance Endorses Streets for All Campaign to fund Active Transportation and Transit in Seattle

This post was submitted by Blake Trask, Statewide Policy Director.

 

Join us at the Campaign Kick-Off TOMORROW, Tuesday, September 13!

Today the Bicycle Alliance of Washington Board announced its endorsement of Seattle’s Proposition 1 – a 10-year $204 million package of investments in bicycling, walking, road repair, maintenance, and transit.

These investments are significant because they prioritize family-friendly bike infrastructure, increases in safety for everyone with new sidewalks, better crosswalks, repave and repair local streets to make them work better for everyone. For each year of its 10-year life, Proposition 1 will directly dedicate $1.4 million to bicycle improvements, $3 million for pedestrian and neighborhood improvements, up to $7 million in roadway maintenance improvements that can include Complete Streets elements, and close to $10 million in transit improvements.

In short, Proposition 1 represents a new way of funding transportation – one that prioritizes safer streets, more Complete Streets, and better transit, too.

To ensure investments in biking are effectively implemented, the Bicycle Alliance endorsement includes our commitment to carefully follow and monitor implementation activities.

Help us support the campaign! Please join us at 6pm, tomorrow, Tuesday, September 13th at Moe Bar (1425 10th Ave E) as we officially kick off the Streets For All Seattle campaign to keep Seattle moving.

For additional information and volunteer opportunities, visit www.streetsforallseattle.org.

Thanks and see you tomorrow!

Alert: Federal Biking/Walking Programs Under Attack!

We're passing along an urgent call for action from our national partner, the Alliance for Biking and Walking.  The programs under attack benefit bicycle and pedestrian projects and Safe Routes to School projects all around our state.  Please take action today!
 

**     **     **     **

DEDICATED FUNDING FOR BICYCLING AND WALKING HAS BEEN CUT in the House's Transportation proposal. Chairman Mica would eliminate critical Transportation Enhancements, Safe Routes to School and Recreational Trails Programs, programs that he referred to as “not in the national interest”. Chairman Mica’s statement that these uses remain “eligible” for funding is worthless; without dedicated funding for these three programs they are effectively eliminated.

Things on the Senate side are not much better. Senator James Inhofe, a lead negotiator in the Senate debate, declared that one of his TOP THREE priorities for the transportation bill is to eliminate ‘frivolous spending for bike trails.’  This is in direct conflict with Senator Barbara Boxer’s commitment to maintain dedicated funding for biking and walking.  However, the Senate is working towards a bi-partisan solution – and Senator Inhofe’s comments mean funding for bicycling and pedestrian programs is at risk of total elimination.

Not in the National Interest?
Biking and walking make up 12 percent of all trips in the US – even as funding for biking and walking projects only account for 1.5% of the federal transportation budget. – that’s more than 4 billion bicycle trips and 40 billion walking trips a year- including trips to work, school, shopping and for recreation and tourism.

Frivolous?
Bicyclists and pedestrians are the victims of reckless highway design, accounting for 14% of all traffic related deaths. Two-thirds of all pedestrian deaths are on federally funded highways.   Bicycling and walking programs build sidewalks, crosswalks and bikeways, improving accessibility and saving lives.

The Facts
Biking and walking are important forms of transportation, and dedicated funding for bicycle and pedestrian improvements is a very efficient use of federal transportation dollars.  Portland, Oregon built a 300-mile network of bike lanes, multi-use trails, and bike boulevards for the cost of one mile of highway.

These projects also create jobs, and build local economies.  Building bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure creates 46% more jobs than building road-only projects per million dollars spent.  Cities that invest in bicycle and pedestrian projects turn downtowns into destinations, and capitalize on increased business activity.

Finally, shifting 1.5% of transportation spending has no impact on the federal budget, but instead, decreases transportation options for American families in a time of rising gas prices and an uncertain economy.

Help Protect Transportation Enhancements, Safe Routes to School and Recreational Trails. Contact your Representative and Senators, and tell them to reach out to Senators Inhofe, Boxer, and Congressman Mica to urge them to continue dedicated funding for these important biking and walking programs.  We need every Senator and every Representative to speak out for walking and biking. 

Alert: Planned Tree Removal will Destroy the Greenway Feel of the Interurban Trail

Today's post is written by Lance Young of Shoreline.  Lance is a cyclist, concerned citizen, and the Director of the Outing Club.

 

Seattle City Light is planning to remove all the trees under the power lines along the Interurban Trail north of N 145^th Street this summer rather than continue to prune them every few years to cut their costs of doing business. The natural barrier provided by the trees may become a man made barrier of wood and cyclone fences, as it has in other sections where the natural greenery has been removed.

This is what the trail corridor looks like today:

This is what it may become:

 The power company claims they will be replacing the matrue evergreens they remove with low growing bushes like this section of the trail.

It is of course important for the power company to maintain the transmission lines and electric service to the many customers they serve. According to the representatives from the the power company, one of the primary concerns of Seattle City Light is to lessen the work required to come out every few years and prune or top the trees, and it may well be less costly in the long run for them to just remove the trees entirely.  


However, this corridor is also a greenbelt with a prominent regional pedestrian and bike trail.  The interests and well being of these many users should be an important consideration in any decisions made here. Currently and over the past many decades this vegetation has been pruned and maintained to preserve the shade, the wildlife habitat, a weather barrier, and sound and visual barrier between the adjoining commercial and residential communities.  These benefits should be maintained and enhanced, not removed.

The trees along the trail provide wildlife habitat for local woodland creatures including: squirrels, chipmunks, woodpeckers, owls, and several other species of birds including flickers, finches, Steller's jays, blue herons, hawks, and many others. These trees provide shelter not only for wildlife but local residents and greenway users as well. Though the Interurban Trail is just a short distance from Aurora Avenue these many trees provide a significant sound dampening effect for the neighborhood and trail.  They also provide a significant moderating influence on wind and weather blowing through the area. Further, the removal of the trees at the street end of 149th would open up the access to this undeveloped street right of way to trail traffic which is better directed to the 148th street access.

For all of these reasons these trees should really be maintained rather than removed. In addition, removal of these mature trees will change the character of the neighborhood and the trail, and the natural barrier between the commercial properties along Aurora Ave and the residential neighborhood. The greenway view would change from mature evergreen trees to apartment units, businesses and light industrial. These many mature trees have become such an important part of the community in this area, that their removal would truly be a great loss.

The power company says they will be setting up community meetings, but that the purpose of these will be only to tell everyone what they are going to do, not to solicit suggestions or input. The plan is to remove the trees sometime this summer (August-September 2011).

What to do

If you appreciate the trees along the Interurban Trail and would like to comment on this project, below are several contacts:

Seattle Mayors Office

(The power company is accountable to the Mayor)

Mike.mcginn@seattle.gov

600 4th Ave  #7

Seattle, WA 98104

206-684-2489

Shoreline City Council

(Shoreline has the Interurban Trail right-of-way)

council@shorelinewa.gov

206-546-1303

Brian Breedon (public works, nice guy)

206-801-2441

Seattle City Light

(planning the tree cutting project)

Brent Schmidt

brent.schmidt@seattle,gov

700 5th Ave  #3300

Seattle, WA 98104

206-386-1663

8/19/2011 Update:   The City of Shoreline has asked Seattle City Light to hold a public meeting regarding the planned removal of trees along the Interurban Trail corridor.  The meeting will be August 23 at 6:30 pm at Pacific Learning Center, 14550 Westminster Way N.

Beware of Couple Selling Brooks Saddles

Our friends at JRA Bike Shop asked us to share this information with Seattle area bicyclists.

A man and a woman, working together, have been approaching local bike shops and trying to sell Brooks saddles at a steep discount.  Shop owners believe these are stolen saddles and have turned them away.

According to JRA's Pioneer Square shop manager Ben Rainbow, the couple has approached Elliott Bay and Bicycle Pull-Apart shops as well as JRA.  They have also been seen trying to hawk the saddles outside to customers coming and going from the shops.  If you spot this couple or are approached by them near a bike shop, Ben suggests that you report them to the bike shop.