Washington retains top ranking as most Bicycle Friendly State

For the fifth year in a row, Washington leads the nation as the most Bicycle Friendly State.  The 2012 ranking of Bicycle Friendly States was announced by the League of American Bicyclists in honor of National Bike Month.

“We’re encouraged to see significant progress in top states like Washington, Minnesota, Colorado and Massachusetts,” said Andy Clarke, president of the League.  “But, as the scores clearly highlight, there’s much work to be done in critical areas like infrastructure and funding.  Overall, we see states—and especially state Departments of Transportation and state legislatures—lagging behind cities and the expectations of local cyclists, despite the many well-documented benefits of a more active lifestyle.”

The 2012 Bicycle Friendly States Ranking marks the launch of an updated and improved evaluation process.  Throughout 2011, the League held Bicycle Friendly America listening sessions across the country to understand the successes and shortcomings of the program.  Based on public input, the Bicycle Friendly State survey was revised to give a clearer picture of a state’s accomplishments and next steps towards becoming more bike-friendly.

Even with a revised survey, Washington once again set a high bar in 2012.  The state scored 4’s and 5’s (5 is the highest score) on the League’s report card, receiving top scores for Education and Encouragement, and Evaluation and Planning.  The report also makes recommendations for improvement.  One recommendation for Washington includes developing a comprehensive strategy for working with law enforcement on bicycling issues, including training for officers and targeted enforcement of bike safety laws.  Other recommendations are to continue to increase bicycle ridership and to fully fund and implement the state bicycle plan, which was adopted in 2006.

Strong and active bicycle advocacy at the state and local levels contribute to Washington’s top ranking.  An improved distracted driving law and a vulnerable user law were passed due largely to the efforts of Bicycle Alliance of Washington, Cascade Bicycle Club, and other bike groups. The Bicycle Alliance has also been instrumental in expanding bicycle skills training in schools around the state with its Safe Routes to School program. 

“Thanks to the League of American Bicyclists for this award. This honor comes with much responsibility for the state, bicycle advocates and others to continue to strive for complete streets ordinances in every community and Safe Routes to every school,” stated Barbara Culp, Executive Director for Bicycle Alliance of Washington.  “This is a call to anyone who rides a bike to hold your city, county and state officials accountable to an even more bike-friendly state.” 

The Bicycle Friendly State announcement was preceded last week by the League’s announcement of its latest Bicycle Friendly Community designations.  Tacoma and Snohomish are the newest Washington communities to receive this designation.  In all, ten Washington communities have earned a Bicycle Friendly Community designation.

Click here to see how Washington scored in the five evaluation categories.  Learn more about the League’s Bicycle Friendly State program at www.bikeleague.org/states.

Time Runs Out for Neighborhood Safe Speeds Bill in Washington State Senate

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                           

Bill would have paved path for safer neighborhood streets by removing red tape and hurdles to reducing speeds on non-arterial streets.

Olympia, WA – March 2, 2012 – Today, the Washington State Senate did not vote on the Neighborhood Safe Speeds Bill (SHB1217) prior to the 5 p.m. cutoff for considering bills from the opposite chamber. After being listed on the Order of Consideration on Wednesday, it was held and passed over. The Senate’s failure to take action on it today means it is no longer under consideration for the 2011-2012 biennium.

SHB 1217 would have made safer streets and neighborhoods by allowing cities and towns the authority to set speed limits to 20 miles per hour on non-arterial streets. It did not mandate any change, it simply would have provided cities and towns the authority to do so.

The Neighborhood Safe Speeds Bill garnered support from over 35 statewide organizations, boards, cities, and towns.  In its January 30, 2012 vote, it received unanimous support from the State House of Representatives; and during its 2012 Senate Transportation Committee hearing, which featured Seattle City Council President Sally Clark, Spokane Councilmember Jon Snyder, and former WSDOT Secretary Doug MacDonald, it received no opposition by organizations in testimony or otherwise.

“Based on the strong bipartisan and statewide support we’ve seen, it's puzzling why the Senate didn't take action on this bill," says Bicycle Alliance of Washington statewide policy director Blake Trask.

The statewide support for this bill included the Washington State PTA, AARP-Washington, AAA-Washington, Washington Fire Chiefs, the cities of Spokane, Bellingham, Seattle and, Kirkland, as well as the Town of Winthrop.

“Communities are asking lawmakers to give them more cost-saving tools and local options instead of mandates,” says, prime sponsor, Representative Cindy Ryu (D-32). “Given the tight budget times we face, this bill would have helped local governments across the state. It aimed to remove an expensive state mandate that deters communities from lowering speed limits on non-arterial roads even when they recognize that lower speeds would make people safer or promote local businesses and jobs. I look forward to working on promoting these issues in the future.”

The Bicycle Alliance of Washington worked closely with the Representative to develop and support the bill.

“We are disappointed by the outcome, which will retain the state’s unnecessary hurdles for cities and towns to create safer non-arterial streets. But given the large coalition built to support this legislation, we are optimistic that Washingtonians will continue to demand safer streets,” says Bicycle Alliance of Washington Executive Director Barbara Culp.

This legislation is especially germane to more vulnerable populations, including children. As Washington State PTA wrote in its letter of support, “we believe that SHB 1217 will give local communities a way to make neighborhoods safer places for children to bike, walk and play. “ Similarly, AARP-Washington wrote, “Older pedestrians because of their increased fragility particularly benefit from low-speed environments.”

###

 Contact: Blake Trask

Statewide Policy Director

Bicycle Alliance of Washington

206.310.4762

blake@bicyclealliance.org

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!

Transporation Advocacy Day

 Legislative District 37 outside Senator Kline's office

More than a few years have passed since I finished my bachelor’s degree in Political Science and it has been at least that long since I volunteered myself to sit in any congressional hearings. Transportation Advocacy Day in Olympia on January 31st was successful in transcending all doubts I had harbored about advocacy and citizen-based lobbying. Almost two hundred people showed up to learn about and advocate for bills before the House and Senate, which included SHB 1217 - Neighborhood Safe Speeds for Cities and Towns, HB 1700 - Safe and Flexible Design Guidelines, and HB 2370 to include establishing a “health goal” within statewide transportation policy goals.
 

As a novice transportation advocate, I felt fortunate the sponsors of Transportation Advocacy Day provided substantive information packets which included individual cheat sheets for the bills and a glossy informational piece to hand to legislators or legislative aides. The morning started out with an introduction by Representative Joe Fitzgibbon (D-34) and was followed by additional information from Carrie Dolwick with Transportation Choices Coalition about our day’s legislative priorities. Next we chose from a variety of breakout discussions to attend that focused on topics like simple fixes for safer streets, incorporating health into transportation and practicing for meetings with our legislators.
 

Being a talker, I met a fair number of people attending Transportation Advocacy Day for different reasons. I met a mother who had lost her son when he was hit from behind while biking in a bike lane. The collision catapulted him over 100ft onto the road shoulder ahead. She wanted to know what State government was doing to increase safety for bicyclists. I also met the regional general manager from Zipcar (a sponsor of Transportation Advocacy Day), who was attending because Zipcar is committed to advocating for an integrated alternative transportation system that allows people to move about easily without owning a car. I also learned that Zipcars come with bike racks! I even met many of my actual neighbors in Seattle's Central District, one of whom I had rideshared with down to Olympia.

By lunchtime I had found “my” group, legislative district 37, for meeting Senator Adam Kline, Representative Eric Pettigrew, and Representative Sharon Tomiko Santos. We met and formed a game plan. We wanted to share a few personal stories and goals with each legislator, and be able to advocate for the bills (some of which had already passed-for which we would express our thanks). I felt confident talking about helping organize the Central Seattle Neighborhood Greenways group, and when the time came I even invited Representative Pettigrew to the meeting, to which he said, “maybe!” 

Overall I feel good about the opportunity to meet with elected officials, or their legislative aide (in the instance of Senator Kline and Representative Tomiko Santos) and putting faces to the names of their constituents. If presented with the opportunity again I would have more diligently prepared a sentence or two about the positive impact I would experience if the bills were passed and funded, but otherwise I felt Transportation Advocacy Day a success. I met some great people and feel like I exercised my right to meet with legislators I’ve elected (well, indirectly, since I am a recent transplant to Seattle after all).

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!
 

Transportation Advocacy Day is January 31st – Sign Up Today!

While the Bicycle Alliance of Washington can’t promise snow in Olympia in the New Year, we can promise that hundreds of dedicated advocates for biking, walking, transit, and rail will descend in all modes to Transportation Advocacy Day on January 31^st!

This is your opportunity in 2012 to connect with fellow advocates from across the state and lobby your elected officials in Olympia on the issues we all care deeply about. It’s also a great chance to work and to get to know fellow transportation advocates from across the state. Plus, it’s a lot of fun!

To register, go directly to our partner, Transportation Choices Coalition, RSVP page: http://transportationchoices.org/action/transportation-advocacy-day-2012

Over the past months, staff and dedicated volunteers from organizations representing biking, walking, transit, rail, and public health have met to plan events and the policy agenda for the 2012 event. In December, organizers and advocates developed the Transportation Advocacy Day platform to include:

• The Neighborhood Safe Speeds Bill (SHB 1217) – the Bicycle Alliance of Washington’s top priority – that ill provide cities and towns broader authority to establish 20 mile per hour limits on non-arterial streets to lower accident rate and help protect vulnerable users
• The Safe and Flexible Street Design Bill (HB 1700) would encourage higher-quality bike and pedestrian facilities by allowing greater flexibility in design standards.
• Support of the Transportation for Washington principles to Fix it First and Save Lives, More Transit, and Build Health and Great Communities.
•  Legislation to add health to Washington’s six transportation system goals to integrate health in transportation policy, planning and investments for public safety, health, and better transportation choices for all Washingtonians.

As part of the day’s events, this policy platform will be discussed and your questions will be answered before meeting with your elected officials.

The need for safer streets, and better transportation funding for biking, walking, transit, and rail are statewide issues. Join us for this all-day event on January 31 at United Churches in Olympia as we educate state policymakers on the issues and advocate for solutions.

See you there!

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!

Paving the Way for Safer Neighborhood Streets in 2012: SHB 1217

Fresh from the holiday break, the State Legislature is slated on January 9 to head into its sprint of a 60-day legislative session. The Bicycle Alliance of Washington will be lobbying on behalf of bicyclists statewide with its list of legislative priorities for 2012. At the top of that list includes continuing legislation from 2011 – substitute house bill (SHB) 1217: the Neighborhood Safe Streets Bill.

Sponsored by Representative Cindy Ryu (D-Shoreline), the legislation counts 17 co-sponsors and last year it passed 92-0 in the House of Representatives. The Neighborhood Safe Streets Bill’s supporters include a growing list of cities, organizations, and individuals from across the state.

This legislation paves the way for local governments  - specifically cities and towns – to make safer streets and neighborhoods by allowing them the authority to set speed limits to 20 miles per hour on non-arterial streets. It does not mandate any change, it simply provides cities and towns the local control to do so. 

Wait. Can’t cities and towns set speed limits below 25 miles per hour now?

In a word: no. Current Washington law prohibits municipalities from setting speed limits lower than 25 miles an hour except in very limited areas, such as school zones. If cities and towns do hope to go below this state-mandated minimum, they are required to conduct and administer an engineering and traffic study – a process requiring staff time and money.

Given the stresses of reduced budgets and staffing for transportation in cities and towns across Washington, the Neighborhood Safe Speeds Bill removes a hurdle in time and cost for local governments who want to create safer streets in our neighborhoods, residential business districts, parks, and to schools across the state.

The list is long for what the Neighborhood Safe Speeds Bill can do for cities and towns in Washington:

• Provides more local control. SHB 1217 is fundamentally a neighborhood speed safety bill that puts local governments in charge of non-arterial speed safety and takes the state out of the business of setting speed limits. Letting local governments decide safer maximum speeds is an approach that Idaho and British Columbia both take.
• Offers a safety tool in the local government toolbox. SHB 1217 offers an important tool for public and roadway safety. It can be accompanied with additional engineering and design to create safe neighborhood streets for all residents, particularly children and the elderly.
• Economic Development. Providing localities the authority to reduce speed limits in appropriate areas is an effective way to reduce speed limits near shopping districts, parks, and other areas their residents, elected officials, business leaders and other stakeholders deem important. Calmer streets provide more attractive places for business driven by foot traffic.
• Removes additional study costs and red tape currently required by the state. In a time of tight budgets, this bill removes a traffic and engineering hurdle that costs cities money and takes scarce staff time to administer.
• Promotes reduction of chronic disease and the growing obesity crisis. Public and private medical costs of obesity for our state are now estimated in excess of $3 billion. SHB 1217 can help ensure that neighborhoods provide spaces for safe physical activity and active transportation – both of which are on the decline compared to previous generations.
• Benefits Washington’s Safe Routes to School program. Safe neighborhood speeds help to promote walking and healthy activity in our communities. Lower speeds adjoining (but not formally linked) to existing school zones could help promote walking and biking to schools. This is likely to help reduce the epidemic of chronic disease related to obesity and lack of physical activity.
• Reduced speeds save lives. The chances of dying from a collision with a motor vehicle at 20 miles per hour is 5% compared to the 45% chance of death in a similar impact at 30 miles per hour. Slower speeds can be particularly important on non-arterial streets where we live and play.

This legislation provides cities and towns a template to create safer neighborhood streets, improve public health, reduce red tape, and save our cities and towns money. Most importantly, this legislation aligns with our values for making safe spaces to live, work, and play for our children, the elderly, and everyone who chooses to walk and bike around our neighborhoods, parks, residential business districts, and schools.

Get Involved!

Join us in urging the state legislature to take action on passing the Neighborhood Safe Speeds Bill during the 2012 session in the following ways:

Check back for Bicycle Alliance of Washington Action Alerts. During the 60-day legislative session (beginning on January 9) communicating your support of the Neighborhood Safe Speeds Bill will prove invaluable. We’ll be alerting our members, bill partners, and others when it’s necessary via email, blog, twitter and Facebook. Stay tuned!

Attend Transportation Advocacy Day on January 31! Join us for this all-day event on January 31 at United Churches in Olympia as we educate state policymakers on the issues and advocate for solutions. To RSVP, go directly to our partner, Transportation Choices Coalition, RSVP page: http://transportationchoices.org/action/transportation-advocacy-day-2012

Join our list of supporters! We’re looking to continue to expand support for this smart, cost-effective, and flexible legislation. Contact statewide policy director, Blake Trask, if you wish to add your city or organization to our list of Neighborhood Safe Speeds Bill supporters.

Year in Review: 2011 Highlights

What a productive year it has been at the Bicycle Alliance of Washington!  Bicycle advocates and active transportation partners helped us earn some legislative victories.  We’ve grown Safe Routes to School programs in communities across the state.  We refined our vision, mission and goals through an inclusive strategic planning process.

Legislative Victories

The Bicycle Alliance and our legislative partners passed a bill that incorporates teaching motorists how to safely drive around bicyclists and pedestrians in Traffic School curriculum.  The vulnerable user bill was finally passed this session, strengthening penalties under the negligent driving laws.  We also passed a bill that established (but didn’t fund) a Complete Streets grant program that encourages local jurisdictions to adopt complete streets ordinances.  Read the 2011 Legislative Wrap Up.

Over 100 active transportation, transit and rail advocates gathered in Olympia in February for Transportation Advocacy Day.  We are one of the organizers for this annual event and our constituents were well represented by 8 Bicycle Alliance board members and 6 staff.  Read more about the 2011 TAD.

Safe Routes to School

We’ve been busy this year helping participating school districts in south King County implement a comprehensive Safe Routes program in their schools.  The Bicycle Alliance taught teachers in 31 school districts across Washington State how to instruct students on safe biking and walking skills.  We now have a second staff person who is nationally certified to teach Safe Routes to School.

Go by Bike, a pilot program designed to bring bicycle safety education to college students, was launched this year with outreach to partnering schools in the Puget Sound region.  Learn more about Go by Bike.

Strategic Plan

The Bicycle Alliance hosted a two-day strategic planning summit that included the participation of 40 stakeholders representing bike clubs, elected officials, health organizations, advocacy partners, transportation agencies, planners, urban and rural interests.  This inclusive process resulted in a revised vision, mission and goals for the organization.  Read the details here.

Other Highlights

We took our Hub & Spoke outreach tour to Olympia, Mount Vernon and Spokane to network with community advocates and discuss issues big and small.  We met with stakeholders in the Methow Valley to begin coordinating our work on the US Bicycle Route System.  We were in Vancouver to participate in the annual policy makers’ ride.  We worked with the Peninsula Trails Coalition to weigh in on the alternatives proposed by Olympic National Park for the Olympic Discovery Trail.  We worked with WSDOT and regional bike advocates to find acceptable solutions to improve bicycle safety on the Hood Canal Bridge.  We coordinated efforts with Futurewise and community activists to rally support for and pass a Complete Streets ordinance in Spokane.

To date, over 4600 Share the Road license plates have been sold in Washington State.  Funds from the purchase of these plates have supported our education activities, including the development and distribution of curriculum that teaches motorists how to safely share the road with bicyclists and pedestrians.

Internet outreach highlights:

Over 195,000 unique visitors to our website in 2011

Over 17,000 unique viewers of the blog

Bike Bites e-newsletter was distributed to over 3000 advocates each month

Facebook – 700+ followers – an 85% increase over 2010

We started to Twitter late this year and have over 250 followers

Slowing down is gaining momentum



Pedbikeimages.org/Dan Burden

Last year, the Bicycle Alliance of Washington championed a bill that would give cities and towns the discretion to set speed limits to 20 miles per hour on non-arterial streets.  The bill passed 92-0 in the House but ran out of time in the Senate Transportation Committee.  We are leading the charge again in 2012 for SHB 1217, the Neighborhood Safe Speeds Bill.

There are many benefits to passing the Neighborhood Safe Speeds Bill.  It allows local governments to determine safe speeds for local streets, and it removes the additional costs and red tape currently required by the state.  Reduced speeds improve neighborhood safety and save lives.  Making neighborhood streets safer can encourage physical activity and active transportation, resulting in a healthier society.

The desire to slow down our communities is not unique to Washington.  In Idaho, local jurisdictions have the capacity to set lower speed limits on portions of state highways that pass through residential, urban or business districts to enhance safety.  New York City established its first “neighborhood slow zone” earlier this year.  20’s Plenty for Us is the British movement that has successfully campaigned to lower residential speed limits in cities and towns. 

Writer Will Doig took an in-depth look at the resurging popularity of slower streets in a Salon article published last week.  In his article, Doig observed:

Now, gradually, the pendulum appears to be swinging back toward slower streets, partly because walkable neighborhoods and urban density are in vogue again. A lazy streetcar, a strolling pedestrian or a languidly pedaling bicyclist are all signs that neighborhood life in that area is healthy and abundant. They indicate that you’re somewhere that’s packed with businesses, parks, playgrounds — things that people want to stop and use — and, in circular fashion, they encourage even more of that stuff to be built.

Federal agency calls for cell phone ban for drivers

Last week the National Transportation Safety Board voted unanimously to recommend that all 50 states and the District of Columbia ban the use of cell phones by drivers.  This recommendation was based on volumes of evidence supporting the dangers of distracted driving.  Here’s NTSB’s recommendation:

Ban the nonemergency use of portable electronic devices (other than those designed to support the driving task) for all drivers; 2) use the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration model of high visibility enforcement to support these bans; and 3) implement targeted communication campaigns to inform motorists of the new law and enforcement, and to warn them of the dangers associated with the nonemergency use of portable electronic devices while driving.

This is the most far-reaching recommendation to date because it prohibits all cell phone use by drivers, including the use of hands-free devices.  According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, only 9 states and DC prohibit handheld cell phone use by all drivers.  Texting while driving is banned in 35 states and DC.  No state prohibits the use of hands-free devices.  Check GHSA site for more information.

In 2010, the Bicycle Alliance of Washington and others successfully championed a bill that elevated handheld cell phone use and texting while driving to a primary traffic offense punishable by a $124 fine.  For drivers younger than 18, the ban includes the use of hands-free devices.  Read previous posts on this topic here and here.

Elevating this traffic violation to a primary offense was important.  When it was a secondary law, an officer could only issue a ticket to a driver talking on a cell phone if they had been pulled over for some other violation—like speeding. Washington State Patrol wasted no time going after cell phone violators when the law took effect, issuing 670 tickets in the first 20 days.  Seattle Police Department’s Aggressive Driver Response Team routinely issues tickets to cell phone violators as well.

Is Washington State ready to fully adopt NTSB’s recommendation by prohibiting the use of hands-free devices while driving?  Let’s hope so.  A growing mound of evidence suggests that having your hands on the steering wheel isn’t enough.  Engaging your mind in a cell phone conversation (handheld or hands-free) distracts the driver from the primary task at hand:  driving safely and attentively.

Resources:

Driven to Distraction Task Force of Washington State

Driven to Distraction – New York Times series

Governors Highway Safety Association – Cellphone and Texting laws

Distraction.gov

National Transportation Safety Board

Bikes Don’t Fare Well in Senate Transportation Bill

MAP-21 (Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21^st Century), the Senate’s recently introduced reauthorization of federal transportation legislation, sets bicycle and pedestrian programs back instead of forward.

Under the current SAFETEA LU, there is dedicated funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects, Safe Routes to School and trails.  Not so under MAP-21.  Transportation Enhancements, Safe Routes to School and Recreational Trails Programs have been eliminated as dedicated funding sources.   Projects eligible for these programs must now compete for CMAQ (Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality) funds.

America Bikes coalition prepared a side-by-side comparison of the existing programs and what’s proposed in MAP-21.  Read America Bikes response to MAP-21 here.

Expect more action on the reauthorization in coming months.