Projects will make it safer to bike in Spokane Valley

It will soon be safer and easier to travel by bike or on foot around Spokane Valley.  After gaining council approval of its Bicycle Pedestrian Master Program (BPMP) last year, the city is now busy implementing it.

Nine bicycle and pedestrian projects are slated to be completed this year, including the Evergreen Road rehabilitation project.  This project will take advantage of a water line replacement project by VERA Water & Power to reconstruct Evergreen from 24^th to 32^nd Avenue and improve sidewalks and add bike lanes.

Marc Mims, Bicycle Alliance board member and Spokane Valley resident, pointed out this project will complete an important north-south bicycle route through the Valley and give cyclists safer access to Highway 27, a popular recreational bike route south of town.

In addition to the construction projects, the city has ten bicycle and walking projects in the planning and design stage.  According to Marc, two of them are especially significant to people who bike:  the University/I-90 Overpass Study and the Spokane Valley/Millwood Trail.

“We don’t have safe bike routes across I-90 anywhere in Spokane Valley,” stated Marc.  “The University Road/I-90 Overpass study could provide that.”

The Spokane Valley/Millwood Trail will provide the planning and design of a 6.5-mile trail from Spokane Community College to the Spokane Valley Mall, using a former Great Northern Railway corridor now owned by Spokane County.  The trail will provide a great east-west route through the Valley reaching destinations that are currently difficult to access by bike, Marc noted.

The BPMP was Spokane Valley’s first effort to plan for biking and walking, and the Bicycle Alliance provided technical assistance and input for it. Learn more about the city’s other planned bike and pedestrian projects and the BPMP here.

Free Webinars on the Updated AASHTO Bike Guide

In June of this year, the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) released its long overdue update of Guide for the Development of Bicycle Facilities.  This publication is a key resource for designing bike facilities in the US and had not been revised since 1999.
 

The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC) has partnered with Toole Design Group to offer a series of free webinars on the updated AASHTO Bicycle Guide.  Seven webinars are scheduled and each will cover a different topic area.  The first one is scheduled for August 10 and here’s the description from PBIC:

Aug. 10, 2012: Overview of Revised AASHTO Guide for Development of Bicycle Facilities
This webinar will provide an overview of the entire Guide and its evolution and use throughout the U.S., as well as other resources that are used for bicycle facility design (MUTCD, NACTO). Participants will gain an understanding of the purpose and design imperative for the Guide, as well as the more substantive additions and revisions that have been made to the Guide.  Participants will be encouraged to participate in subsequent webinars that will provide more detail on each topic area in the Guide.
Presenters: Jennifer Toole and Peter Lagerwey

Follow this link to view the entire AASHTO Bike Guide webinar series and to register for any of the webinars.  This webinar series has been approved by the American Planning Association for certification maintenance credits.

Green Lane Project to increase safety and put motorists, bicyclists at ease

pedbikeimages.org/Elvert Barnes

US Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood recently announced the launching of Bikes Belong's Green Lane Project--a pilot project to support the development of world-class bicycle facility networks in six cities:  Austin, Chicago, Memphis, Portland (OR), San Francisco, and Washington, DC.

According to Bikes Belong: 

Green lanes are dedicated, inviting spaces for people on bikes in the roadway, protected by curbs, planters, posts or parked cars. The goal of the Green Lane Project is to support the selected cities in their efforts to develop and install these kinds of facilities. Recent studies have demonstrated their benefits nationwide. In Washington, D.C., bicycle volume tripled after protected lanes were installed. In Portland, Ore., more than 70 percent of survey respondents said bicycling is easier and safer with these dedicated lanes, while motorists said the facilities did not make driving any slower or less convenient.

Read Ray LaHood's blog post:

Green Lane Project to increase safety and put motorists, bicyclists at ease - Welcome to the FastLane: The Official Blog of the U.S. Secretary of Transportation

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.

Brown Bag Forum: Perspectives on Public Transportation

“Hey--you’re the Bicycle Alliance of Washington, not the Transit Alliance!”

True, but we don’t bike ALL the time.  Sometimes we drive, sometimes we walk, and sometimes we use public transit.  That’s why we’re co-hosting this lunchtime event in Seattle on April 18, and we hope you’ll join us.

Two national transportation experts will be on hand for an engaging discussion about public transportation.  Authors Jarrett Walker and Darrin Nordahl will discuss public transit from two different ends of the bus route:  technical simplicity—and fun.  Opening remarks will be provided by Seattle City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen.

Walker, author of Human Transit, believes that transit can be simple if we focus on the underlying geometry that all transit technologies share.  He supplies the basic tools, the critical questions, and the means to make smarter decisions about designing and implementing transit services.

Nordahl, a subscriber to The Fun Theory, is the author of Making Transit FUN!  He believes that emotion is a more powerful motivator than reason and argues that there should be a positive incentive—one that lures motorists because the experience of using transit is actually pleasurable.

Space is limited for this event, so please RSVP.

This event is co-hosted by Transportation Choices, Banyan Branch, Bicycle Alliance of Washington, Downtown Seattle Association, Commute Seattle, Cascade Bicycle Club, The Seattle Transit Blog, VIA Architecture, Feet First, GGLO, and Washington Environmental Council.

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

Bike Summit in the Other Washington!

This week hundreds of advocates, interested citizens, business representatives, and local and state government staff from across the country will arrive in Washington DC for the League of American Bicyclists’ National Bike Summit. The Bicycle Alliance of Washington’s Blake Trask and Josh Miller will be joining the Washington state delegation that includes our friends from REI, Raleigh, the University of Washington, Cascade Bicycle Club, as well as representatives from the Bicycle Alliance’s Legislative and Statewide Issues Committee.

http://www.bikeleague.org 

This year’s theme is simple: Save Cycling.

That’s a little dramatic, isn’t it?

Unfortunately, no. Over the past few months investments in biking and walking have been in the crosshairs of many representatives and senators. For some in the U.S. House of Representatives, biking and walking is the new “Bridge to nowhere” and the Speaker of the House has referred to bicycle trails as non-economic waste.

If you’ve received our action alerts (if not, sign up here!), or have been checking our blog over the past year, you have seen the numerous calls to let your federal elected officials know how important bicycling is for job creation, getting around your neighborhood, connecting safe routes to school, creating complete streets, recreation, and for tourism statewide.

What’s at stake is the end of over two decades of growing investments in walkable and bikeable communities throughout the U.S.

As we and our advocacy and business friends meet with members and staff from the Washington state's congressional delegation, we look forward to the opportunity to speak to the policymakers about a forward-thinking transportation bill that affirms the importance of bicycle investments for Washington state.

The Summit is a chance for the Bicycle Alliance of Washington to convey our positive statewide vision to grow bicycling. This vision includes the over 30,000 school-age children who receive our Safe Routes to School trainings, the safety improvements that federal monies provide through federal TransportationEnhancements (TE) and Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) programs, and the bicycle and pedestrian awareness education that motor vehicle drivers now receive in traffic safety schools statewide. It’s also a chance to talk about growing bicycling and enhancing partnerships across the state with health and safety organizations, PTAs, advocates for the elderly, and representatives from automobile organizations.

The Summit is a great opportunity for everyone to participate. Next year, consider attending to represent Washington state. Now more than ever we need your voice in the other Washington!

Interested in following the action at this week’s Summit? Be sure to monitor our Twitter feed at @BikeWA and check-in with the always-excellent D.C Streetsblog for news and insights as the Summit proceeds.

Alley Adventure

I’m an alley cat. I enjoy exploring alleys on foot and by bike—especially the ones in my neighborhood. They have their own unique character and roaming through alleys can give you a different perspective of your neighborhood. You can discover who among your neighbors likes to garden, barbecue, raise chickens, work on cars, and more—all by wandering through alleys.

I think of an alley as the route less traveled through my neighborhood.  They often extend for many blocks. Alleys are great for foot and slow bike explorations because people seldom drive in them except to park their cars.

Some alleys are paved, some are not.

Alleys are a great place to store garbage cans, recycling bins and yard waste containers,

old cars and boats.

You might even find a Honey Bucket in an alley!

The alley side of a home is popular with gardeners.  It's possible to spot greenhouses, vegetable patches, raised herb beds, and flower gardens on an alley exploration.  You might get lucky and spot the gardener in action as well.

Alleys function as active living spaces, especially for children, because vehicular traffic is at a minimum and travel at slow speeds.  Children learn to ride their bikes and skateboards in alleys.  It's a place to practice your free throws, hula hoop, and have water gun battles.

When you need a break from it all, the alley might just be the perfect hangout.

The next time you head out for a neighborhood walk or bike ride, be sure to include an alley route or two.  You're sure to learn something new about your neighborhood.  Maybe you'll become an alley cat like me!

Seattle Neighborhood Greenways Ride and Upcoming talk with the Seattle Deparment of Transportation

In capitalizing on all the bike related events about town last weekend, and to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Seattle Councilmember Sally Bagshaw’s first experience riding on greenways in Portland, Seattle Neighborhood Greenways organizers (of which I am one) organized a ride with Sally, Elly Blue, Seattle Department of Transportation employees and Steve Durant of Alta Planning and Design around the proposed Ballard Greenway routes.  Councilman Tom Rasmussen joined for the recap at Grumpy D’s, and a much needed respite from the wind and cold.

Here we are stenciling at 8:30 on Sunday morning.  We were really excited for Elly to ride with us! Who is Elly Blue, you ask?  She writes about bicycle transportation here, and her work has appeared in Grist, Bitch, BikePortland and elsewhere.  In addition she addresses issues of gender and sexuality in biking.  She spoke at Cascade Bicycle Club’s Bike Expo, but was gracious in sharing her last afternoon in Seattle with us.

Our recap looks serious, but I think we were just thawing out still!

Also, mark your calendars for March 22nd!  Seattle Greenways has organized a talk with Seattle Department of Transportation Director Peter Hahn, and newcomer Chief Traffic Engineer Dongho Chang.  Join us for this opportunity to meet and personally thank Peter for creating a legacy of safer and more livable streets for our City — and to start a conversation with Peter and Dongho about how we can best leverage our community expertise and grassroots energy (which now spans hundreds of volunteers working across 13 neighborhoods!).  Potluck is at 6:30 at Phinney Neighborhood Center.  More information is on the Seattle Neighborhood Greenways Facebook page

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

State Legislative Update: Two Weeks to Go!!!

With barely over two weeks remaining in the legislative session, the Bicycle Alliance of Washington continues to collaborate with our partners, legislators, and a diverse array of organizations and cities from around the state to promote legislation that encourages complete and healthy streets, and grows bicycling statewide.

Happily we are still engaged on each of our legislative priorities that include (1) safer neighborhood streets; (2) Better design standards & Complete Streets; and (3) investments in transportation funding, including Complete Streets.

www.pedbikeimages.org / Dan Burden

Safer Neighborhood Streets: We’ve had an especially busy week supporting our priority legislation, SHB 1217 – the NeighborhoodSafe Streets bill. Last Thursday, we held a fantastic public hearing in the Senate Transportation Committee that featured council members Jon Snyder (Spokane), Sally Clark (Seattle), Bicycle Alliance Executive Director Barbara Culp and former WSDOT Secretary Douglas MacDonald. Video of the testimony can be seen on TVW. 

Just yesterday, the Senate Transportation Committee passed SHB 1217 out in executive session without opposition! We are excited to now move forward in the Senate and to work with our over 35 partner organizations and cities on next steps to ensure the bill’s passage.

Better Design Standards & Complete Streets. SHB 1700 was also heard in the Senate Transportation Committee last week and passed out of the Committee on Monday. This bill promotes safe and flexible design standards by providing cities and counties the flexibility to use updated guidelines for designing bicycle and pedestrian projects, increasing safety and reducing project costs.

Healthy Communities. HB 2370, a bill led by Representative Andy Billig of Spokane adds health as a transportation system policy goal. After a fantastic public hearing in the House Transportation Committee, which included our own Barbara Culp noting the transportation changes occurring since she grew up in the Methow Valley, the bill passed out of the House two weeks ago. It is now slated to be heard Monday, February 27 in the Senate Transportation Committee.

www.pedbikeimages.org /  Mike Cynecki

Funding. Transportation funding is still very fluid as supplemental budgets in both the House and Senate have been introduced. The initial Senate proposal includes a smaller proportion allocated for Safe Routes to Schools funding (3% versus 4%, which amounts to approximately a $1 million difference). We are also monitoring the situation for funding the Complete Streets Grant Program, which originated out of the passage of last year’s HB 1071.

Your involvement. The Bicycle Alliance of Washington has succeeded over the past 25 years with a focus on collaborating and working with members, clubs, and individuals across the state to lend experience, expertise, and support. Legislators need to hear your voice and we can’t thank you enough for lending it over the course of the session. If you want to get involved, please contact me, join our e-activist list, and – most importantly – become a member of the BicycleAlliance!

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!

Biking and walking are part of the transportation mix in rural America

I’ve lived the majority of my life in an urban environment—but not all of it.  For about ten years, I lived in Athens, Ohio—a college town with roughly 22,000 residents in the rural southeast corner of the state.

As a college student, I lived on or close to campus and walked or biked to classes.  The university campus is located adjacent to the uptown business district so I also walked or biked to my part-time job, shops and entertainment. 

After graduation, I moved to a north end residential neighborhood and went to work for a local non-profit agency.  My job required traveling a three-county region so I seldom biked to work, but I frequently saw my neighbors walking and biking to their jobs at the university or uptown.

Athens residents bike and walk to work in large numbers.  The city’s 2010 non-motorized transportation plan revealed that nearly 3% biked to work and 42% walked.  That’s astounding!

But guess what?  Walking and biking is not unusual in small town America.  While few communities—large or small—have a non-motorized mode split like Athens, a new report reveals that biking and walking count as a significant means of transportation in rural areas.

ActiveTransportation Beyond Urban Centers: Walking and Bicycling in Small Towns and Rural America, produced by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, dispels the commonly held belief that only city folk bike and walk.  From the report:

Due in large measure to lack of heavy traffic, smaller towns offer viable choices for people of all ages to travel without climbing into a car.  Parents are more likely to let younger kids bike to school or baseball practice, while seniors feel more comfortable strolling to the library or local café.  Many small towns and cities developed prior to World War II were originally designed with pedestrians in mind, so taking a walk downtown or riding a bike for exercise feels safe.

Modest investments to improve biking and walking safety, such as building a sidewalk or sidepath, can be beyond the budget for small towns with declining populations and limited economic opportunities.  The very programs under attack by Congress right now, Transportation Enhancements and Safe Routes to School, can be critical funding resources for rural communities.  Download the report to learn more about biking and walking in rural America.

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).

Federal Update: House Transportation Committee narrowly defeats effort to restore dedicated funding for biking and walking programs

Last Thursday, the House Transportation Committee narrowly defeated an attempt to restore dedicated federal funding for biking and walking programs. Washington’s two Congressional members who sit on this committee split their votes with Rick Larsen (WA-02) voting in favor of restoring the funds and Jaimie Herrera Beutler (WA-03) voting against it. A huge thank you and a tip of the helmet to the many who contacted them.

Although the vote was a disappointment, the fight for an equitable transportation bill is far from over. Jeff Miller of the Alliance for Biking and Walking wrote in a blog post 

Elimination of funds for biking and walking isn’t the only reason the House bill is terrible policy. The House bill puts public transit in jeopardy by diverting transit funds, an issue that has raised the alarm at Transportation for America and the American Public Transportation Association. A coalition of environmental organizations strongly objects to the bill’s environmentally backwards provisions, as well.

The House Transportation bill will soon move from committee to the House floor for a full vote. The Senate is working on its own version of a Transportation bill and, while it is friendlier to biking and walking, it has its own shortcomings. The House and Senate will eventually need to come together to reconcile differences in their bills.
 
Next month, Bicycle Alliance staff members Blake Trask and Josh Miller will make the journey to Washington, DC for the National Bike Summit. They will meet with members our state’s Congressional delegation to ask them to support a transportation bill that preserves dedicated funding for biking and walking programs, including Safe Routes to School.

Please check back for updates. You can also subscribe to our email list for action alerts and e-newsletter for timely information as well.

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!
 

Washington State House of Representatives Unanimously Passes Neighborhood Safe Speeds Bill

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Bill makes safer streets and neighborhoods by removing red tape and hurdles to reduce speeds on non-arterial streets.

Olympia, WA – Jan. 30, 2012 – Today, the Washington State House of Representatives passed the Neighborhood Safe Speeds Bill (SHB1217) unanimously.

The bill’s unanimous bipartisan support is mirrored by its backing from over 20 organizations, boards, and cities from across the state, including the Washington State PTA, AARP-Washington, as well as the cities of Spokane, Bellingham, Seattle and, Kirkland.

The Neighborhood Safe Speeds Bill makes 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 does not mandate any change, it simply provides cities and towns the authority to do so.

“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). “This bill will help. It removes 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.”

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

Current state law limits the ability of cities and towns to set maximum speed limits to 20 miles per hour by requiring an engineering and traffic study – which requires staff time and money to conduct – before cities and towns can create safer streets on non-arterial streets.

“The Neighborhood Safe Speeds Bill, or similar legislation, provides Bellingham with an important safety tool, and does so by removing red tape. This bill will help us improve safety for Bellingham’s neighborhood streets by providing us with the freedom to set safe speeds without having to work around the current hurdles that state law imposes,” says Bellingham Councilmember Michael Lilliquist

This legislation is especially germane to more vulnerable populations, including children and the elderly. “Older pedestrians because of their increased fragility particularly benefit from low-speed environments,” wrote AARP-Washington in its letter of support for SHB 1217.

“The Neighborhood Safe Speeds Bill is a win-win for Washingtonians statewide,” says Bicycle Alliance of Washington Executive Director Barbara Culp. “This is legislation that provides more local control over roadway safety, saves local government money by reducing administrative and staff requirements, and adds to the growing safety toolbox for cities and towns to create complete and healthy streets for residents and visitors alike.”

Following today’s successful House vote, the bill will now move to the Washington State Senate for consideration.

###

Contact: Blake Trask

Statewide Policy Director 

Bicycle Alliance of Washington

206.310.4762

blake@bicyclealliance.org

Washington bicyclists & pedestrians are disproportionately at risk of being killed and receive less than their fair share of transportation dollar investments

For Immediate Release

Seattle, WA – Jan. 23, 2012 – Washington ranks tenth as a safe place to bike and fourteenth for pedestrian safety ranking behind North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska, according to a new report, Bicycling and Walking in the United States: 2012 Benchmarking Report, released today by the Alliance for Biking & Walking.“

This report comes at a critical moment as Governor Gregoire has just proposed a state transportation package of $3.6 billion that dedicates 72 percent to roads, only 4 percent to transit, and lacks funding for the popular Safe Routes to Schools Program or locally-requested state bicycle and pedestrian safety projects.

The Benchmarking Report highlights that while 4.5% of work trips in Washington state are by bicycle or foot, bicyclists and pedestrians account for 13.6% of traffic fatalities in Washington state. Much of the Washington state and Seattle data for the report was provided by the Bicycle Alliance of Washington, a state partner to the national coalition of over 200 organizations.

Lack of investment in bicycling and walking could be to blame as state and federal monies fall short of the choices that Washington residents make in how they get around. For biking and walking, the state currently allocates 2.7% of what it receives in federal monies and the state itself assigns less than 0.5% of its transportation budget to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety and Safe Routes to School Programs.

“The 2012 Benchmarking report points to the growing need for improved safety and mobility for the many residents who walk and bike. We are optimistic that the proposed transportation package can be improved to include investments in Safe Routes to Schools and other popular safety programs that residents across the state want,” says Blake Trask, Bicycle Alliance state policy director.

Since the Safe Routes to School Program’s inception in 2005, the Bicycle Alliance has worked with several partners, as well as the Washington State Department of Transportation and Office of the Superintendant of Public Instruction to increase the number of children safely walking and biking to 168 schools across the state. Program delivery at these schools has, and continues to improve walking and biking conditions for approximately 67,000 children. This represents almost $29 million being awarded to 90 projects from over $137 million in requests. Currently four out of every five requests for schools are not funded.

As a part of its advocacy for safer streets for everyone, the Bicycle Alliance is promoting state legislation to remove red tape and provide cities and towns the freedom to set speed limits to 20 miles per hour on non-arterial streets without a costly engineering and traffic study.  This legislation, SHB 1217 – the Neighborhood Safe Speeds Bill, does not mandate any change, it simply provides cities and towns the local control to do so.

The report compiles persuasive evidence that bicycle and pedestrian projects create more jobs than highway projects, and provide at least three dollars of benefit for every dollar invested. The report also highlights the health benefits of active transportation, showing that states with the highest rates of bicycling and walking are also among those with the lowest rates of obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure. “The data points to one conclusion—investing in biking and walking projects create jobs, leads to more people biking and walking, and improves safety and public health,” says Jeffrey Miller, Alliance President/CEO.

Despite the ongoing need, the Benchmarking Report also calls out the progress that Washington state has made in growing bicycling and walking.  “Washingtonians have responded to the improvements in safety and infrastructure that state and local government have made over the past 20 years by biking and walking more,” Trask notes. In 1990, 13,170 Washingtonians identified themselves as bike commuters.  That number grew to 28,395 in 2009—a 116% increase.  The number of people who walk to work in our state grew by 14% during that same time period.  In the same period nationally, biking experienced a 64% increase while walking declined by 12%.

The Benchmarking Report includes data on the 51 largest US cities, which included Seattle. Highlights from the report include

• Seattle ranked fourth among the large cities nationwide with a commuter mode split of 11.5% who bike and walk to work. Boston was tops with a combined 15.4% biking and walking mode share.

• Despite its high ranking for walking and biking mode share, Seattle ranked sixth as a safe place to walk and twelfth among 51 large cities as a safe place to bike. According to the report, safer cities to bike include San Francisco, Portland, Minneapolis, Sacramento, and Milwaukee.

“Bicycling and Walking in the U.S.: 2012 Benchmarking Report” was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and made possible through additional support from AARP and Planet Bike. For more information and to download the report visit www.PeoplePoweredMovement.org/benchmarking.

Contact: 

Blake Trask

Statewide Policy Director

Bicycle Alliance of Washington

206.310.4762

blake@bicyclealliance.org

Jeffrey Miller

President/CEO

Alliance for Biking & Walking

202.445.4415

jeff@PeoplePoweredMovement.org