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Your participation is needed to build a more bikeable South Snohomish County

Thursday, April 4th, 2013 by

Your participation is needed to build a bikeable South Snohomish County

As you may have read in your April and February Couriers, Cascade was awarded funding through the Verdant Health Commission to build on the great work underway in South Snohomish County to establish bicycling as a safe and attractive transportation and recreation option for families, commuters and tourists alike. With the Commission’s support, over the next two years, Cascade will work with city planners, elected leaders, businesses and the community to lay the foundation for each jurisdiction to make bicycling available to people of all ages and abilities throughout South Snohomish County.

We’ve officially kicked off our work in South Snohomish County, specifically in Edmonds, Mountlake Terrace, Lynnwood and Bothell. We’ve met with city staff to learn about the efforts in each jurisdiction to improve people’s ability to travel by bike, and we’ve been impressed with what we’ve learned.

In Edmonds, for example, the City is working to create a safe bicycle route connecting from the Interurban Trail into the heart of downtown Edmonds with key projects underway to realize this connection. Meanwhile, among other bicycle projects, the city of Mountlake Terrace (recent adopters of a Complete Streets ordinance) is working to complete the Lakeview Trail, connecting to the Mountlake Terrace Transit Center and future light rail station. And Lynnwood is working to complete two critical missing links in the Interurban Trail network.

While progress is taking place, there’s still work to be done to realize the potential bicycling has to offer in these communities. The first phase of our Verdant work is focused on building relationships with city staff, community organizations and the business community in addition to learning from the community about key barriers to bicycling and opportunities for improvement. So, if you live, work or play in South Snohomish County, we wanted to let you know about upcoming opportunities for you to get involved in helping to build a more bikeable community.

SOUTH SNOHOMISH BIKES SURVEY

First, in an effort to better understand the bicycling environment, we have launched an online survey to learn from you about barriers to bicycling, important bike routes and destinations, and the types of bicycle improvements that would encourage you to bicycle more.

If you have ten minutes, we’d love your insight.

BIKEABILITY TOURS & ADVOCACY LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE

In addition to the online survey, this summer we will be conducting community bikeability tours in Edmonds, Mountlake Terrace and Lynnwood, offering community bike rides to evaluate existing bicycle routes and identify future opportunities for bicycle improvements. The bikeability tours will be followed by a discussion focused on bicycle infrastructure and opportunities to help advance bicycling as community members. The bikeability tours will provide a foundation for Cascade’s two-day Advocacy Leadership Institute offered this summer to community members in South Snohomish County interested in building bicycle advocacy skills. Stay tuned for additional information about each of these events.

POLICY WORKSHOPS

We are also in the process of developing a workshop series focusing on bike-friendly transportation planning, policy and design for elected leaders, city staff, and community stakeholders, which will kick off this summer.

SUPPORTING EMPLOYERS

And last but definitely not least, we are continuing our work with employers throughout South Snohomish County to elevate the importance of bicycle commuting as key to a better business and bottom line. If you work in South Snohomish County and would like your business to increase its level of support for bicycling, please respond to the survey linked above and contact Stephanie Frans, Cascade’s Commute Programs Manager: stephanie.frans@cascadebicycleclub.org

As we move forward with each element of our Verdant work, we want to emphasize the importance of community involvement in helping to advance bicycling in the communities of South Snohomish County. We have a number of exciting opportunities coming up this summer and hope you can be involved! We will provide additional information about events like the bikeability tours and our two-day Advocacy Leadership Institute through upcoming email communications.

 

Posted in Advocacy, BizCycle, Commuting, Complete streets, Transit | 2 Comments »

Comments needed to support a bicycle and pedestrian trail on Portage Bay Bridge

Monday, September 24th, 2012 by

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is seeking public comments on its recently released SR 520 Westside Design Report, which includes recommendations related to bicycle and pedestrian connections throughout the Seattle-side of the SR 520 project.

Over the past year, WSDOT has been working with the public and stakeholders to refine key elements of the SR 520 corridor, and today at 10:30 a.m. in Council Chambers at City Hall, the Seattle City Council was briefed on the results of this process. Ultimately, the City Council will make recommendations to WSDOT specific to the proposed designs and connections.

With critical connections – like a bicycle and pedestrian trail along the Portage Bay Bridge – still up for discussion, we need your voices to ensure that the State and City move forward with designs for SR 520 and nearby neighborhoods that reflect a future where people of all ages and abilities can safely and efficiently travel by bike and foot.

Comments on the Draft Design Report will be accepted until Friday, Oct. 5. We strongly encourage you to take the time to submit comments by:

  1. Filling out the State’s online survey (read below for our recommendations on filling in the survey)
  2. Submitting an email with your comments to: SeattleCommunityDesign@wsdot.wa.gov

I’ve written about the SR 520 project and Cascade’s recommendations in the past (here and here); however, I thought it would be helpful to summarize our recommendations related to bicycle connectivity for purposes of filling out the State’s (rather intimidating) online public input survey, or to submit your public comments by e-mail.

Because we have a rather lengthy list of recommendations, we want to call attention to our primary recommendation at this point in the State’s process: ensuring that a 14-foot bicycle and pedestrian trail is integrated within the Portage Bay Bridge design. This connection is not currently in the Baseline Design and yet has the potential to serve thousands of people wanting to bicycle and walk to destinations across Seattle and the Eastside.

The survey is divided into the following focus areas: Roanoke Area, Portage Bay Bridge, Montlake Area, West Approach Bridge, and finally, Bicycle and Pedestrian Connections. We will focus on Roanoke Area, Portage Bay Bridge, Montlake Area, and Bicycle and Pedestrian Connections.

Roanoke Area: For the Roanoke Area, we have the following recommendations, many of which are identified in the survey:

  1. Provide a separated bicycle and pedestrian facility across I-5 with intuitive connections to Harvard Ave E, 10th Ave E, the 10th and Delmar lidded area, and ultimately a new Portage Bay Bridge Trail.
  2. Design key intersections along the Roanoke corridor to facilitate safe transitions for bicyclists and pedestrians, specifically 10th and Roanoke, Roanoke and Harvard Ave E, and Boylston and Roanoke St. Specific to the survey, we support the proposal to improve the “T” intersection design at 10th Ave E and Delmar Dr E.
  3. Provide bicycle and pedestrian shared-use trails across the 10th and Delmar Lid, including a non-motorized connection to Federal Ave E.
  4. Ensure seamless, comfortable and convenient connections between the new Portage Bay Bridge Trail, Delmar Dr E, Interlaken, the 10th and Delmar Lid, 10th Ave E, and the new bicycle connections along E Roanoke St.
  5. Upgrade existing bicycle corridors – such as Delmar Dr E – to provide a safe and comfortable experience for people bicycling.

Portage Bay Bridge: Our primary recommendation for the Portage Bay Bridge is to integrate a 14-foot bicycle and pedestrian trail with safe and convenient access at both ends. This is reflected in “Preference 8” in the online survey.

Montlake Area: Our primary recommendations for the Montlake Area, many of which are identified in the survey, include:

  1. Montlake Blvd E: Improve bicycle and pedestrian access on the east and west sides of Montlake Blvd E – specifically, evaluate the application of separated bicycle facilities to meet the existing and future demand for bicycling along this corridor.
  2. Canal Reserve: Lower the westbound off-ramps under 24th Ave E to improve the bicycle and pedestrian experience along 24th Ave E.
  3. East Montlake Park: Provide only bicycle and pedestrian access to East Montlake Park from 24th Avenue East.
  4. 24th Ave E: Include separated bicycle facilities (possibly bi-directional) along 24th Ave E to retain a high-quality bicycle connection across SR 520, providing access to the new SR 520 trail, the Montlake neighborhood, and points north of SR 520.
  5. Montlake Lid: promote bicycling across the Lid through connected trails, wayfinding, and state-of-the-art bicycle parking and amenities.

Bicycle and Pedestrian Connections: We’ve articulated our main recommendations above, but if you’re filling out the survey, we’d suggest reiterating the importance of (1) providing a 14-foot shared-use trail along the future Portage Bay Bridge and (2) designing all bicycle connections to meet future demand and encourage use by people of all ages and abilities.

We appreciate your continued involvement in this process! If you have any questions when filling out the survey or drafting public comments, please post a comment below.

Posted in Advocacy, SR520, WSDOT | 10 Comments »

Mark your calendars – It’s bike count time!

Tuesday, August 21st, 2012 by

We are excited to announce the fifth year of the Washington State Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project. Since 2008, Cascade Bicycle Club, on contract through the Washington State Department of Transportation, has enlisted hundreds of volunteers each September and October to count bicyclists and pedestrians in dozens of communities around the state. This year, we are recruiting volunteers to conduct counts in 40 communities around Washington.

Sign up for a two-hour count shift here!

Collecting data about bicycling and walking is critical to improving transportation systems to support these modes. Compared to other transportation modes, bicycling and walking have historically received little attention when it comes to data collection and analysis. The count data that volunteers will collect on September 25, 26, and 27 will play a valuable role in planning, designing and funding bicycle and pedestrian projects, while helping us to better understand the factors that influence the levels of bicycling and walking in our communities.

The 2012 statewide bicycle and pedestrian counts will be held on September 25, 26 and 27, during morning and afternoon peak periods (7 – 9 a.m. and 4 – 6 p.m.). We are looking for volunteers to conduct counts in the following cities: Bellevue, Bothell, Bremerton, Burien, Ellensburg, Federal Way, Ferndale, Gig Harbor, Issaquah, Kelso, Kent, Kirkland, Lakewood, Longview, Lynden, Mercer Island, Milton, Mountlake Terrace, Oak Harbor, Olympia, Orting, Parkland, Puyallup, Renton, Richland, Seattle, Shoreline, Spokane, Snoqualmie, Tacoma, University Place, Vancouver, Walla Walla, Wenatchee, and Yakima. The success of this project relies on our volunteers, and we thank those who have been involved in past years. If you are available for a 2-hour shift to count the number of bicyclists and pedestrians in one of the communities listed above, please sign up for a shift (or three), here.

We will follow up with each of the volunteers as we get closer to the count dates with instructions and count materials.

Please note: The following cities will be coordinating their own volunteers and counts.  If you would like to volunteer in one of these cities, please e-mail the person listed as the city contact.

For information on the state bicycle and pedestrian counts, contact Tessa Greegor.

 

Seattle City Wide Bicycle Counts: September 12

In addition, the City of Seattle is looking for volunteers to conduct neighborhood bicycle counts at 32 locations on Wednesday, September 12, 2012 from 6:30 AM – 9:00 AM. These counts  will be SDOT’s final volunteer-based bicycle counts at key locations throughout the entire city. The results will be used to help ensure consistency with SDOT’s new count methodology and to monitor progress toward increasing the number of bicycle trips as called for in the Seattle Bicycle Master Plan.

If you are willing to help, or would like more information, please contact Doug Cox at (206) 684-8264/ douglas.cox@seattle.gov. All volunteers will receive instructions and forms once their count location is confirmed.

Happy Counting!

 

 

 

 

Posted in Advocacy, Seattle Bicycle Master Plan Update, Upcoming events, Volunteer | 4 Comments »

Support the Beacon Hill and Ballard Neighborhood Greenways

Tuesday, July 17th, 2012 by

With Seattle’s first neighborhood greenway — the Wallingford Greenway — now completed and in use, the City of Seattle will be hosting two open houses to discuss plans for implementing greenways in Beacon Hill and Ballard.  These open houses are a great opportunity to learn about the greenway plans and to provide your support to ensure that these projects move forward as high-quality neighborhood greenways, providing people of all ages and abilities safe, convenient, and comfortable opportunities to walk and bike.

As the City continues to design and implement new greenways (seven miles planned for 2012), the Wallingford Greenway serves as a useful case study to help you decide what makes you and your family feel most comfortable, and what might make it even better. We encourage you to ride or walk the Wallingford Neighborhood Greenway to get a sense for what you like and don’t like to provide input on the design elements of Seattle’s evolving neighborhood greenway network.

The Beacon Hill Greenway Open House: 

Planned Beacon Hill Neighborhood Greenway

On Thursday, July 19, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., the Seattle Department of Transportation will showcase their plans to install the Beacon Hill Neighborhood Greenway – a 2.8 mile greenway connecting from the I-90 Trail south to S Lucile Street. Destinations along the greenway include the Beacon Hill library, Jefferson Park, Maplewood Playfield, and several schools.  The Beacon Hill Greenway is one of several that were proposed in the Beacon BIKES Circulation Plan, which was initiated by the community and funded by a grant from the Department of Neighborhoods.

The greenway will start at the I-90 Trail & 18th Avenue S, continuing south along 18th Avenue S and crossing Beacon Ave S at Hanford Street.  South of Jefferson Park the greenway will cross 15th Avenue S at S Dakota Street and continue on 12th Avenue S to S Lucile Street.

The proposed project elements along the greenway route include:

  • Signs and pavement legends along the greenway
  • Stop signs to control traffic crossing the greenway
  • Median island with new marked crosswalks at LaFayette Avenue S & S Spokane Street
  • Median island with new marked crosswalks at Beacon Avenue S & S Hanford Street
  • Rechannelization and signal improvements at Beacon Avenue S & S Spokane Street
  • Widened sidewalk on S Dakota Street between 16th Avenue S & 14th Avenue S
  • Paved trail adjacent to Jefferson Park

If you are able to attend the open house, we recommend focusing on ensuring that all intersections along the Beacon Hill Greenway, such as S College St and S Spokane St, are designed to facilitate safe transitions for people walking and biking.

Meeting details:

Date: Thursday, July 19
Time: 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Location: Jefferson Community Center, 3801 Beacon Ave S

The Ballard Greenway Open House:

Planned Ballard Neighborhood Greenway

On Thursday, July 26, from 6:30 to 8 p.m., the Seattle Department of Transportation will present plans for the Ballard Greenway– a 2.1 mile long greenway beginning at the Burke-Gilman Trail at Seaview Avenue NW, traveling along NW 58th and 57th Streets, and terminating at 4th Avenue NW.  The greenway will improve access for people walking and bicycling to destinations like the Ballard library, parks, schools, and the Burke-Gilman Trail.

The proposed project elements along the greenway route include:

  • Signs and pavement legends along the greenway
  • Stop signs to control traffic crossing the greenway at certain intersections
  • Widened sidewalk on Seaview Avenue NW to access the Burke-Gilman Trail
  • Median island at 24th Avenue NW and NW 58th Street
  • Diverter for eastbound traffic at 15th Avenue NW and NW 58th St (at St. Alphonsus School)
  • Additional bicycle parking at destinations along the route

Meeting details:

Date: Thursday, July 26
Time: 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Location: Adams Elementary School cafeteria, 6110 28th Avenue NW

We encourage you to attend these open houses to support the projects as currently planned. Without your support for critical components of the neighborhood greenway projects – such as key arterial crossing improvements – our greenway designs are at risk of being modified and may result in the construction of a less-than-ideal facility. Please come and speak up for the safety, convenience, and comfort of the community – both young and old.

Posted in Advocacy, Meetings & turnout, Seattle Bicycle Master Plan Update | No Comments »

Detour Alert: More bike route changes headed your way as SR 99 Tunnel construction continues

Wednesday, May 9th, 2012 by

While change is nothing new to the bike commuters along East Marginal Way/Alaskan Way, we want to make sure you know that more change is headed your way. Beginning May 10, there will be a new detour in place for bicyclists between S Jackson St and Spring St.  Bicyclists and pedestrians will be detoured onto a shared-use path under the viaduct, and along a section of the Elliott Bay Trail.  The existing sidewalks on the west side of Alaskan Way will remain open if you prefer to use this route. Please see WSDOT’s detour map along with their waterfront detour video for more information. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the detour accommodations for bicyclists during this time, please contact Tessa with Cascade Bicycle Club and/or Broch Bender with WSDOT at 206-805-2817.



Posted in Advocacy, Commuting, Road & Trail News, Video | No Comments »

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