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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 »

Will a complete streets redevelopment of 23rd Ave improve safety for people on bikes?

Wednesday, February 27th, 2013 by

How do you envision a safe and accessible 23rd Avenue?

Improvement is coming for those who bike between the South End and University District, it is just a question of where these improvements will be made — on 23rd Ave. or a parallel route?

Starting in 2014, the Seattle Department of Transportation will begin a repaving, transit efficiency and complete streets re-evaluation of 23rd Ave. from East John St. to Rainier Ave. South, as reported earlier on the Seattle Bike Blog. As public outreach for the project continues, SDOT already has plans to electrify transit, install transit signal priority and improve the pedestrian environment on what is currently a four-lane arterial. However, as the city is still considering whether bicycle improvements will be made along 23rd Ave. as a component of this complete streets project. The upcoming March 2 Open House is a great opportunity to provide input about the issues and needs surrounding bicycle access along and across this corridor.

What could a “complete streets” redevelopment of 23rd Ave. mean for bicycles?

23rd Ave. represents a critical connection between the south end and the University District. Significant destinations impacted by the project corridor include the revitalizing commercial corner at 23rd and E Union, Garfield High School, the I-90 trail and the future light rail station at I-90.

The Seattle Bicycle Master Plan Update’s preliminary draft bicycle network recommended protected bike lanes as the desired bicycle facility along the 23rd Ave. corridor, while also identifying the Central District thoroughfare as a “multi-modal corridor,” given the heavy demands for all modes operating in the limited right of way. For instance, Bus 48, running from Mt. Baker to the University District via 23rd Ave. and continuing north to Loyal Heights, is one of the busiest routes in King County. About 6,900 people ride daily on just the southern section.

The city is currently undergoing a Transit Reliability Study to help determine if 23rd Ave can support a three-lane cross-section while maintaining transit reliability and efficiency. While transit is a high priority for 23rd Ave, the majority of the corridor experiences motor vehicle volumes well below the threshold needed to support a three-lane cross-section, which would ultimately make it safer for people to travel by all modes along and across the corridor.

While complete streets are designed to enable safe, attractive and comfortable travel for all users, space constraints throughout the corridor may limit which modes the redesign of 23rd Ave. can prioritize. The City is exploring options to improve pedestrian safety and access through the project; however, the City is preliminarily proposing favoring an alternative, parallel route to support bicycling given the constrained roadway width and concerns about conflicts between bicycle traffic and transit on the corridor. Whether 23rd Ave. can accommodate a bicycle facility that will be safe and comfortable for people of all ages and abilities will be determined by the results of the study as well as input from the community.

How do you envision a safe and accessible 23rd Ave? The city is interested in hearing from you!

Join SDOT at an open house on Saturday, March 2, to learn more about the project from the design team. If you are unable to attend the open house, you can still comment on the project by contacting the Project Manager, Lorelei Williams at (206) 684-5178 or by email.

Open House Details

When: Saturday, March 2
Where: Garfield Community Center, 2323 East Cherry St, Seattle, WA 98122
What Time: 2 to 4 p.m.

We hope to see you there!

Posted in Advocacy, Complete streets, Meetings & turnout, Seattle Bicycle Master Plan Update, Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

Atlantic Cities: How to Build a Better Bike Lane (and Get More People Out on Bikes)

Wednesday, February 13th, 2013 by

“We’re getting away from the assumption, ‘That’s car space and can’t be used for anything else,” Martha Roskowski of Bikes Belong says. “It’s space for people – in cars, on bikes, on transit, and on foot. It’s public space.”

I just finished reading Sarah Goodyear’s latest piece over on Atlantic Cities: How to Build a Better Bike Lane (and Get More People Out on Bikes). Goodyear digs into Bikes Belong’s Green Lane Project that is working with cities that “already get it to build more protected bike lanes, learn best practices from around the world, and quantify their progress.”

The cities? Austin, San Francisco, Portland, Oregon, Chicago, Memphis, and Washington, D.C. And New York in some capacity. Nope, not Seattle. (But you can read more about how we think Seattle stacks up in our Seattle Report Card.)

Even though Seattle isn’t a part of The Green Lane Project, we can still be watching and learning from the cities that are. After all, as Roskowski states, “We’re getting away from the assumption, ‘That’s car space and can’t be used for anything else,” she says. “It’s space for people – in cars, on bikes, on transit, and on foot. It’s public space.” If those other cities are racing to the top, and we’re on the sidelines, we’re going to lose more than just the competition for best bike lanes. We’re going to lose business, happiness, people and jobs.

Many of us already feel this way and are hungering for a public space that reflects this sentiment. Do you?

 

 

Posted in Complete streets, News, Seattle Bicycle Master Plan Update | 1 Comment »

Mayor’s proposed budget shows strong support for bicycling — action needed

Tuesday, September 25th, 2012 by

Mayor Mike McGinn delivered his 2013-2014 Proposed Budget on Monday afternoon, which includes necessary support for bicycling.

Photo courtesy of Seattle Mayor’s Office

Highlights in the budget include:

- critical funding for required planning to help complete the Missing Link of the Burke-Gilman trail;

- an extra $1,256,000 over two years to plan and build neighborhood greenways that make it safe for our kids to walk and bike to school;

- funds to build a protected bikeway cycletrack along a segment of 7th Ave downtown and plan for an extension of the route;

- $150,000 to create a plan for world-class bikeways downtown;

- a study to examine building a bicycle-pedestrian-transit bridge across the Ship Canal between Ballard and Fremont; and

- $10 million over two years to repave city streets, making them safer for everyone.

These are exactly the kind of investments we need to make if we want Seattle to become a city where everyone has the freedom to safely bike to get where they need to go because our city is connected with a world-class network of bikeways.

Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee the City Council will protect funding for these critical investments as they make their budget decisions over the next month.  And as we know, if we don’t make the necessary investments, Seattle will never become the city we know it should be.

But you can help!  Tell the City Council to protect bicycling in the budget.

If you prefer to tell the Council in person to protect funding for bicycling, please attend the City Council budget hearings on Thursday,  Oct. 4, and Thursday, Oct. 25. These hearings will take place at 5:30 p.m. (sign up at 5 p.m.) in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 600 4th Ave.

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Posted in Advocacy, Complete streets, Greenways | No Comments »

Congratulations to the APBP Young Professional of the Year: Tessa Greegor

Friday, September 14th, 2012 by

Hello again from Pro Walk/Pro Bike. I just want to take this moment to recognize and honor our national award-winning Principal Planner, Tessa Greegor. I just got back from the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals (APBP) annual meeting and lunch, where Tessa was honored with the “Young Professional of the Year Award”.

Our Principal Planner, Tessa Greegor (center), and the other APBP award winners at the annual lunch and awards ceremony.

From the award ceremony: Tessa Greegor has worked tirelessly, professionally, and quietly to make significant bicycle and pedestrian planning advances across the Greater Puget Sound Region. Her bold vision and unstoppable work ethic are already legendary. As lead for the Cascade Bicycle Club’s CDC-funded Communities Putting Prevention to Work project Tessa worked three large manuals (Complete Streets Guide, Multi-Modal Level of Service Guide, and Quantifying and Prioritizing Non-Motorized Transportation Investments) and trained city staff from six jurisdictions. Four cities have since passed Complete Streets Ordinances.

In my two years of working with Tessa, she has been nothing short of inspirational, professional, and dedicated to the bicycling movement. It has been an honor working alongside her as we continue to create positive change in communities across the Puget Sound Region. Go Tessa!

 

Posted in Advocacy, Complete streets | 1 Comment »

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