50 Bike Champions Elected Across WA!

By Administrator | Published December 4, 2023

The November elections are certified and Washington Bikes is excited by the results. Thanks to your votes, 50 of our endorsed candidates won in 23 communities.

That means more bike champions will make decisions about transportation policies and bike infrastructure in communities statewide in 2024. Washington Bikes will work with these elected officials in the coming years to make our streets safer and more accessible for all.

Here’s a rundown of the top five communities that are poised for positive change thanks to the bike champions we helped elect.

Spokane City Council & Mayor

We’re incredibly excited that WA Bikes Board alum Paul Dillon won a City Council seat along with Kitty Klitzke, who previously served on the state Cooper Jones Active Transportation Safety Advisory Council.

Dillon and Klitzke will be important voices as Spokane moves forward with implementing its new Vision Zero Action Plan, and as bike advocates push for new protected bike lanes on key downtown arterials.

Alongside these new new City Council members, Lisa Brown was successful in her bid to unseat the current mayor (a difficult task!). Brown voiced strong support for safer biking in Spokane during our endorsement process.

Now it is up to these new leaders and all of us to work together to win support for funding and street safety improvements that Spokane’s residents want and need.

Bremerton City Council

A strongly pro-bike council has gotten even stronger in Bremerton, where three of our endorsed candidates–Denise Frey, Anna Mockler, and Jane Rebelowski–won their races.

Electing these bike champions means that we can build on recent successes including the forthcoming upgrades to the Warren Street Bridge, which will include a wide shared-use path that will enable bike access for people of all ages and abilities.

Bremerton still has many streets that lack safe biking and walking infrastructure, but the city is an example of how communities can become more bike friendly when advocates work with elected officials to push for change. In Bremerton, that advocacy push is coming from the West Sound Cycle Club and Bike Bremerton.

Washington Bikes is excited to partner with Bremerton’s bike advocacy community and its pro-bike elected officials to realize big change in years to come.

Bellevue City Council

Since 2015, Bellevue has been methodically reforming its transportation system away from a sole focus on cars. There’s a lot more to do, and a supportive council is a necessity.

The re-election of John Stokes and Janice Zahn is a sign of community support for a path to better biking. Zahn is a strong voice for multi-modal transportation and safe streets. Joining these incumbent champions is Mo Malakoutian, who spoke up for better biking during our endorsement process.

As Bike Bellevue moves forward, these bike champions will be essential to continuing progress and opposing the vocal minority who oppose street safety in Bellevue.

King County Council

Along with returning bike champions Claudia Balducci and Girmay Zahilay to office, voters selected Teresa Mosqueda and Jorge Baron to join them on the King County Council. These four WA Bikes endorsed candidates create an opportunity to strengthen King County’s commitment to safer streets and, in 2025, to send voters an ambitious parks Levy that finishes key trails in the King County Regional Trails network.

In particular, we’re excited to continue our work with Balducci, who brings creativity and a can-do attitude to making progress on trails and multi-model transportation options. We’re also looking forward to working with Teresa Mosqueda, who has been a bike champion while on the Seattle City Council.

Bothell City Council

Since the election of Amanda Dodd and Mason Thompson to City Council in 2019, Bothell has started to shed its car-centric, suburban reputation. With an ambitious bike plan adopted, thanks to those two bike champions, a new vision of Bothell is taking shape.

Carston Curd, a Bothell Planning Commission member who’s vision for Bothell aligns with Dodd’s and Thompson’s, was also elected to the City Council. We’re excited to see Bothell become a model for how suburban cities can break out of the car-centric mold and become more bikeable, walkable, safer and healthier communities.

Voting Matters!

Congratulations to our 50 elected bike champions, and thank you voters.

However, despite the favorable election results, voter turnout was low in November. Just 37 percent of registered voters returned ballots. That’s unfortunate, because we could have elected even more bike champions with higher participation.

Now the hard work starts to hold elected officials to their campaign commitments, and educate them about the need for more investments and policies that promote better biking.

Live in Seattle? Learn about the Seattle election results.

To support our work holding elected officials accountable to the needs of people who bike or want to, donate today!

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Where Does the New Seattle City Council Stand on Biking?

By Administrator | Published November 16, 2023

The election is over and now it is time to hold the new Seattle City Council members accountable for their campaign promises to support more funding for bike infrastructure and safer streets.

Big issues affecting the future of bicycling in Seattle will come before the City Council for a vote in 2024, including a new Seattle Transportation Plan and a transportation levy that will fund bike infrastructure. The good news is that all seven city councilors promised, in response to our candidate questionnaire, to vote for a levy that will “significantly fund biking, walking, and transit.”

In addition, all seven unanimously answered yes when we asked if they will prioritize the safety of people over the speed of cars. They were also unanimous in promising to include safety upgrades in all road projects.

Read our Scorecard below to see where the new City Council members stand on issues including: building bike lanes on arterial streets, funding for multi-modal investments, and creating a safe bike network in South Seattle.

Washington Bikes is hopeful that the City Council that convenes in 2024 will stand up for biking, walking, and rolling. It is the job of voters and the bicycling community to remind councilors of their promises and to push them them to make Seattle more bikeable.

We are encouraged that two of Washington Bikes’ endorsed candidates–Tammy Morales in District 2, and Dan Strauss in District 6–will be the most senior members of the City Council. Both Morales and Strauss earned our endorsement because of efforts to make their districts more bike-friendly during their current term. Now, as the two most senior council members, their leadership in this upcoming term will be critical to achieving our policy goals for biking citywide.

Below, we have compiled a scorecard of where the new City Council members stand on issues related to important bike infrastructure improvements in their individual districts.

View all the questions we asked candidates statewide and in Seattle here.

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Vote for these Candidates, Hold the Winners Accountable

By Vicky Clarke | Published October 24, 2023

WA Bikes recently announced its biggest slate of endorsements to date. This is a huge local election year that will shape the bikeability of Washington state for years to come. Vote for the candidates in your community that we’ve endorsed below, return your ballot by Nov. 7, and then remain engaged with the winners.

Advocacy doesn’t stop on Election Day. We must hold our elected leaders accountable for the promises they make during election season.

Below are the questionnaire responses we received from candidates in races we endorsed for the General Election. Incumbent candidates endorsed in the primary did not complete questionnaires. 

Bellevue

Bellingham

Bremerton

Bothell

Edmonds

Everett

Issaquah

Kenmore

King County

Kirkland

Lynwood

Port Angeles

Poulsbo

Redmond

Renton

Sammamish

SeaTac

Seattle

Snohomish County

Spokane

Tacoma

Vancouver

Whatcom County

Woodinville

Yakima

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Vote for these Bike-Friendly Candidates in November: WA Bikes 2023 Endorsements

By Vicky Clarke | Published October 13, 2023
  • Washington Bikes has selected candidates from across the state for the 2023 General Election who are committed to building a bikeable future. Vote by Nov. 7.

The bikeability of Washington state is on the ballot in November. To ensure voters have the information they need to choose the most bike-friendly candidates in races across the state, Washington Bikes is announcing its most complete list ever of 2023 General Election endorsements.

From Bainbridge Island to Bremerton, Seattle to Spokane, Tacoma to Vancouver and Yakima, we have chosen candidates whom we believe will advance our vision of a future where everyone who needs or wants to get around by bike can do so safely and comfortably.

This election cycle is critical due to the many new faces on ballots in communities statewide. Voters have an opportunity to select individuals who support more sidewalks, safe routes to schools, bike lanes, and trails. 

In Spokane, we have selected four City Council candidates and a mayoral candidate. Electing bike-friendly candidates is vital for the future of Spokane, and we urge voters to  cast their ballots for mayoral challenger Lisa Brown.

Bremerton is poised to elect a bike-friendly supermajority, including re-electing current champions and bringing another aboard. Big decisions loom on how to rebuild Bremerton’s streets and create more safe bike routes. That’s why we’ve chosen Denise Frey, Jane Rebelowski, and Anna Mockler.

Tacoma has major goals to expand its bike network, thanks to its Climate Action Plan, and bike champion Kristina Walker as well as Olgy Diaz are best poised to move the city forward.

In Seattle, all five City Council district seats are on the ballot. Several key transportation issues will come before the council in 2024, including adoption of the new transportation plan, and sending a transportation funding package to the voters. Electing bike friendly leaders in Seattle is critical to plans and funding that center biking, walking, and transit options that are safe and equitable.

In addition to this Endorsements Cheat Sheet below, you can read the full questionnaire responses from all endorsed candidates here.

In addition to the cities listed above, we’ve chosen candidates in Bellevue, Bellingham, Bothell, Edmonds, Everett, Issaquah, Kenmore, King County, Kirkland, Lynwood, Mercer Island, Port Angeles, Poulsbo, Redmond, Renton, Sammamish, SeaTac, Snohomish County, Tukwila, Whatcom County, and Woodinville–and for the Port of Seattle.

View our Endorsements Cheat Sheet below to see the candidates in your community that Washington Bikes believes will advance our shared priorities of a more walkable, bikeable, rollable, and transit-friendly Washington state. The image may take a few seconds to load. 

We are in the final stretch toward Election Day! Are you ready to vote?

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Seattle Voters: Elect Morales and Lewis; See our Bike Policy Scorecard

By Paul Tolme | Published July 6, 2023

Washington Bikes is endorsing Tammy Morales and Andrew Lewis for Seattle City Council and urging Seattle voters to view our Election Scorecards before filling out their ballots.

The 2023 Seattle City Council elections will determine the future of safe and connected bicycling in the city. All seven of the City Council districts are on the ballot, which means a lot of new faces to represent the city. Incumbents are stepping down in four districts.

Washington Bikes has worked to educate candidates about bike-friendly policies and to inform them about our sister organization Cascade Bicycle Club’s top Seattle policy priorities. With 45 candidates on the ballot, we are publishing scorecards to help voters decide who will best support bike-friendly policies.

Eighty percent of candidates responded to our questionnaire, and our scorecard shows that a supermajority of candidates support safer biking in Seattle.

District 1

District 2

District 3

District 4

District 5

District 6

District 7

Bike and Multimodal Issues Facing the Next City Council:

  • Renewal of the Transportation Levy which is a major fund source for new sidewalks and bike routes, as well as other transportation investments.
  • Reducing the spike in traffic violence, especially deaths and injuries of people biking and walking.
  • Many important bike and pedestrian projects need championing so that they are completed.

Washington Bikes endorses two Seattle candidates who have demonstrated their commitment to safer streets over the last four years:

  • District 2, Tammy Morales. Morales has been vocal about the need for safer streets in District 2, which has the highest proportion of crashes and the fewest bike lanes. Morales has championed funding for better-protected bike lanes in South Seattle, and she backed an effort requiring that the Seattle Department of Transportation study closing some of Lake Washington Boulevard to motor vehicles. She also supports funding the completion of the Georgetown to South Park Trail. We must return Morales to the City Council to continue leading this work. 
  • District 7, Andrew Lewis. Lewis has been a strong supporter of bike and pedestrian improvements in District 7, and in identifying new revenue to expedite building safer streets. In 2021, Lewis identified millions in ongoing new revenue to fund the Vision Zero program, and we know he’ll be an important voice and vote for prioritizing safety in the city budget. 

Washington Bikes, Cascade Bicycle Club, and our partners hosted three candidate forums that you can watch here to learn more about where candidates stand on mobility, transportation, and equity issues. District 1 forum. District 3 forum. District 5 forum.

If you’re new to Washington state or recently moved, register to vote online by July 24 for the Aug. 1 Primary, or register to vote in person by 8 p.m on Aug. 1.

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Announcing Washington Bikes’ Primary Endorsements

By Vicky Clarke | Published May 30, 2023
  • Voters will choose new city councils this November, with hundreds of races all across Washington. County Council and Mayoral elections will be held in some communities too.
  • Washington Bikes endorses candidates who support bike friendly policies and investments.
  • Our first slate of endorsements are elected bike champions within the Puget Sound Region.

It’s often said that all politics is local, and we couldn’t agree more – especially when it comes to transportation. City (and County) leaders decide on community funding priorities, and pass policies like Vision Zero and Complete Streets. Washington Bikes endorses bike friendly candidates for office to help voters know who their leaders are.

True bike champions aren’t just following the playbook and voting for policies to make communities safer and more accessible for people to walk and bike – they’re pushing the envelope and opening the door to new ideas. Champions spearhead ideas among their peers and advocate to make them happen. Bike champions also know that they don’t have all the answers –  they listen to and collaborate with advocates and constituents.

That is why Washington Bikes is excited to endorse these 20 Puget Sound bike champions for office. Some of these candidates will have a Primary Election on August 1. Others will show up on the ballot for the November 7 General Election. Between now and Election Day, we encourage you to show up for these candidates in any way you can, because we know they’ll be showing up for people who bike if and when they win their election. 

Washington Bikes is proud to endorse the following candidates for office:

Washington Bikes will be rolling out more endorsements closer to the election. If you want to recommend one of your elected leaders to Washington Bikes for endorsement, drop us a line at info@wabikes.org and let us know who is a leader in your community and what they’ve been doing to make biking safer and more accessible. 

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2023 Legislative Highlights: E-Bike Rebates, Statewide Bike Education Funding, More Money for Infrastructure

By Paul Tolme | Published May 26, 2023

  • The state budget fulfilled funding commitments in last year’s Move Ahead WA package–with big increases for safe streets programs, and new youth bike education programs. 
  • Our policy focus on addressing epidemic of traffic violence resulted in some wins, but much more work to do.

The 2023 Washington state legislative session included some big wins for bike education and infrastructure, and for boosting electric bike usage, but legislators missed an opportunity to enact comprehensive traffic safety reforms supported by Washington Bikes.

With traffic deaths and serious injuries at a 30-year high in Washington state, WA Bikes entered the 2023 legislative session with traffic safety as a top priority. Our other top goal was to ensure the legislature funded its commitments in the 2022 Move Ahead Washington transportation package.  

Move Ahead Washington: Funding Promises Kept

Budget dollars for the next two years include:

  • More than $72 million for the Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Program;
  • Approximately $73 million for the Safe Routes to School Program;
  • $25 million for Connecting Communities funding;
  • $27 million to fund the creation of the new School-Based Bike Safety Education Program.

All of the programs above invest in measures that will improve the safety of people walking and bicycling. Thanks to bike champions in the state Legislature, this budget allows the creation of more bike infrastructure. It also recognizes that teaching bike skills to our youth statewide will benefit society and public health in years to come.

“History shows that more people will use bikes for transportation if you create safe places to ride.” It was great to see the Legislature allocate money for more Safe Routes to School and bike infrastructure that connects communities in ways that make it safer and easier for more people to bike and walk,” said Washington Bikes Policy Director Vicky Clarke. 

Another victory is the allocation of $7 million for electric bike incentives and rebates. Read more about the e-bike incentives in our previous post.

Traffic Safety Legislation: More Work in Coming Years

Unfortunately, the Legislature passed only a few of the many traffic safety bills introduced in the House and Senate. A growing number of people traveling on Washington roadways–especially people walking–are being killed or seriously injured.

Two important bills championed by Washington Bikes to reduce traffic violence were enacted. They will:

  • Get known bad drivers off our streets by requiring that all drivers found at fault for causing a serious injury or death have their licenses suspended until they can retake and pass the state driving test. 
  • Require the state Department of Licensing to develop a plan for expanding driver education requirements for people aged 18 to 24. Currently, people who wait until age 18 to get their license are not required to take driver education courses, which are shown to improve the driving habits of young people–who are statistically the most dangerous drivers.

“We were heartened to see some movement on policies that make our streets safer. But we need more action. Many of the bills in our traffic safety agenda–such as restricting right turns on red near schools and busy crosswalks–did not win legislative approval,” Clarke said. “We will work to win support for traffic safety measures in future years because we know that when streets are safer for all users they are a lot safer for people walking and biking.”

Despite the state’s failure to pass #WrongOnRed legislation, Seattle showed leadership by announcing in early May that it will ban right turns on red at downtown intersections. In the future, red-light turn restrictions will be phased in across the city. 

Washington Bikes sought to restrict right turns on red across the state because crosswalks and intersections are among the most dangerous locations. While these restrictions failed in the Legislature, legislators included funding in the state budget for cities to gather data on how people walking, biking, and driving interact at intersections. This data will help inform cities on how to make intersections safer. 

Climate Policy is Transportation Policy

The Legislature also passed HB1110 that requires medium and large cities to consider climate in their Comprehensive Plans, and to include strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and vehicle miles traveled. Building connected bike networks and creating zoning codes that require communities to grow such that they a increasingly bikeable, walkable, and accessible to mass transit can reduce car trips and climate pollution. As rulemaking for HB1110 begins, Washington Bikes will work to ensure that bicycling for transportation remains a top priority. 

In the coming months we’ll be working with allies and legislative champions to identify top priorities in the 2024 session to keep moving forward on safer biking and walking.

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Electric Bike Rebates Coming to Washington State

By Paul Tolme | Published April 26, 2023
  • The WA state Legislature approved $5 million for rebates of up to $1,200 for electric bike purchases.
  • State budget also includes $2 million for the creation of e-bike lending programs.

Washington state has become the eighth state to approve rebates or incentives for purchasing electric bikes, an important tool to get more people out of cars and onto bicycles for climate, equity, and sustainability goals.

Gov. Jay Inslee recently signed into law a budget package that will appropriate up to $7 million over the next two years to support the purchase of electric bikes and create e-bike “lending libraries.”

The incentive program will allow e-bike buyers to get a $300 point-of-sale rebate regardless of their income. Individuals with lower incomes can receive rebates of up to $1,200. Households with incomes at or below 80 percent of their county’s median income would qualify for the higher rebate.

The proposed law would allot $5 million for these rebates. Purchases would have to be made at brick-and-mortar bike shops rather than online, and bike-related equipment could qualify for the rebates.

An additional $2 million would be used to create e-bike lending programs managed by municipalities, businesses, tribes, or nonprofits.

These electric bike incentives were a top policy priority for Washington Bikes, which has made the case that e-bikes are an affordable and equitable way to reduce climate pollution from transportation.

“This state investment in e-bike accessibility means that many more Washingtonians will have the opportunity to own or borrow an e-bike, whatever their income level,” said Vicky Clarke, Washington Bikes policy director. “Electric bikes empower people to get around affordably, sustainably, and efficiently without a motor vehicle. These investments will reduce Washington state’s climate pollution from transportation by enabling more people to hang up the car keys and pedal instead.”

In the coming months, the Washington State Department of Transportation’s Active Transportation Division will develop the two incentive programs, likely using Denver’s successful rebate program as a model. It’s unclear when the rebates will be available to consumers. 

“The state now has a lot of work to implement these incentive programs, and we hope they will be available to consumers in 2024,” Clarke said. 

A Growing National Movement for E-Bikes

Washington state’s e-bike incentives are modeled on successful programs in other states and municipalities including Denver’s highly popular point-of-sale rebate.

Washington joins California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Vermont with statewide e-bike incentive programs, according to the Transportation Research and Education Center at Portland State University. These statewide programs are among 142 proposed or active rebate and incentive programs offered by states, provinces, municipalities, electric utilities, nonprofits and businesses across North America, according to the center’s electric bike incentive tracker.  

Many studies show that people who own e-bikes drive less, and some give up car ownership altogether. 

“Kudos to legislators and the governor for approving this expenditure, and especially to Senate Transportation Chair, Marko Liias, for prioritizing these incentives in a challenging budget year,” said Clarke. “We also thank Senator Sharon Shewmake–an avid e-biker herself–for her leadership shaping and supporting these state-level e-bike incentives for the past several years.”

Shewmake, D-Bellingham, commutes by e-bike to her job as a professor of environmental economics at Western State University. Shewmake has said that promoting electric bike use not only reduces climate pollution but also eliminates the hassles of parking, steep car payments, and urban traffic congestion.

E-Bike Lending Libraries

Clarke said the lending programs will help boost electric bike use by enabling people who aren’t ready for ownership to nevertheless get access to e-bikes–whether via long- or short-term loans, or even loan-to-buy arrangements.

“Washington Bikes and our partner organization Cascade Bicycle Club are excited to work with the state and all interested parties on how to create these e-bike lending programs,” Clarke said. “Car-share programs have proven that it’s not necessary for people to own motor vehicles, which can be a huge expense and hassle for many families who only occasionally need to use a motor vehicle.”

“The e-bike lending programs work on the same principle. We think they will be a great solution for e-bike curious individuals or families who may want to see how an e-bike fits into their lifestyle before purchasing one, or for people who need a short-term mobility option other than a car,” Clarke said.

Why E-Bikes?

Hugely popular in bike-friendly European nations, e-bikes sales are growing rapidly in the United States. E-bikes must be pedaled like regular bikes, but they provide a boost that amplifies a rider’s power, making them a practical solution for replacing cars for commuting and running errands, especially in the hilly Pacific Northwest.

Supporters of the e-bike incentives in Washington state pointed to the costly and generous subsidies the state and federal government have provided to the buyers of electric cars as a precedent for passing this legislation into law. 

“Electric bikes are ideal for reducing many of the short trips and in-town errands that people currently do by motor vehicle, and they provide a public health boost as well,” Clarke said.

More than 45 percent of car trips in the United States are three miles or less, according to the National Household Travel Survey, while more than 20 percent are one mile or less. Many of these trips could be accomplished with an electric bike. 

A survey of e-bike owners by the National Institute for Transportation and Communities shows that, once people have an electric bike, they use their cars less. Electric bike owners ride more often, and they feel safer riding the streets on an electric bike than a traditional bicycle. 

The big boost for our climate that e-bikes provide: respondents said that 76 percent of their e-bike trips would have otherwise been made by car.

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Let’s Make Driving Less Deadly for People Biking

By Paul Tolme | Published March 2, 2023
  • Washington Bikes is moving bills that would reduce impaired driving, impose restrictions on drivers who injure people biking or walking, increase access to driver education, and toughen penalties for drivers who kill or injure others.
  • Read our update on our WA Bikes 2023 legislative agenda.

Last year was the deadliest on Washington state roads since 1990. The number of people being killed or injured by motor vehicles while walking, bicycling, or rolling has spiked upward to rates not seen in decades. 

Washington Bikes is fighting to stem this crisis of traffic violence by compelling legislators in Olympia to approve common sense laws and reforms during the 2023 session that would:

  • increase access to driver education;
  • remove dangerous drivers from the road;
  • reduce drunk or impaired driving;
  • impose stiffer penalties on drivers who kill or injure others.

“Our streets should be getting safer but in fact they are becoming deadlier. Many of the norms of safe driving have broken down since the pandemic. We are seeing more speeding, more reckless and impaired driving, more road rage, and more hit-and-run crashes,” says Vicky Clarke, Washington Bikes policy director. 

“We need more protected bike infrastructure, more sidewalks, more traffic calming and more complete streets that are engineered to prevent drivers from making deadly mistakes,” Clarke says. “Those improvements will take time. We must also act now to change driver behaviors in ways that make them safer and more aware.”

Not all safety bills made it past initial cutoff deadlines, including our #WrongOnRed bill aimed at improving the safety of intersections and crosswalks for people biking and walking, and a bill that would have educated consumers on the dangers of bigger, heavier vehicles. Read on for an update on the WA Bikes 2023 legislative agenda at the midpoint of the legislative session.

WA Bikes Priority Bill: Get Bad Drivers off the Road

Senate Bill 5216 and House Bill 1319 would require a driver’s license to be reviewed when the driver crashes into someone walking or biking and causes “substantial bodily harm,” a legal term that includes broken bones or worse. 

“Under current law you can crash into someone walking or riding their bike, break their arm or leg, and as long as you don’t kill or permanently disfigure them, you get to keep your license without any review by the state. That’s bananas,” Clarke says. “Driving is a privilege, not a right, and with that privilege comes the responsibility to avoid crashing into innocent victims. Frankly, it’s a pretty low bar.”

Also Support: Penalties for Reckless Drivers who Injure or Kill

HB 1112 would increase penalties for deadly driving. Under current law, a driver who kills a vulnerable road user can escape stiff penalties if they admit guilt.

This bill would create a new offense of Negligent Driving with a Vulnerable User Victim. A violation of this law would be a gross misdemeanor punishable by up to 364 days of imprisonment, a fine of no less than $1,000, and the suspension of driving privileges for 90 days. 

“People who cause a death while driving in a negligent and dangerous manner should be held accountable,” Clarke says.

We Support: Safer Young Drivers, Decriminalizing Walking

Data shows that driver education works. In Washington state, however, people who wait until age 18 to get a license are not required to take a driver education course.

SB5430 would create a voucher program to cover the average cost of driver’s education courses for persons in low-income households who have not previously obtained a motor vehicle license. This bill would improve both safety and equity.

Walking across the street shouldn’t be a crime. That’s why we support HB1428 to allow people to walk across the street when it’s safe to do so. It’s time to repeal the crime of “jaywalking,” which has historically been used to disproportionately target people of color. 

We Support: Lowering the Blood-Alcohol Limit

Drunken or impaired drivers are responsible for more than half of all traffic fatalities. Washington Bikes supports a bill to reduce the legal blood-alcohol limit to .05.

The goal of SB 5002 is to change behavior and make people think twice before getting behind the wheel when drinking. If approved, the state would develop a public information campaign to make the public aware of the law change. 

“With the popularity of rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft, it has never been easier to get a sober ride home,” Clarke says. “Take a taxi, designate a sober driver if you’re out with friends or family, use public transit or walk.”

Critics say this proposed law won’t work. Data shows otherwise. Traffic fatalities decreased in Utah after that state lowered its legal limit to .05, according to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study. Other groups including the National Academy of Sciences, the National Safety Council, the National Transportation Safety Board, theWashington Traffic Safety Commission, and Mothers Against Drunk Driving agree that .05 saves lives.

#WrongonRed, Higher Fees for Deadlier Vehicles

Washington Bikes worked with legislators to draft bills that would restrict right turns on red near schools and at certain intersections where lots of people use the crosswalks. Crosswalks should be safe places. Instead, they are one of the most dangerous locations for people biking and walking. 

Drivers of vehicles making right turns at red lights frequently do not stop or look both ways as required by law. Instead, they roll through without checking if vulnerable road users are present–with dangerous consequences.

Our #WrongonRed bills failed to get voted out of House and Senate committees despite overwhelmingly supportive public comments. “We hope to revive these bills in coming sessions once hesitant legislators have had more time to learn about this issue,” Clarke says.

Another bill that appears dead for the session is one that proposed increasing fees for the heaviest and deadliest vehicles that pose the greatest risk to people biking and walking. 

“Automobile safety regulation is a federal issue, and we urge Congress to take a look at this issue. There are technologies being deployed in other countries such as pedestrian airbags and devices that can save the lives of people who are hit by motor vehicles,” Clarke says.

The Climate Emergency and Bicycling

Biking for transportation has incredible potential to both reduce climate pollution and improve the resiliency, health, and sustainability of our communities. 

That’s why Washington Bikes supports SB5452, which would allow communities to use impact fees charged to developers to pay for bicycle infrastructure improvements.

Washington Bikes also supports efforts to strengthen the groundbreaking Climate Commitment Act approved in 2021 that creates a program for reducing climate pollution from some of the state’s largest polluters. Revenues would be spent on a host of initiatives including efforts to reduce carbon emissions from transportation, and to fund a statewide school-based bike education curriculum for our state’s youth.

Keep up to date on our priority legislation in our Washington Bikes Bill Tracker, and sign up for Action Alerts and our e-newsletter to stay informed about upcoming votes.

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WA Bikes Bills Would Restrict Right Turns on Red, Re-Test Bad Drivers

By Vicky Clarke | Published January 24, 2023

  • Two of Washington Bikes’ high-priority safety bills have been introduced in the state Legislature, with hopes for passage this year. 

Protecting people who bike and walk is simple, really.

Every driver who seriously injures someone walking or bicycling should lose their license until they can pass a driving test. And right turns on red should be restricted at intersections near schools and in locations with heavy pedestrian and bike use.

That’s the gist of Washington Bikes’ two highest-priority bills introduced in the legislative session that convened in Olympia on Jan. 9. 

In addition to these bills, Washington Bikes is supporting a host of other legislation to:

  • address the public health crisis of traffic violence;
  • increase the climate resilience of our communities by making them more bikeable;
  • expand affordable access to e-bikes;
  • ensure adequate funding for safer bicycling statewide.

Washington Bikes encourages everyone who supports safer streets and a more bikeable state to participate in our WA Bikes Lobby Day on Feb. 6. Lobby Day takes place all day at activists’ convenience. Our policy team will share the resources and talking points to connect community members to their legislators.

WA Bikes made great strides towards a bikeable state in last year’s legislative session, including more than $1 billion for safer bike lanes, sidewalks, and trails. That progress would not have been possible without community voices alongside us in Olympia. “This session, we need your help making sure leaders hold true to those investments and pass policies to keep people on bikes safe,” says Community Organizer Tamar Shuhendler. 

Sign up for Lobby Day on Feb. 6. We’ll provide you with tools to help set up meetings with legislators, and to effectively communicate your story to them.

“Attending Lobby Day is even more important this year because there are many new legislators following the November election,” Shuhendler says.

Top Priorities for Safer Bicycling

Washington state is experiencing a traffic safety crisis. Fatalities are at a 30-year high, and vulnerable road users are being injured and killed at rates unseen in decades. That’s why our legislative priorities for 2023 include a focus on policy changes to reduce traffic violence. 

In the run up to this legislative session, we’ve worked with legislators to draft bills that achieve this goal. Below are the high-priority legislative efforts we are pushing during this session.

#WrongonRed

Crosswalks should be safe spaces for people biking, walking, and rolling. Unfortunately, crosswalks are among the most dangerous locations. More than 20 percent of people hit by motor vehicles while biking or walking are in crosswalks. This is due in large part to vehicles turning right at red lights.

SB5514 sponsored by Sen. John Lovick, D-Mill Creek, would restrict right turns on red at school, library, and community center intersections with the heaviest amount of bike and foot traffic. The bill would not ban all right turns on red, but would rather outlaw them at intersections in dense urban cores where people walking, biking, and rolling through crosswalks face the greatest danger from inattentive drivers.

Bad Driver Re-Testing

Sen. Marko Liias, D-Lynnwood, is lead sponsor on a bill to require drivers who have hit and injured someone walking or bicycling to lose their license until they can be re-tested.The Legislature passed a bill that intended to do this as part of the Cooper Jones Act in 1998, but due to a problem with the process of sharing information between police and the Department of Licensing, many drivers are not being re-tested. 

HB1319 would fix this technical problem and ensure the law is followed.   

Educated Drivers are Better Drivers

Data show that a third of all serious crashes in Washington state involve drivers between the ages of 18 and 25. Data also show that young people who take driver’s education are safer behind the wheel. That’s why we support expanding driver education for all new drivers. 

Under current law, people who wait until age 18 to get their driver’s license can skip driver ed classes. Sponsored by Sen. Shewmake, D-Bellingham, SB5430 would create a voucher program for young people within low-income households to access affordable driver’s education. “We support this bill because educated drivers are better drivers,” Shuhendler says.

Bikeable Communities are More Resilient to Climate Change

Bikeable and walkable communities are more climate resilient. That’s why Washington Bikes supports legislation (SB 5093 and SB 5203) to reform how cities and counties plan for housing and transportation.

“Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Washington state,” Shuhendler says,  “and this legislation would jumpstart the process of planning communities that are less car-dependent and where people can make more trips by walking, biking, and transit.”

Invest in Safe Places to Walk, Bike, and Roll for Transportation and Recreation

Last year’s Move Ahead Washington transportation package was a historic achievement in terms of funding for biking and walking infrastructure and programs. Now, we are working to ensure that the commitments made in Move Ahead Washington receive funding–and that legislators don’t try to siphon off the $1.3 billion in bike, walk, and roll funding for other purposes.

“WA Bikes Lobby Day on Feb. 6 will be an important opportunity to tell legislators that you support Move Ahead Washington and its investments in a more bike-friendly state” Shuhendler says. 

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