Washington State #1 Bicycle Friendly State in the Nation for Eighth Year Running

By Blake Trask | Published May 11, 2015

For the eighth year in a row, Washington state ranks as the most bicycle friendly state in the nation. The ranking – based on a comprehensive survey of 5 categories, including Legislation and Enforcement, Policies and Programs, Infrastructure and Funding, Education and Encouragement, Evaluation and Planning – shows that Washington’s score remained static over the past year.

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Today, the first day of Bike to Work Week, the League of American Bicyclists has released its 2015 Bicycle Friendly State ranking. Washington state again ranks #1.

“When Washington Bikes, local economies grow, our kids can get to school more safely, and everyone is healthier,” said Barb Chamberlain, Executive Director of Washington Bikes. “I’m elated at Washington’s designation as the most bicycle friendly state, but we have so much more to do to make sure everyone from 8 to 80 can bicycle safely and easily. Being bike-friendly has become a measure of competitiveness as a state and others are coming after us.”

In 2014, progress and new information supporting the need for better bicycling continued:

Help keep Washington State #1 by donating to Washington Bikes today!

Other States Mounting a Challenge

Chamberlain noted that Washington state’s score stagnated as other states are catching up with important advances in investments in bicycling:

  • Massachusetts jumped 6 spots to #4 in the ranking, thanks in part to a new transportation bond, which set aside $377 million over the next five years for biking and walking projects. A proposal currently being discussed in the Washington State Legislature, on the other hand, makes a biking and walking investment of roughly $230 million over the next 16 years – far below the investment levels made by Massachusetts in 2014.
  • Utah made the jump from #8 to #5 this year. The state adopted a Bicycle Master Plan in 2014, setting inter-agency goals for inclusion and support of biking and walking infrastructure in transportation projects. The Washington State Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan developed by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is now over seven years old and less than 50% of the plan has been implemented.

Despite being the most bicycle friendly state, the score of 66 out of 100 remains a D grade. In the best bicycling state in the nation:

  • Would you feel comfortable letting your 8-year-old going to school on his or her own?
  • Would you feel comfortable grabbing groceries on a bike in any town in Washington state?
  • Would you feel comfortable riding your bike from Tacoma to Seattle or from Spokane to Airway Heights?

We suspect the answer to all of those questions is no. More needs to be done to make those answers a resounding yes.

Foundation Being Laid for Future Success

Despite these challenges, Washington Bikes is encouraged by several initiatives and efforts moving forward in 2015 to grow bicycling statewide.

Anacortes Mayor Laurie Gere and WSDOT Sec. Lynn Peterson cut the ribbon in Anacortes for US Bike Route 10.

Anacortes Mayor Laurie Gere and WSDOT Sec. Lynn Peterson cut the ribbon in Anacortes for US Bike Route 10.

Initiatives include the first state bike summit, presented by Washington Bikes in March of this year; new data collection efforts to understand bicycle safety so more can be done to improve it; and continued engagement with state agencies to become more multimodal.

“We’re continuing to strengthen our partnerships and engagement with the bicycling community. This year we co-sponsored the first ever Washington Bike Summit,” said WSDOT Secretary Lynn Peterson. “Efforts like this will help ensure that bicycling is integrated into our multimodal planning, design and investment decisions.”

These new initiatives did not show up in the latest Bike Friendly State survey and Washington Bikes is optimistic that more advances in 2015 will ensure that Washington state can improve its standing and retain the number #1 ranking in 2016.

Here are some initial steps that Washington Bikes will be advocating for in the remainder of 2015 and beyond:

  1. Grow staff capacity for bicycling and update the bike/ped plan at WSDOT. The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) should build upon its past successes by increasing staff capacity for planning, engineering, and implementation of solutions that make bicycling and walking safer and more convenient. Additionally, so much has changed in bike/ped planning since the last bicycle and pedestrian plan was released in 2008. Then, sharrows were still seen as relatively cutting edge. We’re past that and without so much as an update to the plan by WSDOT since then, much needs to change before the multimodal planning at WSDOT begins to address bicycling in earnest.
  2. Grow bicycle and pedestrian safety focus at the state level. Outside of the hugely successful Safe Routes to School programs, safety education initiatives for bicycling at the state level are conspicuously absent. Deeper engagement of the Cooper Jones Safety Committee at the Washington Traffic Safety Commission and increased focus on data collection could help.
  3. Grow investments at the state level. This factor is one that everyone can work on, starting today: write your legislators. Funding and infrastructure is our lowest score and it’s the place we can make immediate improvements in the transportation funding package currently being negotiated by the Washington state legislature.

“This top ranking reflects the hard work of many, many people and organizations and we’re proud of what our state has accomplished so far,” added Chamberlain. “Now we as Washingtonians need to get work to make Washington even BETTER for bicycling, which makes it better for everyone on the road.  We encourage our leaders in Olympia to make this happen so that next year we can again call Washington the most bicycle friendly state in the nation.”

Help keep Washington State #1 by donating to Washington Bikes today!

[Tweet “We’re #1! @bikeleague ranks WA #1 Bicycle Friendly State in US.”]

Take action to tell your legislators you want them to invest in bicycling and walking.

About Washington BikesWashingtonBikes_GBS_stack

The Washington Bikes mission of advocating to make bicycling better directly addresses the key indicators for the Bicycle Friendly States ranking. We work to:

  • increase funding that provides on-the-ground bicycle facilities;
  • fund and provide education and encouragement programs that promote bicycling;
  • build state capacity to collect the data needed to understand and then improve bicycling safety and connections;
  • achieve passage and enforcement of bicycle-friendly laws that make it safe and comfortable for people of all ages to ride.

Washington Bikes also promotes bike travel and tourism to support local economies and increase their investment in becoming more bike-friendly. At the same time, with bike travel ideas from short day trips to cross-state tours we inspire more people to get out and ride to enjoy Washington’s great outdoors.

Founded in 1987, Washington Bikes is the statewide nonprofit organization advocating for bicyclists and a more bike-friendly Washington.

Help keep Washington State #1 by donating to Washington Bikes today!

Bicycle-Friendly-America-Logo_League-American-Bicyclists

About the League of American Bicyclists

The League of American Bicyclists is leading the movement to create a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone. As leaders, our commitment to listen and learn, define standards and share best practices to engage diverse communities and build a powerful unified voice for change. For more information or to support the League, visit www.bikeleague.org.

Posted in Advocacy, Bike to Work, Economic Impact, Funding/Policy, Infrastructure, Issues & Advocacy, Legislature, News, Transportation, USBRS, WSDOT | Comments Off on Washington State #1 Bicycle Friendly State in the Nation for Eighth Year Running

Governor Inslee Proclaims May Bike Month!

By Blake Trask | Published May 7, 2015

Noting the billions that biking provides to the Washington state economy, the enormous health benefits, and how much fun bicycling is for all of us, Governor Inslee proclaims May as Bike Month. May is also a great month to ask your state legislators for more investments in biking and walking!

Being the avid bicycle rider he is, it’s no surprise that Governor Jay Inslee proclaims May as Bike Month. There are fantastic places to ride across the state, Washington is the #1 Bicycle Friendly State seven years running, and with the addition of US Bicycle Route 10, new trail connections, and more laws to address bicycle mobility, progress continues to make future Bike Months safer and better for biking.

Then candidate Jay Inslee speaks to Davey Oil at Bike Works about a common interest: bikes! Photo courtesy of Seattle Bike Blog

Then candidate Jay Inslee speaks to Davey Oil at Bike Works about a common interest: bikes! Photo courtesy of Seattle Bike Blog

Still, much more work needs to be done. Washington state invests less than 0.6% of its transportation project dollars on biking and walking improvements even though bikers and walkers constitute over 16% of the serious injuries and deaths on Washington’s roads.

Every child in Washington state deserves the chance to safely walk and bike to their school – it’s something an overwhelming number of Washington voters agree with. Recent surveys tell us what we already know – investing in safe walking and biking remains a priority across the state.

With the Washington State Legislature now in overtime and poised to approve a multibillion dollar, multiyear spending package, Bike Month is a great time to work to build safer streets so that every child can bike and walk to school.

Unfortunately, there’s still a chance that little to no new money will go to walking and biking connections and programs to help children walk and bike to school with the safety they deserve.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

Take a few seconds today to ask your legislators to support stronger investment levels for biking and walking.

After that, get out and enjoy Bike Month. You deserve it!

Bike Month 2015a

Posted in Advocacy, Economic Impact, Funding/Policy, Infrastructure, Issues & Advocacy, Legislature, News, Politics, Safe Routes to School, Transportation, WSDOT | Comments Off on Governor Inslee Proclaims May Bike Month!

Join Us for a Bike Month Happy Hour

By Louise McGrody | Published May 6, 2015

Celebrate Bike Month!

bike month - hilesWashington Bikes is co-hosting a Bike Month Happy Hour with Cascade Bicycle Club. Bring a friend or co-worker and join us for a beverage and some bike talk on May 7, 5:30-7:30 PM, at our Pioneer Square office. It’s also the evening for Pioneer Square Art Walk, so plan to take in the neighborhood festivities.

Our friends from Nuu-Muu will be in our store all day with their great made-in-America exercise dresses — perfect over bike shorts — and we have bike-themed gifts for your biking mom if you need to do some last-minute Mother’s Day shopping.

Thanks to Schooner EXACT for supporting this event!

Bike Month Happy Hour
May 7, 2015, 5:30-7:30 PM
Washington Bikes 
314 First Avenue S in Seattle

 

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Better Birding by Bike!

By Guest Blogger | Published May 6, 2015

Birding-by-bike-v2

Life member and volunteer Phyllis Counts shared her love of birds and bicycling with others through a donation to the WA Bikes auction last fall. She now shares it with a larger audience with this blog post.

Last fall, along with our highly enthusiastic “birder” friend Mike McKinstry, we had an idea for a WAbikes auction donation:  Better Birding by Bike! We were looking for a way folks could learn about our local birds and their habitat without using cars.  Bicycles seemed like a quiet, non-polluting means of getting us to the birds.

The auction catalog description went something like this:

Better Birding by Bike!

Pedal off on a day of springtime bird watching on bicycles — the very best way to go birding! This guided daytime tour for up to 8 adults includes bicycling with Mike McKinstry and other avid birders to several of the area’s birdwatching hot spots. This includes a delectable Northwest picnic lunch and an autographed copy of Birding in Seattle and King County, by Eugene S. Hunn.

Spying birds at Union Bay

Spying birds at Union Bay

If you ask most people what kind of birds can be seen around here, they might just say “Seattle? All we have are pigeons, crows and seagulls.” But, we were able to see an amazing variety of feathered residents right here in our own urban environment!

Mike put us in touch with his friends Jan Bragg and Tracee Geernaert, Seattle Audubon Society Master Birders, who agreed to meet us at the Montlake Fill and later at Magnuson Park.  Mike would handle the tour of the Seward Park Loop.

Lorelle and Dwayne Shearer purchased the tour at the auction. On a sunny morning in April, we gathered early at Seward Park, where Mike led us up the Loop road to the upper parking area where we saw Pine Siskins, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Red Breasted Nuthatches and several Northern Flickers. We were also treated to migrating Pine Grosbeaks in the tops of the evergreens!  Also present were two mature Bald Eagles sharing the top of a fir tree.

We rode bikes north out of Seward Park, for about ten miles along Lake Washington to the Montlake Fill by way of the University of Washington Yacht Club and Conibear Shellhouse road so we could see Western Painted Turtles sunning themselves and meet with our birding experts, Jan and Tracee.  As we walked our bikes quietly along the trail, they pointed out Pied-billed Grebes, all kinds of ducks and a very seldom seen Green Heron, described as a “solitary and secretive bird “ which was at that moment building a nest!

While at the Montlake Fill we heard a Virginia Rail calling, and got great looks at Yellow-rumped Warblers, Common Yellowthroats, a female Ring-Necked Pheasant, Marsh Wrens and Red-wing Blackbirds.

After walking our bikes up the pathways through the Fill, we started riding again at the Center for Urban Horticulture, onto the Burke-Gilman Trail towards Magnusen Park. At the park we stopped at our designated picnic lunch spot near the boat ramps, where we had a nice lunch break and a close look at a Horned Grebe in full breeding plumage! After lunch, we followed Jan and Tracee for a look at nesting Belted Kingfishers, Cooper’s Hawks and Anna’s Hummingbird.  Our last view was a hard working Black-capped Chickadee excavating a new nest cavity on a Madrona snag!

Birding-by-bike-group

Birders break for lunch

It was then time to ride the 12 miles back to Seward Park to end the tour. Here’s a map of our birding route.

Many thanks to Mike McKinstry, Jan Bragg, Tracee Geernaert, and Lorelle and Dwayne Shearer for joining in the fun and supporting Washington Bikes!

If you want to learn more, try a search on the internet under Birding by Bike.  Or you might visit this blog post we found called “Half the Wheels, Twice the Fun”,  written by Hugh Powell.

To learn more about any of the birds named in this article, please visit Seattle Audubon Society.

Posted in Adventure, Go By Bike, Guest Blogger, Rides, Seattle | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

It’s Bike to School Day!

By Louise McGrody | Published May 6, 2015

Bike to SchoolToday is Bike to School Day and thousands of school children will be pedaling to their destination today. We hope your kids are among them. Maybe you’ll even be riding with them!

There are 46 Bike to School events scheduled in 18 Washington communities this year. A quick sampling includes:

La Conner Elementary is organizing a group ride (and walk) to school starting from Pioneer Park.

Moses Lake’s Peninsula Elementary is holding its first ever Bike to School Day. Activities include adult-led bike trains, teaching parents correct helmet fits, and a bike raffle.

Seattle Progressive Preschool is one of 17 Bike to School events listed in Seattle. Parents are biking their young ones to school and participants will celebrate with stickers and snacks.

Vancouver’s Sacajawea Elementary has biking events planned throughout the week including helmet fittings and daily rewards for riding.

View the full list of Washington’s Bike to School events.

Washington Bikes is helping youth around our state to discover the joy of riding a bike. Visit our Safe Routes to School page to learn more.

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Give Big for Better Bicycling Statewide

By Blake Trask | Published May 4, 2015

Every day of the year Washington Bikes is working statewide to ensure better bicycling for you. On Tuesday, May 5 be a champion and Give Big to help Washington Bikes grow bicycling statewide.

Give Big 2015 - WAbikes

It’s been a great 12 months at Washington Bikes to make better bicycling connections for you.

Since May 2014 here are some of the things Washington Bikes has been a part of to grow bicycling statewide:

Every day Washington Bikes builds connections statewide to enable people, like Kate, become champions of everyday cycling. Now we need your help to keep peddling. Please Give Big on Tuesday, May 5!

Give Big to Washington Bikes on May 5!

[Tweet “Join me in #giveBIG Tues 5/5 for better bicycling. Some of my reasons why:”]

Posted in Accessibility, People, Transportation | Comments Off on Give Big for Better Bicycling Statewide

Tulip (and Daffodil) Ride

By Guest Blogger | Published May 4, 2015
bike - tulips banner

The bicycle is a great way to tour the tulip fields in the Skagit Valley. Photo by Jessica Lowery

Jessica Lowery (@XMcShiftersonX on Twitter) of Renton doesn’t take life for granted. A cancer survivor, she loves taking long bike rides and seeing new places, knowing that it’s her body that has made it possible. She shares this recent bike ride with us.

My husband and I had never been to see the tulips up north. So when we had a week off from work in April, I thought it would be a fun adventure to do a ride up that way. Not knowing where to go or what to expect, I used Ride with GPS to find a 63 mile route from a past Tulip Pedal. It was pretty flat, and when the ride was said and done, we ended up only climbing about 1,100 feet.

The morning of the ride, we drove to the Fir-Conway Lutheran Church in Mount Vernon. This was apparently the place to park. When we arrived there was already a car parked with an empty bike rack, and shortly thereafter another car arrived with 3 more cyclists ready to see the tulips!

As we pedaled out, about 10 miles passed before we saw the tulip fields. The two we saw were gorgeous. Rows and rows of tulips in every color you could imagine. Both farms were owned by the same family. We opted to stop at the less crowded, smaller farm a little farther in. After that we didn’t see another tulip on the whole route. We did stumble across some daffodil farms and joked that we saw more daffodils than tulips! Someone later informed us that the tulips had bloomed early this year.

Nevertheless, it was not a disappointing ride at all. I loved the open country roads and cute little towns we came across. Bow and Edison are especially tempting for cyclists, with places like the Edison Cafe, Breadfarm and Slough Food. Also, seeing the Cascades hanging out in the background reminded me of growing up in Everett.

As we continued out against the headwind, we ended up on Samish Island, a little peninsula of land that serves as a turnaround point in the ride. With steep cliffs that overlook Samish Bay and smell of salt water, we figured this was the perfect place to stop, eat, and take in our hard work and the beautiful weather.

samish island

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Win This Bike Rack!

By Louise McGrody | Published April 29, 2015

WA Bikes bike rackMay is Bike Month and Washington bikes! In celebration, we are raffling off this unique bike rack that proclaims our (and your!) love of biking.

Saris has generously donated this eye-catching bike rack for our raffle. Park bikes in style in your garage, at your condo or apartment, at your workplace, school, or more! You can even spread the bike love by donating the bike rack to your local library, your favorite watering hole, wherever you know there’s a need for bike parking.

Raffle tickets are $10 each and you can use the form in this post to purchase your tickets online. We will also be selling raffle tickets at the upcoming Bike Month Happy Hour in our Pioneer Square office. Raffle proceeds benefit growing bicycling in Washington state.

Tickets will be on sale through May 31 and we’ll announce the lucky winner the first week of June. Saris will ship the bike rack to the raffle winner.

I want to win this bike rack!

RAFFLE CLOSED

Posted in Events, News | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Are You Ready for Bike Month?

By Louise McGrody | Published April 29, 2015

Bike MonthWashington bikes and May is our month! Bicyclists from Port Angeles to Pullman, and places in between will be biking to work, to school, for recreation, and more. We’re all kinds of riders and we ride for all kinds of reasons, but we share something in common: our joy of bicycling!

Here’s a quick round-up of Bike Month activities that we are aware of. If we’re missing your community bike event, please use our Event Submission Form and we’ll add it to our calendar.

Bike Challenges

Washington communities large and small are organizing Bike to Work Challenges. Some challenges are a week long while others run the entire month. New this year: Cascade Bicycle Club has expanded their challenge to include all bike trips this year. Tacoma/Pierce County is offering two challenges in 2015: the Commuter Challenge and the Bike Everywhere Challenge. Check our Bike Month page for a complete list of local Bike Challenges and Bike to Work Day events.

Washington Bike Challenge/National Bike Challenge

The League of American Bicyclists runs a summer-long National Bike Challenge and we host the challenge locally as the Washington Bike Challenge. This challenge kicks off May 1 and ends September 30. Riders earn points to qualify for monthly prize drawings. All bike riding counts, not just commute miles. Over a thousand Washington state riders have registered so far. When you register at the National Bike Challenge you will be assigned to our local one.

Bike Month Happy Hour – May 7

Join us and Cascade Bicycle Club as we toast Bike Month with a happy hour in our Pioneer Square office! Bring a cycling friend or colleague to the celebration and share in the bike love. More info here.

Bike to School Day: May 6

May is Bike to School month and May 6is Bike to School Day. Join students, parents and teachers in bringing a Bike to School Day event to your elementary, middle or high school. You can register your school event at WalkBiketoSchool.org.

CycloFemme: May 10

CycloFemme is a global celebration of women on bikes. The first event occurred on Mother’s Day 2012 with 163 rides in 14 countries. In 2014 the event grew to 300+ rides in 25 countries. Forty-two states, including Washington, had CycloFemme rides. This year’s CycloFemme event is again on Mother’s Day and, at this posting, CycleFemme rides are being organized in four Washington communities: Port Townsend, Seattle, Spokane and Tacoma. Check our CycloFemme calendar listing for more details.

Bike to Work Day: May 15

Many of our communities organize Bike to Work Day activities. Please consult our Bike Month page, as most of those participating groups also organize Bike to Work Day events.

Consult the WA Bikes calendar for a more extensive list of bike events, rides, meetings and more in the month of May. Then get out and ride your bike!

 

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If you don’t count, it doesn’t count (bicycling, that is)

By Blake Trask | Published April 28, 2015

Rigorous data collection for bicycling has largely been absent. Washington Bikes is now coordinating with WSDOT and on a statewide bicycle safety grant to install a robust bicycle counter network statewide.

One of the more significant problems facing active transportation advocates and stakeholders is the dearth of accurate bicycle use data. Knowing how many people are bicycling informs demand for infrastructure, provides feedback on the value of existing facilities, identifies needed improvements, helps compare safety between modes, and bolsters local support for active transportation.[i] Without robust data, well, bicycling really just doesn’t count.

Safety data for walking and biking is apples and oranges compared to safety for drivers. Photo courtesy of Michael Johnson, cc License 2.0

Safety data for walking and biking is apples and oranges compared to safety data for drivers. Photo courtesy of Michael Johnson, cc License 2.0

Although state agencies focus resources and staffing to calculate vehicle crash rates by exposure (vehicle miles traveled), injury and fatalities for bicyclists and pedestrians are compared to the population (deaths/injuries per 100,000 population). The lack of comparable denominator data is troubling, as it prevents a valid comparison of the risk of bicycling and driving. Available data suggest a dire need to address this problem: estimates suggest the U.S. has a cyclist injury rate twenty times that of Denmark and The Netherlands and seven times Germany’s. [ii]

The lack of exposure data for bicycling is also problematic when apportioning transportation dollars. Researchers have tracked falling VMT in recent years [iii], and just 27% of VMT is commute-related [iv]; however, commute trips are typically what are addressed in transportation surveys. Arguably the most frequently used proxy for understanding bicycling is the American Community Survey, but that again uses a very imprecise metric around commutes, which again only addresses trips that represent one-fifth to one-quarter of all trips made. Without knowing how (and why) people travel, it is difficult to appropriately fund an effective or efficient transportation system.

Nationally, attention is moving to the need to collect more and better data for bicycling. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) under the mantle of US Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx’s “Safer Streets, Safer People Initiative” has launched a  “Bicycle-Pedestrian Count Technology Pilot Program” with ten Metropolitan Planning Organizations to collect this data.

State Involvement in Non-Motorized Data Collection Lacking Until Now

Up until the last year, acquiring this data has not been a priority of state agencies – notably the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, which oversees the development of the State Strategic Highway Safety Plan, Target Zero.

Fortunately, a Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) research initiative, led by Paula Reeves, in conjunction with Portland State University (PSU) researcher Krista Nordback, produced an important assessment and proposed methodology to develop a bicycle and pedestrian miles travelled metric estimate for Washington state. Nordback and Reeves are now conducting a second phase to develop tools for implementation of the methodology.

This research has now spurred the development of projects that will result in a bicycle miles travelled metric for Washington state.

WSDOT & Washington Bikes Leading Permanent Bike Count Projects

First, it led to a Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety grant proposal led by Washington Bikes with support from WSDOT and Cascade Bicycle Club. The grant proposal, which is currently ranked for funding – assuming a 2015-17 state transportation budget is passed, will fund for coordination with 10-12 jurisdictions to install a total of approximately 50 permanent bicycle counters statewide. Assuming funding, this work will begin after July 2015 (the start of the new fiscal year) and will closely follow the methodology developed by PSU to establish a clear metric of bicycle miles travelled.

Help Washington Bikes count bicycle riders by Donating Here

Permanent bicycle detection systems - like what exists on Seattle's Spokane St Bridge - will provide data like this across the state.

Permanent bicycle detection systems – like what exists on Seattle’s Spokane St Bridge – will provide data like this across the state.

Second, it led to a pilot project led by WSDOT’s Assistant Secretary of Community and Economic Development, Amy Scarton, to help build non-motorized data gathering capacity at WSDOT. The project conducted by the Transportation Data and GIS Office – already underway this spring – will install approximately seven permanent counters in jurisdictions around the state. The first two are already installed in Bellevue along the I-90 and SR 520 trails, and a third is underway at the Bainbridge Island Ferry Terminal. Additional counters are likely to be installed in at least two additional jurisdictions.

When complete, these two projects will add almost 60 permanent bicycle counters to the existing network of approximately 15 counters located in Seattle, Tacoma, and the Spokane area. Counters will guide local jurisdictions in understanding bicycle travel and behaviors, investment decisions for new bicycle facilities, tourism opportunities, and important safety considerations to improve bicycle safety. The data will be open and available for review by everyone. Additionally the counters will help improve the data gathered in the annual Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project.

To add to Washington state’s current status as the #1 Bicycle Friendly State, the over 70 counters located statewide will result in the largest network of permanent bicycle counters in the nation – eclipsing the approximately 30 located in Colorado, as well as other initiatives in North Carolina and Minnesota.

What’s Next?

See a diamond cut in the pavement on your bike lane or trail? You might count! Photo courtesy of City of Tacoma

See a diamond cut in the pavement on your bike lane or trail? Ride on and be counted! Photo courtesy City of Tacoma

Washington Bikes is closely coordinating with WSDOT, as well as prospective jurisdictions on next steps to implement a statewide permanent bicycle counter network. Interested jurisdictions that want to participate in statewide buildout coordination by Washington Bikes can reach out as we assess opportunities (participating jurisdictions will receive the equipment via the grant at no cost and will coordinate on installation and site selection).

Establishing a permanent statewide bicycle count network is really exciting stuff. It will help decision makers, the public, and planners better understand risks to vulnerable road users, but will also grow opportunities to improve local economies, save money on smart transportation projects, and improve the health of Washingtonians.

Getting this first effort off the ground represents an important start in counting bicycle riders statewide. It’s a huge step forward to make sure bicycling counts in Washington state.

Help Washington Bikes count bicycle riders by Donating Here

Huge thanks to University of Washington Masters of Public Affairs student, Kelsey Pullar, for conducting valuable comparative research and writing that contributed to this post.

[i] http://www.oregon.gov/oprd/BIKE/docs/BikeCountspresentation.pdf

[ii] Pucher, J. and Buehler, R. (2012). City Cycling. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

[iii] http://www.sightline.org/research/shifting-into-reverse/

[iv] Summary of Travel Trends: 2009 National Household Travel Survey. 2011. Technical Report No. FHWA-PL-11-022. <http://nhts.ornl.gov/publications.shtml>

Posted in Advocacy, Complete Streets, Economic Impact, Federal, Funding/Policy, Infrastructure, Issues & Advocacy, News, Research, Safety, WSDOT | 1 Comment