Federal Transportation Plans: Looking Ahead or in the Rearview Mirror?

By Barb Chamberlain | Published September 9, 2013

If you’ve ever participated in any kind of strategic planning exercise you’ve heard about having SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely. By that standard the new US Department of Transportation’s draft strategic plan “Transportation for a New Generation” for 2014-2018 needs some serious improvement if it is truly to be the plan for a 21st-century, balanced, multimodal system of transportation for everyone.

USDOT logoThis plan will have real implications for how the Department of Transportation operates over the next five years. If people who bike and walk around the country come together to give constructive suggestions to the Department, we could end up guiding the work of some 57,000 federal employees and heavily influencing some $205 billion of annual spending on highways that in some cases serve as Main Street in a small rural town, and in every case connect with city streets and county roads and affect traffic flows and safety for all of us.

Washington Bikes has signed onto a letter from the Alliance for Biking and Walking to raise our voices for SMART transportation planning. Our letter:

  • Asks the Department to set a goal to reduce bicyclist and pedestrian roadway fatalities by 50% by 2020.
  • Suggests that the Department set a goal to increase bicycle mode share nationally to 5% by 2025 and pedestrian mode share nationally to 25% by 2025.
  • Urges regulators to implement a Complete Streets approach when designing safety measures.

The time is now to comment—by Sept. 10—to say that as a taxpayer you want a forward-looking plan, not one focused on the rearview mirror.

Two ways to participate:

The overriding priorities are ones we can all agree with: making the US transportation system the safest in the world, improving the efficiency and performance of the existing transportation system, and rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure “to meet the needs of the next generation of Americans.” But it will take a different plan to prepare for the next generation.

We’ve worked on a number of specific safety issues around the state that this plan addresses—or doesn’t address. In a number of places the draft plan includes safety strategies for motor vehicle safety but not for bicycle or pedestrian safety. Points you may want to include in your comments drawn from our joint letter with the Alliance:

Safety Performance Goal and Indicators

Suggested goal: Include measurable safety goals for biking and walking.

Suggested indicators: Use metrics based on non-motorized miles traveled in addition to vehicle miles traveled (VMT).

Suggested strategies:

  • Separate active transportation modes from older drivers when considering safety—each issue area deserves unique treatment.
  • Ensure intersection improvements benefit motorists, transit users, bicyclists, and pedestrians.
  • Implement rumble strip policies that improve driver safety but do not create safety hazards for bicyclists.
  • Focus on reducing speed as a crash factor, especially in metropolitan areas.
  • Study alternatives to the common practice of setting speed limits using the 85th percentile speed of free-flowing traffic.
  • Implement MAP-21 performance measures that address non-motorized safety under FHWA Highway Safety funding. (The current proposed strategic plan suggests this strategy for motor vehicle safety but not bicycle and pedestrian safety).
  • Actively encourage investment in bicycling and pedestrian infrastructure that addresses system-wide safety issues.
  • Improve data collection for bicycling and walking. Specifically:
    • Improve data collection and analysis of use and crash data at the municipal, metropolitan planning organization (MPO), and state levels. (In the current proposed strategic plan, this strategy is suggested for motor vehicle safety but not for bicycle and pedestrian safety.)
    • Improve NHTSA’s data collection and analysis system to enhance bicycle and pedestrian crash data. (The proposed plan suggests this strategy for motor vehicle safety but not bicycle and pedestrian safety.)
    • Conduct a bicycle and pedestrian crash causation study to identify contributing factors for bicycle and pedestrian crashes and identify effective countermeasures based on evaluation and analysis of the study data. (There is currently a study on motorcycle crashes underway, but there has not yet been a comparable study for bicycle and pedestrian crashes.)
  • Support, conduct and encourage research on innovative design of bicycle facilities.

Livable Communities Performance Goal and Indicators

The Department performance goal calls for increasing to 65 the number of states, MPOs, and/or plans that improve transportation choices for walking and bicycling by FY 2018. This goal is literally meaningless–there are already over 500 Complete Streets policies and even more bicycle and pedestrian plans already in states, metropolitan planning organizations and communities across the US, including many in Washington state. Having a plan in place is a first step but a more meaningful goal would address actual changes.

Suggested goal: Increase bicycle mode share nationally to 5% by 2025 and pedestrian mode share nationally to 25% by 2025. Mode share goals for urban, suburban and rural communities could vary to take into account the local context.

Suggested performance indicator: Set incremental bicycle and pedestrian mode share goals for the years 2015-2018.

Suggested strategies to ensure that states, regions, and localities around the country maximize livability:

  • Adopt a Complete Street policy to ensure that livability is integrated into every program and project.
  • Create a model system of accountability so that projects programmed with multimodal accommodations in the State Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP) are built with those components.
  • Research and disseminate best practices for retrofitting urban and suburban transportation facilities to consider all roadway users.

Environmental Sustainability Performance Goal and Indicator

No goals or indicators address bicycling or walking under any of the Environmental Sustainability Strategic Objectives, a glaring omission that we urge the Department to rectify.

Suggested performance goal for environmental sustainability: Institute a Complete Streets policy.

Suggested performance indicator for that goal: Mode share increases in biking, walking and transit.

Suggested strategies to ensure that states, regions, and localities utilize bicycling and walking improvements to mitigate transportation-related impacts to climate, ecosystems and communities:

  • Develop training programs for federal, state and local transportation engineers on Complete Streets policies and practices.
  • Create a clearinghouse of best practices and innovative design for Complete Streets policies and practices.

Organizational Excellence Performance Goal and Indicator

Suggested performance goal: Retrain the next generation of transportation professionals to be truly multimodal.

Suggested performance indicators:

  • Increase to X the percentage of new hires with experience or education in multimodal engineering, planning and so forth. (Each organization needs to set a reasonable percentage for its context.)
  • Increase to X the percentage of existing staff receiving continuing education on designing, planning, and building multimodal projects.

Suggested strategy: Develop and offer training programs in multimodal transportation for US DOT transportation headquarter and regional staff.

The US Department of Transportation’s Strategic Plan must look forward to improve our national transportation system for all users. To do otherwise just wouldn’t be SMART.

Related Reading

Posted in Advocacy, Alert, Commuting, Complete Streets, Federal, Funding/Policy, Infrastructure, Issues & Advocacy, News, Safety, Transportation | Tagged | 1 Comment

Make Your Voice Heard At the Washington State Senate Listening Sessions

By Blake Trask | Published September 5, 2013

Updated to add three more sessions announced Sept. 12 and with change of location for Oct. 2 Spokane event, Oct. 7 Vancouver event, and Oct. 14 Seattle event. See also What to Tell the State Senate About Bike Transportation

Washington State Senate transportation leaders recently announced their schedule to hold bipartisan listening sessions to gather input on what Washingtonians want in a transportation revenue package.

pedbikeimages.org/Carl Sundstrom

pedbikeimages.org/Carl Sundstrom

Now is our time to let them know that Washingtonians want a balanced transportation package that invests in safer streets for our schools, and that investments in walking and biking provide cost-effective and common sense solutions to congestion, improving safety for people who drive, walk, bike, and take transit.

Bicycling is here to stay. We need the Washington state legislature to craft a transportation package that looks forward—not one that keeps us looking in the rearview mirror. Investments in biking and walking infrastructure make streets safer for drivers too, while providing a healthy workforce and children who are ready to concentrate and learn when they get to school. Everyone benefits.

But the state legislature needs to hear from you. They need to hear the message that Washingtonians want the freedom to get around safely and efficiently.

The legislature needs to hear that every community in the state will lose out on the chance to make their streets more inviting, increase their real estate values and thus their local government revenues, make their school zones safer, and support the local businesses that benefit from increased commercial activity when people can walk or bike in a welcoming environment. That’s the real bottom line for the taxpayers.

Join us at one or more of these transportation listening sessions to tell the Washington state legislature you value smart transportation investments in biking, walking and school safety. Each meeting will begin at 6 p.m. and last until 9 p.m. and will include presentations from regional transportation officials, and public comment.

Sept. 17 – Bellevue. Stevenson Elementary School, 14220 NE 8th St., Bellevue, WA 98007

Sept. 18 – Everett. Snohomish County, Robert Drewel Building, 3000 Rockefeller Ave., 1st floor, Everett, WA 98201

Sept. 23 – Wenatchee. Chelan County PUD Auditorium, 327 N Wenatchee Ave, Wenatchee, WA 98801

Sept. 24 – Yakima. Yakima Area Arboretum, Garden View Rm., 1401 Arboretum Dr., Yakima, WA 98901

Sept. 26 – Tri-Cities. Columbia Basin College, 2600 N 20th Ave., Pasco added

Oct. 2 – Spokane. New location! Central Valley High School theater, 821 S Sullivan Rd., Spokane Valley

Oct. 7 – Vancouver. New location! Department of Transportation Southwest Region Office, 11018 Northeast 51st Circle, Vancouver 98682

Oct. 9 – Tacoma. Evergreen Tacoma Campus, Lyceum Hall, 1210 6th Ave., Tacoma, WA 98405

Oct. 14 – Seattle.  New location! First Presbyterian Church at 1013 8th Avenue (8th and Spring) added

Oct. 15 – Bellingham. Port of Bellingham Cruise Terminal, 355 Harris Ave. added

Sign up for our email alerts for continuing updates and stay up-to-date on the hearings via Twitter @BikeWA.

You can also submit comments at senatetranspofeedbackforum.org. You’ll need to enter Biking/Walking in the “Other” field where they ask for your primary transportation concern. (Perhaps your first concern is that it’s an “Other” instead of being on the list!)

Posted in Advocacy, Alert, Complete Streets, Economic Impact, Events, Everett, Funding/Policy, Infrastructure, Issues & Advocacy, News, Politics, Safe Routes to School, Safety, Seattle, Spokane County, Tacoma, Transportation, Vancouver, Wenatchee, WSDOT, Yakima County | 2 Comments

Help count bicyclists and pedestrians in your community!

By Louise McGrody | Published September 4, 2013

How do we gauge the number of people biking and walking to work in Washington? We count them.

Washington State DOT and Cascade Bicycle Club are getting ready to conduct the sixth annual bicycle and pedestrian count, and volunteers are needed all across the state to help tally the numbers. The count will occur October 1 -3 in communities throughout our state. According to WSDOT, about 400 volunteers counted nearly 60,000 bicyclists and pedestrians during the three-day survey in 2012.

Counts will be conducted in at least 38 Washington communities including: Bainbridge Island, Bellevue, Bellingham, Bothell, Bremerton, Burien, Ellensburg, Everett, Federal Way, Ferndale, Gig Harbor, Issaquah, Kelso, Kent, Kirkland, Lake Forest Park, Lakewood, Longview, Lynden, Mercer Island, Milton, Mountlake Terrace, Oak Harbor, Olympia, Orting, Parkland, Puyallup, Redmond, Renton, Richland, Seattle, Shoreline, Spokane, Spokane Valley, Tacoma, Tukwila, University Place, Vancouver, Vashon Island, Walla Walla, Wenatchee, and Yakima.

Counting bicyclists and pedestrians is important. Annual counts give WSDOT an accurate estimate of demand, measure the benefit of investments, and help the agency target safety and mobility projects.

These numbers are valuable to bicycle and pedestrian advocates too. These counts can be shared with your local transportation planners and elected officials to demonstrate the demand and need for trails, bike lanes, sidewalks, and other infrastructure investments that make it easier to bike and walk.

Ready to lend a hand with the count in your community? Follow this link to volunteer online and learn more about the annual bicycle pedestrian count.

Posted in Commuting, Infrastructure, Transportation, WSDOT | Comments Off on Help count bicyclists and pedestrians in your community!

Anacortes Wants The Guemes Channel Trail!

By Blake Trask | Published August 29, 2013

Wow! On a Wednesday morning over 90 residents, business owners, Chamber of Commerce representatives, city staff, and others joined Mayor Dean Maxwell, Representative Kristine Lytton, Anacortes City Councilmembers, representatives from the Samish Indian Nation to welcome Congressman Rick Larsen to the Guemes Channel Trail.

Over 90 attended the Guemes Channel Trail site visit with Congressman Rick Larsen

Over 90 attended the Guemes Channel Trail site visit with Congressman Rick Larsen

Congressman Larsen was invited to the Trail to learn about its benefits for transportation connectivity, tourism, and recreation. He heard from community, civic, and business leaders about their strong work to-date (including a recent $700,000 appropriation in the state capital budget) and what still is needed to “complete the dream” linking the San Juan Ferry Dock to downtown Anacortes (bypassing the narrow-shouldered SR 20) and the Tommy Thompson Trail. Guemes Channel Trail also represents the western terminus of US Bicycle Route 10, which Bicycle Alliance is currently mapping out across northern Washington state.

Washingtonians want trail projects that connect people places, grow economies, and improve safety. As Anacortes Parks Foundation Trustee and co-chair of the Guemes Channel Trail Committee Michele Pope remarked, “people don’t ask if this project should happen, they want to know when we will get it done.”

In his remarks Congressman Larsen expressed his appreciation for the attendees at the Guemes Channel Trail site visit noting that it’s much easier to lead when such strong support for a project exists.

We couldn’t agree more. Over the past week at site visits in Anacortes and Vancouver almost 170 people have joined Bicycle Alliance, elected leaders, business owners and other neighborhood and civic leaders to say they want transportation investments that:

  • grow local economies
  • connect people and places to where they want to go
  • improve safety
  • support new family-friendly recreational opportunities

Bicycle Alliance is excited to help work statewide to connect to our elected leaders to neighbors, mayors, and advocates who want projects that improve biking and walking across Washington state. Join us!

Trail supporters join Rep. Larsen on the Guemes Channel Trail

Trail supporters join Rep. Larsen on the Guemes Channel Trail

Posted in Advocacy, Economic Impact, Events, Ferries, Funding/Policy, Infrastructure, Issues & Advocacy, News, People, Politics, Safety, Skagit County, Tourism, USBRS, WSDOT | 4 Comments

Take the Poll: What Type of Rider Are You?

By Barb Chamberlain | Published August 28, 2013

Interesting new research from McGill University in Montreal describes 4 types of riders, based on 2,000 people who responded to an online poll. Their categories include motivations for riding along with preferences for infrastructure. More and more research indicates the importance of safe, comfortable connected bike networks to get people to try bicycling; the numbers in this study seem to bear that out.

Which would you say comes closest to describing you? Ask your friends to take the poll too.

[socialpoll id=”14254″]

From the article:

Path-using cyclists (36 percent) are motivated by the fun of riding, its convenience, and the identity that cycling gives them. They’d rather use a continuous route, rather than dodge cars. They were actively encouraged by their parents to ride for fitness and to get places.

Dedicated cyclists (24 percent) are motivated by speed, predictability and flexibility that bike trips offer. These cyclists are the least likely to be deterred by the weather. They aren’t as interested in bike paths, and actually enjoy riding in traffic. The researchers say these cyclists consider riding to be an important part of their identity.

Fairweather utilitarians (23 percent) are just that. They like to ride in good weather, and they’ll take another form of transportation in rain or snow. These are also bike path users, and they don’t necessarily see themselves as cyclists.

Leisure cyclists (17 percent) ride because it is fun, and not as much for commuting. They prefer bike paths, don’t like to deal with traffic, and want to feel safe, especially when riding with family members.

For more on the study see Who’s Out There On The Roads? The 4 Types Of Cyclists in Forbes.

Posted in Attitudes, Bike Culture, Commuting, Infrastructure, News, Safety, Transportation | 5 Comments

Congressman Rick Larsen to Visit Guemes Channel Trail With Anacortes Community, Civic, and Business Leaders

By Blake Trask | Published August 27, 2013

Washington Bikes working with supporters to complete the trail; spur tourism and transportation connectivity

As part of his August recess agenda, Congressman Rick Larsen will join Guemes Channel Trail supporters on Wednesday, August 28 at 10 a.m. to learn about the Trail and its benefits for transportation connectivity, tourism, and recreation. He will also hear from community, civic, and business leaders on what it will take to “complete the dream” linking the San Juan Ferry Dock to downtown Anacortes and the Tommy Thompson Trail.

Guemes Channel Trail/ http://www.guemeschanneltrail.com

Guemes Channel Trail/ www.guemeschanneltrail.com

Congressman Larsen will be joined by state representatives Kris Lytton and Jeff Morris, as well as Anacortes Mayor Dean Maxwell. State leadership by the entire 40th Legislative District delegation, along with the strong support of the City of Anacortes, helped secure a $700,000 appropriation from this year’s state capital budget.

Trail supporters, including supporters from the Anacortes Park Foundation, city and business leaders will be on hand to celebrate the recent state legislative success.

The event was jointly planned by supporters of the Anacortes Park Foundation and Washington Bikes. Washington Bikes executive director Barb Chamberlain noted the importance of completing the Guemes Channel Trail, saying, “Bicycle travel and tourism in Washington state is big business. For the gateway to the San Juan Islands—recognized nationally as some of the best bicycling in the entire state—completing the Guemes Channel Trail will further cement Anacortes as a bicycling destination.”

Congressman Rick Larsen

Congressman Rick Larsen

Anacotes Parks Foundation Trustee and co-chair of the Guemes Channel Trail Committee, Michele Pope added, “I am excited & grateful for the efforts of Washington Bikes, City of Anacortes staff, Mayor Dean Maxwell, and our elected representatives as we move forward to complete the dream of a multi-use path connecting Anacortes. We are all part of a dedicated community striving for a healthy way of life in the beautiful setting of Anacortes.”

Trail proponents also plan to thank Congressman Larsen for his recent introduction of legislation titled, “Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery for Cities Underfunded Because of Size (TIGER CUBS) Act of 2013.” This legislation would set aside 20 percent of special transportation infrastructure funding specifically for smaller cities, like Anacortes. This legislation could directly benefit small and medium-sized cities like Anacortes as they work to invest in trail projects like Guemes Channel Trail.

The Guemes Channel Trail site visit with Congressman Larsen will begin at the Edwards Way trailhead. Following a short walk, Mayor Dean Maxwell and site visit organizers will welcome the Congressman, followed by discussion of how to Complete the Dream.

Guemes Channel Trail photo courtesy of Michele Pope

Guemes Channel Trail photo courtesy of Michele Pope

Posted in Advocacy, Economic Impact, Ferries, Funding/Policy, Infrastructure, Issues & Advocacy, News, Safety, Skagit County, Tourism, Trails, Transportation | Comments Off on Congressman Rick Larsen to Visit Guemes Channel Trail With Anacortes Community, Civic, and Business Leaders

8 Lakes Leg Aches: Great name, great ride

By Guest Blogger | Published August 27, 2013

This post was written by our board member Sarah Gelineau of Tonasket. When she and husband Paul are not traveling to bike rides, Sarah keeps busy with home and garden projects, and her involvement with the Tonasket Community Cultural Center.

8 lakes 008

Riding past one of the eight lakes.

8 Lakes Leg Aches. What a great name for a bike ride!  I couldn’t resist and bid to ‘win’ this item at Washington Bikes’s annual auction in 2012. Now living in eastern Washington, having spent decades living in Puget Sound, my husband and I look for bike rides on our side of the mountains as another way to explore new back roads and landscapes.

I felt like a young kid waiting to open a Christmas package. I couldn’t wait.  I kept gazing at the gift certificate we got in November, the ride not until August 3. 8 Lakes Leg Aches. Will our legs really ache? We wanted to make sure we’d be in fine shape and rode the Group Health Inland Empire Century in Richland in May (a beautiful ride along the Columbia River) and the Ann Weatherill Cycling Classic in Walla Walla in June (another gorgeous ride among sweet onion and wheat fields), in addition to our favorite rides near home in the Okanogan Highlands. And I experimented with riding with my left foot unclipped. I believe I have a neuroma and start getting very sharp pain in the ball of my foot at about 22 miles. I can unclip and ride with putting the center of my foot on the pedal and the pain will somewhat subside, but any further clipping back in will revert to an eventual more painful episode. Ibuprofen is pretty much ineffective at any point.

Finally the date arrived.  We chose the 75 mile course which ran from the Airway Heights area in Spokane, south to Cheney, and back again by way of Willow, Granite, Silver, Medical, Clear, Chapman, Kepple and Fish lakes. The route also took us around the enormous Turnbull Wildlife Refuge.

We started the ride about 20 minutes after the official start time, with the majority of the other 75 mile riders ahead of us ( I began the ride with my left foot unclipped). We rode the way we like to ride, in the quiet and feeling like we had the road to ourselves. There was virtually no traffic for the entire day. We love being on the lookout for wildlife and weren’t disappointed. We saw an osprey nest with a mom tending her young, two Does and their respective fawns, a grebe with her brood, and of course California Quail chicks scattering everywhere as they try to get out of the way.

We stopped at each of the 4 reststops and were greeted and treated like we were special, so like all the other bike rides in this state. There’s something special about volunteers at these bike events. The fare included home-baked cookies and breads. Yum!  I love bicycling hard and the guilt-free eating it allows. I made sure to sample each one. It was just an outstanding day. We rode past so many lakes I began to think there may have been more than eight.

This ride is organized by Lutheran Community Services Northwest as a benefit for their Sexual Assault and Family Trauma programs in Spokane. The organizers had traffic control at a major highway crossing and easy to follow route signage. And if that wasn’t enough, there was ice cream, salad and pasta and Roast House coffee at the end of the ride. What could be better? My foot didn’t hurt one bit!

Posted in Adventure, Auction, Guest Blogger, Rides, Spokane County, Tourism | Comments Off on 8 Lakes Leg Aches: Great name, great ride

Crater Lake National Park announces Vehicle Free Weekend on East Rim Drive

By Louise McGrody | Published August 26, 2013


crater lake louiseLast winter I visited Crater Lake National Park in Oregon and toured the rim on a pair of skis. It was an amazing tour with stunning views of the lake and Wizard Island, snowscapes, and plenty of winter solitude due to seasonal road closures in the park.

When I related my experience to friends, several of them encouraged me to return to the park during a warmer season for a bike ride along the rim. I think not, was my reply, because there will be too many vehicles.

Well, the astute folks at Crater Lake know how to lure bicyclists like me to the park. They have announced that September 21-22 will be Vehicle Free Weekend on East Rim Drive. Bicyclists and foot travelers will have exclusive use to 24 miles of road to enjoy views of America’s deepest lake and surrounding forests. Hey, this is a National Park Service open streets event!

From the Crater Lake National Park announcement:

Photo credit: Kevin Henderson

Photo credit: Kevin Henderson

Crater Lake National Park is pleased to host a vehicle free weekend on East Rim Drive, September 21 and 22, 2013. This is the perfect opportunity for park visitors to hike and bike on 24 miles of road without cars and enjoy spectacular views of America’s deepest lake and surrounding forests.

Weather in September can be beautiful and sunny, but mornings and evenings are cool. The park usually gets some snow in September, but it generally melts off on the first sunny day. Check out our Current Conditions page for the latest forecast and weather as the weekend approaches.

The road is not flat. At times there are steep grades to climb. Check out our brochure on Bicycling at Crater Lake for more information. The part of the road closed for this event is from North Junction to Park Headquarters. The elevation ranges between 6450 feet and 7050 feet on this section. Click here for a map!

Check the park’s website for more info about Vehicle Free Weekend on East Rim Drive.

Washington is the home to three national parks and they are destinations for bicycle travelers as well. A quick check found some bicycling information on only two park websites: Mount Rainier and North Cascades. The Bicycle Alliance is actively working to create our state’s first US Bicycle Route, USBR 10, which will travel through North Cascades National Park. Last year I wrote a post describing an unofficial open streets opportunity on North Cascades Highway. Wouldn’t it be great if all three of Washington’s National Parks held official open streets events?

Posted in Events, Tourism, Travel, USBRS | Tagged | 2 Comments

Bicycle Tour Guide Rolling on Kickstarter!

By Barb Chamberlain | Published August 22, 2013

New Stretch Goal: $14,000 by Wed. August 28

When we ventured into Kickstarter as a way of funding production of Cycling Sojourner: A Guide to the Best Multi-Day Tours in Washington, we didn’t know what to expect.

We knew enthusiasm for bike travel in general, and touring in Washington specifically, is growing by leaps and bounds (or should we say sprints and climbs?). We’ve heard that from individual travelers, directors at local Chambers of Commerce and downtown associations who want to welcome “wallets on wheels” to their Main Street, and legislators who support bills that improve riding conditions as a way of supporting local economic development.

Would that translate into people backing the book?

Turns out the answer is, “Absolutely! And then some.” We made our initial $10,000 goal Tuesday night with 8 days to go before the deadline. As is common on Kickstarter, we then set a new stretch goal of $14,000. The more we can bring in via Kickstarter the more special we can make the book. If we reach the stretch goal we’re going to throw an exclusive party for all our Kickstarter backers as the pre-function for the book launch celebration we’ll have sometime in April 2014, so backers will be the first to get their hands on the book.

Graphic design with various types of bikes. MAY NOT BE USED WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BICYCLE ALLIANCE OF WASHINGTON. All Kinds of Riders for All Kinds of Reasons: Theme of the 2013 Washington Bikes auction. Graphic created by Sharon Dean, Creative Accomplice, Seattle, WA.

Design of the notecards you can get for backing Cycling Sojourner on Kickstarter. Created by Sharon Dean of Creative Accomplice, Seattle, a Bicycle Alliance member who designed our new logo and other materials.

To encourage people to increase their pledges and to bring in more backers we also added a beautiful new reward: A set of 8 full-color notecards with envelopes perfect for a “Thanks for getting me rolling!” note to whoever taught you to ride a bicycle, invitations to a bike-themed party, or any other time you need to write an old-fashioned note by hand and make Miss Manners and Mom proud. You could send “Wish you were here!” notes to all your envious friends from the road as you ride the tours in the book.

The first day of our new stretch goal we brought in over $1,000 in new backers and pledges. If we did that every day to the end of the campaign we’d end up nearly doubling our initial goal. Not that anything can be predicted from a trend line on Kickstarter but it provided a wonderful impetus as we sprint to the finish line.

Your help spreading the word about the book represents support for cycling tourism and our bike education and advocacy programs around the state. We’ll be adding some extra e-content we share with backers as thanks for their investment in getting people to bike Washington and enjoy lots of beautiful scenery, small towns with great ice cream, and wonderful unexplored corners of the state.

Share the link: http://bit.ly/WAbiketourbook.

Back the book.

Get the cards.

Bike Washington.

 

Posted in Economic Impact, News, Tourism, Travel | Comments Off on Bicycle Tour Guide Rolling on Kickstarter!

Complete the Lower River Road Trail in Vancouver

By Blake Trask | Published August 21, 2013

Join us in Vancouver this Friday, August 23 for a Site Visit to Complete a Family-Friendly Trail Connection

Imagine a family-friendly trail that links downtown Vancouver and adjacent neighborhoods to several riverfront businesses, as well as some of the best recreational opportunities – safely connecting Esther Short Park to the Frenchman’s Bar Renaissance Trail.

Riders along the shoulder of NW Lower River Road - a new trail connection will create a family-friendly connection to parks and wildlife opportunities

A new trail connection now separated by a highway shoulder will create a family-friendly connection to parks and wildlife opportunities (photo: T. Bachman)

On Friday, August 23, Washington Bikes, along with our partners at BikeVanWA – for a (hopeful) Brighter Future, Bike Clark County, and other neighborhood groups are organizing a site visit to raise awareness about the project, leverage recent trail successes, and to discuss next steps in making investments to complete the missing link of a family-friendly trail to some of Vancouver’s great nearby recreational destinations.

In addition to being joined by neighborhood residents, representatives from the Port of Vancouver, and WSDOT, we’re excited to welcome Senator Ann Rivers, Representative Jim Moeller, Vancouver Mayor Tim Leavitt, Vancouver City Councilmembers Larry Smith and Bill Turlay. Staff from Congresswoman Jamie Herrera Beutler’s office have also RSVP’d to the site visit.

The NW Lower River Road Trail will offer fantastic recreational opportunities for Vancouver residents and visitors. As a central portion of the planned Ridgefield to Washougal Lewis and Clark Discovery Greenway Trail, the NW Lower River Road Trail will complete a 5-mile connection from the Esther Short park to the start of the Frenchman’s Bar Renaissance Trail. For many of the neighborhoods adjacent to the Port, it’s an even shorter distance – ideal for a wide range bicyclists, runner and walkers.

Luckily, the Port of Vancouver has the vision to provide a safe, comfortable and separated 3- mile trail from the intersection of 4th and Mill Plain to the start of the Frenchman’s Bar Renaissance Trail almost entirely on Port owned property, leveraging past investments by completing the trail.

A 0.3-mile section of trail has already been completed. The Port recently received two Federal Transportation Alternative grants administered by the SW Washington Regional Transportation Committee for some trail enhancements and for additional design of an additional 0.3-mile long elevated trail over wetlands.

Still, there is more work to be done.  Despite the recently completed trail segments, the Port still projects a 25-year timeline to complete the remaining 2-mile gap in the 3-mile NW Lower River Road Trail. Port financing is only available when new Port tenants move into the vacant properties to the west.

Accelerating this trail project will require support from elected, neighborhood, and government leaders.

The site visit begins at 1:00 pm with a ride begininning around 1:30 and concluding at 2:30 pm.

Directions: At the intersection of 4th and Mill Plain Blvds on NW Lower River Road, turn down St. Francis Lane. Continue forward towards the IMS Recycling building.  Veer right before the building, towards stop sign. Cross train tracks at stop sign and location will be on your left – 2121 St. Francis Lane. It’s the old Humane Society location. We will have people on hand at the start of St. Francis Lane directing folks. There is plenty of room for car parking and, of course, bike parking!

Posted in Advocacy, Funding/Policy, Infrastructure, Issues & Advocacy, News, Safety, Trails, Transportation, Vancouver, WSDOT | Comments Off on Complete the Lower River Road Trail in Vancouver