{"id":11052,"date":"2014-12-29T16:28:45","date_gmt":"2014-12-30T00:28:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wabikes.org\/?p=11052"},"modified":"2015-01-12T09:27:26","modified_gmt":"2015-01-12T17:27:26","slug":"10-ways-bicycling-got-better-in-washington-state-in-2014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wabikes.org\/index.php\/2014\/12\/29\/10-ways-bicycling-got-better-in-washington-state-in-2014\/","title":{"rendered":"13 Ways Bicycling Got Better in Washington in 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Mom

Mom Tonya shared this with us, saying, “Kids out of school, cold & rainy, time to ride!”<\/p><\/div>\n

Before we look ahead to 2015, let’s pause a moment to celebrate all we accomplished together for better bicycling in 2014<\/p>\n

The list of milestones is long! Washington Bikes couldn\u2019t make any of this happen without the support of people like you<\/a>: People who care about safer streets, better bike networks, bike-friendly towns<\/a>, and laws that improve education, safety, health, justice, and our local and state economies<\/strong> through biking.<\/p>\n

13 Bicycle Milestones for Washington State in 2014<\/span><\/h2>\n

[Tweet “Reason #1 bicycling in WA awesome: 7th yr @bikeleague says WA #1 Bicycle Friendly State.”]<\/p>\n

For the seventh year in a row<\/strong> the League of American Bicyclists named Washington\u00a0the #1 Bicycle Friendly State in America.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

[Tweet “Reason #2 biking in WA great: @peopleforbikes says we have 2 of US’s 10 best new bike lanes.”]<\/p>\n

Protected two-way bike lanes grew,<\/strong> with two in Seattle named among America’s 10 best new bike lanes <\/a>by People for Bikes. New approaches to infrastructure get more people riding, and with examples on the ground we can expect more cities to build these.<\/p>\n

[Tweet “Reason #3 biking in WA fantastic: Bicycle-Friendly Communities like Wenatchee.”]<\/p>\n

The Greater Wenatchee Metropolitan Area became the state’s first multiple-jurisdiction Bicycle-Friendly Community. <\/strong><\/a>The application included Wenatchee, East Wenatchee, Rock City, Chelan County, and Douglas County, and was energized by the efforts of Wenatchee Valley Velo Club<\/a>\u00a0and area trail groups, among others.<\/p>\n

For a complete list of Washington state’s Bicycle-Friendly Communities, Businesses, and Universities from Sequim to Seattle to Spokane, see our Bike-Friendly Washington<\/a> page.<\/p>\n

To get your community on the list, start working on your application first thing in the New Year: Next round of applications due Feb. 11, 2015.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Apple

Apple Capital Loop Trail, East Wenatchee.<\/p><\/div>\n

[Tweet “Reason #4 WA biking great: Small towns, breweries, scenery, local food–WA bike touring rocks!”]<\/span><\/p>\n

We celebrated the release of <\/span>Cycling Sojourner: A Guide to the Best Multi-Day Bike Tours in Washington.<\/em> <\/strong><\/a>Around 3,000 copies are already in circulation to get more people exploring Washington by bike with the first multi-day bike tour guide for Washington to come out in over a decade.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"One

One of the mountain views you’ll find (earn!) if you ride the tours in Cycling Sojourner Washington.<\/p><\/div>\n

[Tweet “Reason #5 WA biking rocks: 1st @usbicycleroutes on West Coast, USBR10. Put it on #bikeit list!”]<\/p>\n

Working with WSDOT, WA Bikes rolled out <\/span>US Bicycle Route 10,<\/strong> <\/a>our state\u2019s first entry in the <\/span>US Bicycle Route System<\/a> (a nationally recognized interstate bike network), with a ribbon-cutting featuring State Transportation Secretary Lynn Peterson. USBR 10 is the first US Bicycle Route in the Pacific Northwest and on the West Coast.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Anacortes

Anacortes Mayor Laurie Gere and WSDOT Sec. Lynn Peterson cut the ribbon in Anacortes for USBR10.<\/p><\/div>\n

[Tweet “Reason #6 WA bikes: 1000s of WA kids walk\/bike to school thx to safety educ. #saferoutesnow”]<\/p>\n

We <\/span>trained teachers in 8 new school districts<\/strong> to use our <\/span>Bike and Pedestrian Safety Education Program<\/a>: Cascade (Leavenworth), Deer Park, Kettle Falls, La Center, La Conner, Newport, Riverside and Tumwater.<\/span><\/p>\n

Over 56,000 students<\/strong> have learned to bike and walk to school safely and responsibly with our program, with 15,000-16,000 more each year. The program is supported by WSDOT and involves the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction — biking to school is healthy transportation\u00a0and<\/strong> good for waking up brain cells and preparing kids to concentrate and learn.<\/p>\n

\"Children

Children in White Salmon enjoying the bikes they got through the Safe Routes Bicycling\/Walking Safety Education Program run by Washington Bikes with funding through the Dept. of Transportation. Photo by Amber Marra, White Salmon Enterprise.<\/p><\/div>\n

WA Bikes partnered with Snohomish County, the Centennial Trail Coalition, and others to <\/span>rally support for the 27-mile Whitehorse Trail<\/strong><\/a> connecting Arlington to Darrington through the stunning <\/span>Stillaguamish Valle<\/a>y. The trail and the tourists it will attract will aid the region\u2019s recovery from the devastating Oso mudslide.<\/span><\/p>\n

[Tweet “Reason #7 biking in WA=fantastic: trails like Whitehorse & Centennial.”]<\/p>\n

\"Centennial

A large sculpture marks the intersection of the Whitehorse and Centennial trails. Photo courtesy of Debora Nelson<\/p><\/div>\n

[Tweet “Reason #8 WA biking great: 1000+ @railstotrails miles–most in the US!”]<\/p>\n

When the Whitehorse Trail is completed it will connect to the Snohomish County Centennial Trail. From there, a growing network of trails connects the Puget Sound region. The Cross-Kirkland Corridor, part of the Eastside Rail Corridor; Burke-Gilman Trail; East Lake Sammamish Trail; Interurban; Ship Canal; trail mileage continues to grow, inviting more and more people to ride to more places.<\/p>\n

With over 1,000 miles of rail-trails,\u00a0Washington is #1 in the nation for rail-trail miles<\/a>\u00a0and has the single longest such trail, the John Wayne Pioneer Trail.<\/p>\n

Trail projects keep rolling, from the Prairie Line Trail in Tacoma<\/a>\u00a0to the final “Bridging the Gap” project in the Chehalis-Western Trail<\/a>\u00a0to the Olympic Discovery Trail<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[Tweet “Reason #9 WA biking rocks: Local advocates who show up, speak up, ride the talk.”]<\/p>\n

With support from Empire Health Foundation, <\/span>Washington Bikes opened an office in Spokane.<\/strong> We tripled the number of League of American Bicyclists Certified Instructors in the Inland Northwest by hosting a training, developed a network of PE teachers who collaborate to get kids biking, and piloted a Walking School Bus program (since kids walk before they ride) that will continue under the auspices of the Spokane Regional Health District.\u00a0<\/span>Local advocates including members of Spokane Bicycle Club, Belles and Baskets, Swamp Ride, and others volunteer in our programs and with all the great bike events in the area. WA Bikes (then the Bicycle Alliance) helped found Bike to Work Spokane in 2007; advocacy in the region has grown steadily ever since.<\/span><\/p>\n

Around Washington in 2014 more and more local people became bike leaders.<\/p>\n