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In light of the movement towards sustainability and concerns about the effects of greenhouse gasses, climate change,; many communities are looking at making some changes to encourage less driving, relying on local goods, providing safe routes to schools,etc. Many cyclists have endured decades of second class status on public roads. I hear anecdotally of some towns and cities making efforts to encourage cycling/transit/walking. I would like to know if your community is one of them, or if there is still a backlash to cycling where you live. Not that I am going to do anything specific with the information,but I am curious if times indeed are a-changing.
Recently I visited many places in the western US, more in the Rocky Mountain region than the West Coast. I was pleasantly surprised to see some cities actually considering and acting on plans to encourage more transportation cycling.. ( aka COMMUTING by bike..)
Do the planners doing things in your town recognize the importance of bikes and peds? Is transit service showing any improvement?
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Re: Has your city made any improvements to improve facilities for cyclists?
Mon, July 20, 2009 - 8:00 PMI see a lot more bicycle lanes, particularly in under-served neighborhoods where bicycle ridership is quite high.
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Re: Has your city made any improvements to improve facilities for cyclists?
Tue, July 21, 2009 - 7:27 AMThere's the SLUT (South Lake Union Trolley) which will be a bigger improvement when they expand the line; but it's a hinderance for cyclists because they put one of the railcar tracks smack in the middle of where everyone rides.
There's a new light rail which just opened this past weekend, and will soon connect downtown Seattle to SEA-TAC airport. That's slick.
Microsoft introduced "The Connector" which is a Microsoft employee bus and shuttle line to reduce single-occupant commuter traffic. It's everything from inter-office car and small bus service for cross-campus meetings to full size commuter busses out to the park-n-ride lots in the 'burbs.
Cascade Bike Club is lobbying against the Ballard Industrial Association, which is lobbying against the King County Parks and Recreation Department, which purchased throughway land and easements to build "The Missing Link"; a 2 mile section of the Burke-Gilman multi-use path which will connect the terminal end with the main trail without having to traverse dangerous industrial streets. The BIA claims that the appropriate studies were not completed and the trail will place undue hardship on their businesses. CBC and the County make counter-claims that it will ease burdens by removing cyclists from their narrow busy streets and creating a separate thru-way.
The reality is that the BIA just doesn't want the trail there because they'll lose a parking lot and trucks will have to stop at the trail crossings. Boo effing Hoo.
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Re: Has your city made any improvements to improve facilities for cyclists?
Fri, July 31, 2009 - 12:52 PMOur mayor is an avid cyclist. He and his wife bike to work, and they are big advocates. There is unfortunately a large conservative community that criticizes this "special interest". But there is definite momentum. Our local advocate group, PedNet, now has a spin-off group called "Get About Columbia" promoting alternative commuting and taking steps to facilitate that. It's been like pulling teeth some days, but I'm impressed with all the little changes. Some may seem silly, like trying 2 blocks of back-in car parking for awhile (to prevent car-door/bike collision accidents), but I feel that these steps will help set the momentum.
The walking school buses are a particularly cool idea too, making walking fun and safe for kids.
