Action Alerts

Legislative Session Update: Almost There! (Sort Of)

By Blake Trask | Published April 27, 2013

With one day left before Washington state’s 2013 regular legislative session ends, key votes for transportation remain. Here’s the Bicycle Alliance’s legislative session update evaluating Washington state’s progress on improving safety for our kids and for bicyclists across Washington state.

Policy Priorities

Investments in Safe Routes to School make it possible for kids to enjoy bicycling safely

HB 1045, Neighborhood Safe Streets Bill passes! At literally the last minute before the policy bill cutoff on April 17, Senator Andy Billig helped usher in a special order of business to make Rep Cindy Ryu’s HB 1045 the 4:59 bill in the Senate (the last policy bill voted on). We’re elated to get this smart legislation passed, which gives cities and towns across Washington state the authority to lower speeds to 20 miles per hour on neighborhood streets–all while cutting red tape.

SB 5263, Concerning motorcycles overtaking and passing pedestrians and bicyclists. While originally not included in this legislation, an amendment facilitated by the Bicycle Alliance and Cascade Bicycle Club and introduced by Senator Christine Rolfes added a 3-foot passing distance requirement for motorcycles overtake bicycles and pedestrians in the travel lane. This legislation provides everyone who supports sharing the road an important and incremental start to develop a uniform safe passing law that incorporates a 3-foot passing requirement. After passing with no opposition, this bill now sits on the governor’s desk for signing.

Transportation Budget & Revenue

The transportation budget and revenue legislation is gaining clarity, but resolution for when agreement will occur between the House and Senate remains uncertain.

Transportation Budget. The AP reports that the House and Senate negotiations appear to have reached agreement on a two-year transportation budget, which could be voted on Sunday. Until the final vote occurs, we will continue to monitor the status of investment levels for the Bicycle/Pedestrian Safety & Mobility Grant Program, as well as the Safe Routes to School Grant Program. The Bicycle Alliance has been working to ensure that Safe Routes to School Grant Program investments are restored to their pre-MAP-21 federal funding levels and that a 1935 gas spillage tax exemption is removed to fund safer streets for kids.

Transportation Revenue Package. With our Transportation for Washington Partners, Bicycle Alliance has coordinated and provided testimony in the past week for the House and Senate proposed 12-year transportation revenue packages. Our message is simple: support the amendments offered by Representative Marko Liias, which would invest $100 million upfront in the backlog of statewide walking and biking projects while then providing $100 million and $50 million respectively for the Bicycle/Pedestrian Safety & Mobility and Safe Routes to School grant programs over the following ten years. Please contact your legislators to voice your support for increased investments in walking and biking.

And, just in case you’re wondering, this proposed revenue package does not include a bike fee.

What didn’t make it?

The Bicycle Alliance introduced a Safe Passing bill that would have provided more flexibility for motor vehicle drivers to safely pass people biking or walking. Despite the bipartisan sponsorship, the bill faced some concerns in the Senate Transportation Committee and was ultimately held by its sponsors. In the interim leading up to the 2014 legislative session, the Bicycle Alliance will be working with our partners to ensure that all sides better understand the legislation moving forward.

Additionally, legislation to add health as one of the state’s transportation system policy goals failed to make it out of the House this year. We look forward to working on that next session.

What’s next?

Barring unforeseen resolution on a host of budget and revenue issues where significant divides still exist, the legislature will be called into a special session as early as next week to resolve its outstanding differences. We’ll stay with it through the entire process to continue our work to expand funding for bicycle infrastructure.

Share WA bike stuff!
Posted in Advocacy, Alert, BAW News, Funding/Policy, Health, Infrastructure, Issues & Advocacy, Kids, Legislature, Safe Routes to School, Safety, Transportation | Leave a comment

A Down Payment on a Connected Future: Support the Liias Amendment

By Barb Chamberlain | Published April 19, 2013

Two months ago, early in the session, we called on the legislature for a forward-looking transportation revenue package that would at long last start to meet the needs of our kids walking to school, seniors who need safer streets to maintain their transportation independence, and bicycle users who want safe, connected trails and roads to get where they need to go.

We opposed the proposal then on the table because it simply didn’t do enough, and at the same time it would add a bike tax—two good reasons to say no.

Today, a new proposal is on the table—one that starts to move us in the right direction.

We’re finally seeing numbers with another zero in them that begin to reflect the growing place of bicycling in the transportation system of the future. We’re seeing something we can support as a down payment on the $6 billion-plus backlog of projects (and those are just the ones we know about so far—we know there are more to add to our statewide project list).

The 12-year funding proposal from Rep. Judy Clibborn, chair of the House Transportation Committee, includes $100 million for Complete Streets grants and $15 million for specific trail projects, and it no longer includes the additional fee on the sale of new bicycles that we opposed.

Rep. Marko Liias is offering an amendment that would provide an additional $250 million for bike/walk projects: an immediate $100 million for projects around the state, another $100 million over the life of the proposal for additional projects as they’re identified, and $50 million for Safe Routes to School.

With the amendment, the proposal takes us from the $61 million in the original proposal to $365 million over 12 years—an increase of over six-fold, and numbers for bike/walk projects that finally reach into hundreds of millions, not tens of millions.

We said we could only support a revenue proposal that funds biking, walking, and transit as essential elements of the transportation system. Because we’ve been fighting ever since the first proposal came out for those investments, we’re starting to make progress.

Is it everything we called for in the Transportation for Washington campaign? No. That’s the reality of negotiations in the political realm of Olympia—especially when you’re talking about new fees and taxes.

Is it a move in the right direction that we can support? Yes.

What next? Contact your state representatives right away to speak up for biking/walking.

By phone: Call 1-800-562-6000. The operator will route your message. You’re calling about HB 1954 in support of the Liias amendment that invests in walking and biking.

By email: Enter your mailing address on the district finder form (choose Legislative, not Congressional) and follow the instructions on the site to reach a contact form. Focus on your state representatives.

Points to make:

  • I support Rep. Marko Liias’s amendment to HB 1954 to add investments for biking and walking projects.
  • Biking and walking projects make streets safer for everyone from children to grandparents and enable more people to bike, walk, and take transit.
  • This funding is a start toward helping working families save at the pump by making healthier choices available.
  • People who ride bikes also drive cars. We pay taxes in many forms that fund streets and roads at the same time we take a load off them by riding our bikes. We believe it’s both reasonable and smart for the state to invest in getting even more people biking and walking so the system works better for all of us.
  • As a taxpayer and a voter, I can only support the idea of additional fees and taxes to fund transportation if the package includes significant investments in biking and walking projects like what Rep. Liias’s amendment provides. Without the amendment, I can’t support the bill.

It’s never easy for legislators to take a vote on a tax bill. But we can’t get a more connected transportation system for our future and fix the roads we already have without making an investment.

They need to hear from you that you support a revenue proposal–if and only if it includes the amendment that supports biking and walking.

 

Share WA bike stuff!
Posted in Advocacy, Alert, BAW News, Funding/Policy, Issues & Advocacy, Legislature | 1 Comment

A Push to the Finish for Neighborhood Safe Streets Bill

By Barb Chamberlain | Published April 4, 2013

Kids from Broadway Elementary in the Spokane Valley practicing our Safe Routes to School bicycle/pedestrian safety curriculum. We prepare them for the streets–can we make the streets safer for them too?

What will make our streets safer for our kids? Too many headlines tell the sad story: We need to slow down.

How do we make that happen? You take action right now to ask your state senator to vote yes for HB 1045, our Neighborhood Safe Streets Bill.

The Neighborhood Safe Streets Bill should be coming to the floor of the Senate for a vote in the next few days–almost the last critical step in the process.

Earlier this session HB 1045 passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan support, 86-10, and was unanimously recommended for passage in the Senate Transportation Committee last month.

It’s time to ask your state senator to vote yes for safer streets, less red tape, and cost savings for taxpayers.

HB 1045 is simple: Cities can save our tax dollars by slowing speed limits on non-arterial streets to 20 mph without having to spend money on a traffic and engineering study. The time and expense of that study can interfere with a commonsense decision that makes your street safer for everyone from toddlers to grandparents.

We’ve given you lots of facts and talking points to include in your email in our previous blog posts. What we need you to do right now is help us get this bill across the finish line.

Contact your state senator.

By phone: Call the legislative hotline 1-800-562-6000 and tell the operator you’d like to leave a message for your senator. The friendly operator will copy down your message and send it to your legislators. This is a very easy process; say “Please vote yes for House Bill 1045, the Neighborhood Safe Streets Bill.”

By email: Enter your mailing address on the district finder form (choose Legislative, not Congressional) and follow the instructions on the site to reach a contact form.

Choose your state senator and ask for a YES vote on the floor for HB 1045. Use what you’ll find in our last blog post, Will the State Senate Vote to Help Slow Traffic in Your Neighborhood? and stress these points:

  • HB 1045 is about local control, increasing government efficiency by cutting red tape and expense, and making neighborhood streets safer.
  • HB 1045 has broad bipartisan support.
  • HB 1045 can save cities and towns money; it’s smart policy that removes unnecessary regulation over a decrease of 5 mph. This change lets cities spend that money on actually making safety and traffic improvements instead of conducting yet another study.
  • The elderly are most vulnerable to collisions at speeds above 20 MPH; slower streets are more forgiving to those whose mobility is affected by the highly individual process of aging.
  • Safe, walkable streets are important for safety and livability, and they improve the quality of our schools and neighborhoods—so kids can walk and bike and so parents can feel safe sending their kids to school.
  • This bill could help reduce cut-through traffic on neighborhood streets coming off arterials onto non-arterial streets, which affects property values, safety, and livability in cities and towns across Washington.

Our Legislation & Statewide Issues page lists the issues and bills we’re following so bookmark that, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and ask your friends to sign up for our email Action Alerts to keep pace with the session as it speeds up.

We’re almost there–can you help get this bill across the finish line? Don’t stop pedaling now!

Share WA bike stuff!
Posted in Advocacy, Alert, Legislature, Safety | 6 Comments

State Legislative Action Alert: Invest in Bicycle Trails Today

By Blake Trask | Published March 20, 2013

Bicycle trails in Washington state are great. Name them: Centennial Trail in Snohomish County, Fish Lake Trail in Spokane, Bill Chipman Palouse Trail between Pullman and Moscow, Burke Gilman Trail in King County.  They’re places we go to teach kids how to bicycle and routes we take to commute to work and school. Trails that support bicycling, walking, jogging, and other activities serve as integral connections and sources of pride for cities and towns across Washington.

A beautiful day on Spokane’s Fish Lake Trail

While we can name many of these trails, our work is not done. Many of these great trails for bicycling still have gaps and many more remain great visions for the future.

Right now, the Washington State Senate is working to develop the state’s capital construction budget and we need your help to let them know that trail investments are a priority for Washingtonians.

Many of our state’s bicycle trails depend on investments from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP). Funded through the capital construction budget, WWRP has a track record of growing our state’s trail network through a competitive grant process that requires community leadership and support. In the next two years, we have an opportunity to invest in eight great trail projects in every corner of the state.

Our friends at the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition are leading the charge. This year, over 280 organizations (including BAW) representing business, recreation and conservation are asking for $90 million for the WWRP in the state’s capital construction budget. A number of great bicycle trail projects would be funded if the state invests $90 million for WWRP, including these:

If you happen to live near one of these trails or know them well, contact your state senator and convey the following:

  • The Washington Wildlife & Recreation Program plays a key role in Washington’s quality of life and $22 billion dollar outdoor recreation economy by protecting wildlife habitat, preserving working farms, and providing state and local parks. Of particular interest to me are the bicycle trails that this program funds.
  • The WWRP grant program is time-tested, proven and fair. A nationally recognized independent ranking system not only ensures that only the best projects are funded but also that communities across the state, large and small, can fairly compete for limited state dollars.
  • Will you support the WWRP (and the specific bicycle trail projects of interest) at $90 million?

Thank them and let them know that today is the time to make a great investment in Washington state.

Share WA bike stuff!
Posted in Advocacy, Alert, BAW News, Economic Impact, Funding/Policy, Infrastructure, Issues & Advocacy, Legislature, Trails | 1 Comment

Keep your Eyes on the Prize: It’s Time to Go Get the Transportation Investments We Need

By Barb Chamberlain | Published February 22, 2013

On Wednesday, Rep. Judy Clibborn, chair of the House Transportation Committee, proposed a transportation revenue package that invests less than 0.5% of $10 billion in walking and biking.

Now we need you.

We need you to tell the legislature that you support a realistic, forward-looking transportation proposal that meets the needs of our kids walking to school, our seniors who need safer streets to maintain their transportation independence, and bicycle users who want safe, connected trails and roads to get where they need to go.

This package needs to go further. The current proposal keeps investments in walking and biking at a standstill. That simply isn’t going to build the transportation system we need for a safe, accessible, connected future for everyone whether you bike, walk, use transit, or drive.

Not since 2005 has there been an opportunity of this magnitude to grow investments in biking and walking. With approximately $6 billion in non-motorized projects waiting for funding—a figure that doesn’t even include every bike/pedestrian project at the local level—this opportunity is critical for improving safety and growing bicycling statewide. And yet the package in its current form could keep investments low until the 2020s.

How many decades will it take to right-size investments in the healthiest forms of transportation? That’s the real question we face.

We need your help now to let legislators know that waiting 10 more years is too long and that we expect the state’s transportation investments to make a real difference in everyone’s ability to travel freely and safely.

We need you to let them know that these investments just make sense—that projects to enable everyone from 8 to 80 to walk or bike will reduce maintenance costs for the streets, reduce air and water pollution, increase access to transit as another essential element in the mix, and improve the health and well-being of our people and our local economies.

That’s not just good for us as people who ride bikes; that’s good for us as the taxpayers who already foot the bill for a system that doesn’t do enough for us.

On Monday, the House Transportation Committee is poised to hear the proposal. We’ll be there to make the case that this package is a start but needs to get much better to invest in connectivity, safety, and livability—but we need you to make the case directly to your legislators.

Please write your elected officials right now to tell them that we can’t wait 10 more years for safer sidewalks to our schools, better paths to connect our neighborhoods and workplaces, and more complete streets for all roadway users. We can’t afford to settle for a package that doesn’t get us where we need to go—that’s what transportation is all about, after all!

If you’re with us and you would support a package only if it includes substantive investments in walking and biking, use any or all of the following points to send a note to your legislator now.

You’re with us on this. Now what?

Contact your legislator right away. Enter your mailing address on the district finder form (choose Legislative, not Congressional) and follow the instructions on the site to reach a contact form. Focus on your state representatives.

What your legislator needs to hear about supporting a package that invests in walking, biking, and livability—the package we and others in the Transportation for Washington coalition have been calling for over the course of the months leading up to the session—

  • Washington only works when all people have an opportunity to get to where they need to go, whether it’s by biking, walking, or using the bus, rail, ferry, or car.
  • The proposed package keeps investments in walking and biking at a standstill, which essentially means going backward over the 10-year time span. Not since 2005 have we seen a significant bump in state investments and walking and biking, and yet this package could keep investments low until the 2020s. In order to support a package as a taxpayer and a voter, I would need to see real investments in biking and walking included.
  • We need affordable transportation options like transit, biking, and walking so working families can save at the pump and spend more time with their loved ones instead of being stuck in traffic.
  • Those are smart investments by the state because it’s in our best interests as taxpayers to reduce wear and tear on the roads, reduce air and water pollution, and improve our health. We can’t afford to walk away from the return on investment that active transportation provides.
  • That’s why we need the following included in a transportation revenue proposal:- $150 million each year for bike/pedestrian programs, including bike/pedestrian safety grants, Safe Routes to School, and Complete Streets.
    - $50 million each year for a transit-oriented development fund.
    - $300 million each year for road and bridge preservation and maintenance.
    - A “Fix It First” policy for highway investments, and a “Finish It First” approach to the package’s project list—prioritizing the projects already being built over new projects.
  • People who ride bikes also drive cars. We pay taxes in many forms that fund streets and roads at the same time we take a load off them by riding our bikes. We believe it’s both reasonable and smart for the state to invest in getting even more people biking and walking so the system works better for all of us.

————–

Before you write that note, one more thing—You’re reading a lot about a proposed bike fee in the mix of revenue sources—putting a tax on a behavior we want to encourage, not discourage! Let’s be clear, we don’t like it, but if we focus solely on that issue, we could win the battle and lose the war.

Let’s think big and be bold: What kind of transportation system do we want in this state? One that really works for all of us regardless of how we get around. That means serious money and we need to push hard for that.

So keep your eyes on the real prize: A package that takes biking and walking seriously as essential elements of the transportation system. Let’s go for it before we lose another decade—or two.

Share WA bike stuff!
Posted in Advocacy, Alert, Complete Streets, Funding/Policy, Issues & Advocacy, Legislature, Safe Routes to School | 4 Comments

Neighborhood Safe Streets Bill Needs You in the House

By Barb Chamberlain | Published February 16, 2013

Slow down.

Stay safe.

Such a simple message—and one we can’t quit repeating if we’re going to keep our Neighborhood Safe Streets Bill moving forward.

If you feel as if you keep hearing from us on the same issue, you’re right. Every bill that becomes a law has committee hearings and floor votes in House and Senate, with the governor’s desk as the final stop. We’ll make sure you know of each opportunity to speak up for a bike-friendly Washington, whether it’s supporting a good bill or trying to amend or kill a bad idea.

HB 1045, the Neighborhood Safe Streets Bill, should be coming to the floor of the House for a vote Feb. 18 or 19. It’s time to ask your legislators to vote yes for safer streets, less red tape, and cost savings for taxpayers.

You’re with us on this. Now what?

Contact your legislator. Enter your mailing address on the district finder form (choose Legislative, not Congressional) and follow the instructions on the site to reach a contact form.

Choose your state representatives and ask for a YES vote on the floor for HB 1045.

Reasons this bill contributes to better biking, better neighborhoods, and better government:

HB 1045 is about local control, increasing government efficiency by cutting red tape and expense, and making neighborhood streets safer. This bill does not lower speed limits by itself; it simply gives cities and towns the option to lower speed limits to 20 miles per hour on non­arterial streets without the current requirement for conducting a traffic and engineering study.

HB 1045 has bipartisan support. The Senate companion bill (SB 5066) just passed out of the Senate Transportation Committee with unanimous “do pass” support. In the previous biennium, this legislation passed out of the House 92-0 and 96-0. This is the year to get it done!

HB 1045 can save cities and towns money by removing the requirement for an engineering study. It’s smart policy that removes unnecessary regulation over a 5 mph decrease (typically, the de facto non-arterial speed is 25 mph in towns and cities). This change lets cities spend that money on actually making safety and traffic improvements instead of conducting another “make work” study. Traffic and engineering studies cost $1,000-5,000 for cities with in-house staff and even more for cities that have to hire consultants to conduct the studies.

The elderly are most vulnerable to collisions at speeds above 20 MPH. As we look to create safe neighborhoods for our increasingly elderly population, slower streets are more forgiving to those whose mobility is affected by the highly individual process of aging. Design practices that explicitly recognize aging will better serve a growing segment of the nation’s population. This is why AARP Washington is on the long list of supporting organizations.

Safe, walkable streets are important for safety and livability, and they improve the quality of our schools—so kids can walk and bike and so parents can feel safe sending their kids to school. This is why so many of our partners on Safe Routes to School support this bill.

This bill could be an especially helpful tool in the toolbox of cities and towns to reduce cut-through traffic on neighborhood streets. An application of this legislation could be to reduce “cut-through traffic” off of arterials and onto non-arterial streets, which affects property values, safety, and livability in cities and towns across Washington.

What else is cooking in the legislature?

We’ll keep bird-dogging this bill along with the others on our bike advocacy priority list:

  • increase funding for bike/pedestrian projects including Safe Routes to School, Complete Streets, and the Bike-Pedestrian Safety and Mobility Program
  • make sure any proposed transportation revenue package includes healthy funding levels for active transportation
  • fight a proposed new fee on the sale of bikes that might get included in a revenue package
  • protect the requirement that teen drivers get bike/pedestrian safety education in driver’s education against the threat of repeal
  • find funding to study the best ways to transport students, such as getting more kids walking, biking, and using public transit while we save schools money
  • support inclusion of health as a policy goal for the state transportation system
  • and whatever else comes along that can help—or hurt!—bicycling in Washington.

Our Legislation & Statewide Issues page lists the issues and bills we’re following so bookmark that, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and sign up for our email Action Alerts to keep pace with the session as it speeds up.

Stay tuned and stay active!

Related Reading

Share WA bike stuff!
Posted in Advocacy, Alert, BAW News, Issues & Advocacy, Legislature | 1 Comment

Neighborhood Safe Streets Bill: Second Gear, Second Committee Hearing

By Barb Chamberlain | Published January 30, 2013

Thanks for helping us get a “do pass” recommendation from the House Transportation Committee last week. Now it’s time to take action in the Senate: Contact your state senators to speak out for SB 5066 and safer neighborhood streets.

Last year, the Washington State House of Representatives unanimously voted 96-0 in favor of the Neighborhood Safe Streets Bill. After passing through the Senate Transportation Committee, this legislation ran out of time on the Senate floor. We’re rolling in the House already this year–the Senate is the next hill to climb.

Now we have a chance to give this important safety legislation a jump-start in the State Senate. It’s one of the first bills to be heard in the 2013 session and legislators need to hear your voice now!

The Neighborhood Safe Streets Bill (SB 5066 and HB 1045) gives cities and towns the authority to create safer neighborhood streets by lowering speed limits on non-arterial streets to 20 miles per hour without conducting an expensive traffic study (they’ll have to establish a procedure so decisions are made systematically).

Cities already have the power to lower the speed limit to 20mph and have traffic plans that look at local context–this just saves them money and cuts government red tape.

Time is critical: We presented the bill yesterday in the Senate Transportation Committee and they’ll vote soon on whether to send it to the full Senate. We need to remind our state senators that the time is now to support this important safety legislation that can save cities and towns across Washington money while they work to improve safety on neighborhood streets.

Your reminder to your elected officials is critical in making this happen. And it only requires two simple steps:

#1 – Enter your mailing address on the district finder form (choose Legislative, not Congressional) and follow the instructions on the site to reach a contact form for your state senator. (If you haven’t already contacted your state representatives, feel free to send the note to your entire district delegation since HB 1045 will be coming up for a vote in the full House.)

#2 – Email your Senator a note expressing your support of this important public safety legislation, SB 5066. We’ve included some model text for you to use—putting it in your own words will make it even better and more personal:

Dear Senator _________,

I write to ask you to support the Neighborhood Safe Streets Bill (SB 5066), which will be heard in the Senate Transportation Committee on Tuesday, Jan. 29. The bill passed out of the House unanimously in 2012, and passed out of the Senate Transportation Committee as well before running out of time on the Senate floor—this is the year to save cities money, cut red tape, and give local jurisdictions another tool to improve safety on neighborhood streets.

I urge you to let your colleagues on the committee know that you’re hearing from your district in support of this important safety legislation. SB 5066 provides more local control, offers an additional safety tool for local governments, removes additional study costs and red tape currently required by the state, and encourages active living by offering cities and towns the chance to create safer and more livable streets. Most importantly, when used in conjunction with engineering and enforcement, lower speeds on non-arterial streets can save lives.

As a constituent and voter in your district I would greatly appreciate your yes vote on the Neighborhood Safe Streets Bill (SB 5066) to make our hometown safer for everyone from kids to grandparents.

Sincerely,

[Your Name here]

 

Download and share the Neighborhood Safe Streets Bill Fact Sheet and tell your legislators you support it!

Courtesy of TVW, video below is of the bill presentation and testimony from the Senate Transportation Committee. Many thanks to all the groups that support SB 5066 and HB 1045:

  • AAA Washington
  • AARP Washington
  • American Heart Association
  • Association of Washington Cities
  • Cascade Bicycle Club
  • Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition
  • Children’s Alliance
  • City of Kirkland
  • City of Seattle
  • Feet First
  • Forterra
  • Futurewise
  • King County
  • Public Health Roundtable
  • Seattle Children’s Hospital
  • Sightline Institute
  • Tacoma-Pierce County Health
  • Town of Winthrop
  • Transportation Choices Coalition
  • Washington Coalition to Promote Physical Activity
  • Washington Environmental Coalition
  • Washington Fire Chiefs
  • Washington State Public Health Association

Share WA bike stuff!
Posted in Advocacy, Alert, BAW News, Issues & Advocacy, Politics, Safety | Leave a comment

Take Action for Safer Neighborhood Streets

By Louise McGrody | Published January 18, 2013

We’re gearing up to slow down–neighborhood traffic, that is.

Send a reminder to your state legislators about their good, but unfinished, work from 2012!

Last year, the Washington State House of Representatives unanimously voted 96-0 in favor of the Neighborhood Safe Streets Bill. After passing through the Senate Transportation Committee, this legislation ran out of time in the Senate.

Now we have a chance to give this important safety legislation a jump start in the State House of Representatives. It’s one of the first bills to be heard in the 2013 session and legislators need to hear your voice now!

The Neighborhood Safe Streets Bill gives cities and towns the authority to create safer neighborhood streets by lowering speed limits on non-arterial streets to 20 miles per hour. As an added benefit it removes government red tape and cuts study costs currently required by the state.

Time is critical and we’re having a hearing this Tuesday, Jan. 22, in the House Transportation Committee. Now we need to remind our state representatives of their essential and unanimous support for this legislation in 2011 and 2012 and that the time is now to support it again.

Your reminder to your elected officials is critical in making this happen. And it only requires two simple steps:

#1 – Enter your mailing address here http://app.leg.wa.gov/districtfinder/ (choose Legislative, not Congressional) and follow the instructions on the site to reach a contact form for your state representatives (no need to contact your state senator right now).

#2 – Email each representative a note expressing your support of this important public safety legislation, HB 1045. We’ve included some model text for you to use—putting it in your own words will make it even better and more personal:

Dear Representative _________,

I write to ask you to support the Neighborhood Safe Streets Bill (HB 1045), which will be heard in the House Transportation Committee on Tuesday, Jan. 22. The bill passed out of the House unanimously in 2011 and 2012—this is the year to finish what the House began twice already.

I urge you to let your colleagues on the committee know that you’re hearing from your district in support of this important safety legislation. HB 1045 provides more local control, offers an additional safety tool for local governments, removes additional study costs and red tape currently required by the state, and encourages active living by offering cities and towns the chance to create safer and more livable streets. Most importantly, when used in conjunction with engineering and enforcement, lower speeds on non-arterial streets can save lives.

As a constituent and voter in your district I would greatly appreciate your yes vote on the Neighborhood Safe Streets Bill (HB 1045) to make our hometown safer for everyone from kids to grandparents.

Sincerely,
[Your Name here]

Thank you for taking action!

For more information, BicycleAllianceofWA_Neighborhood-Safe-Streets-Bill-Fact-Sheet_Jan2013 (3).

Share WA bike stuff!
Posted in Advocacy, Alert, Complete Streets, Issues & Advocacy, Safety, Transportation | 1 Comment

Transportation Advocacy Day 2013: Let’s Make it Bigger Than Ever!

By Blake Trask | Published January 14, 2013

Last year’s record turnout of over two hundred dedicated advocates for biking, walking, transit, and rail provided a critical voice to help us advance an agenda that led to increased state funding for Safe Routes to Schools and more flexible design standards for cities and towns as they work to grow bicycling and make it safer.

This year we want to make Transportation Advocacy Day 2013 bigger because bigger means more stories, more voices, and more testimony to grow bicycling statewide, to make it safer for kids to walk and bike, and to create great neighborhoods across Washington.

No matter how many white papers, statistics, and reports we reference to promote our policies to legislators, invariably, it’s the story that matters most. Your voice is critical in making the case for:

  • why kids need sidewalks, trails, and bike lanes to safely get to school – while saving our state money with reduced busing costs
  • safer neighborhood streets for children, elderly, and everyone else to live, work, and play
  • more recreational opportunities for bicyclists that lead to more money spent in cities and towns across the state

Transportation Advocacy Day is your opportunity in 2013 to connect with fellow advocates from across the state and to meet with your elected officials in Olympia on the issues we care about. Plus, it’s a lot of fun!

To register, visit Transportation for Washington’s RSVP page. There are many transportation options to get to Olympia, including Zipcar and rail. During the sign-up process, we’ll work to help your travel go as smooth as possible. Also, the entire day (food, scheduling, great workshops) is free!

Staff and dedicated volunteers from over ten organizations representing biking, walking, transit, rail, and public health are coordinating events and the policy agenda for the 2013 event. Luckily, the Transportation Advocacy Day platform is very similar to the Bicycle Alliance of Washington legislative agenda and includes:

  • Local Government Control and Safe Neighborhood Streets. The Bicycle Alliance again will lead the Neighborhood Safe Streets Bill to make safer streets and neighborhoods by allowing cities and towns the authority to set speed limits to 20 miles per hour on non-arterial streets.
  • Adding Health as a State Transportation System Policy Goal. The Bicycle Alliance will again support legislation that adds human health to the policy goals of our state transportation system —alongside existing goals such as economic vitality, mobility, and the environment.
  • Transportation for Washington’s Campaign to expand funding to give Washingtonians the freedom to get around, safer streets for our children, and more complete streets for our towns and cities.

The Bicycle Alliance of Washington is excited to again collaborate with many different transportation interests and we can’t thank our dedicated volunteers, including Bicycle Alliance of Washington board member Bob Duffy who coordinates the facility logistics and makes participants’ experiences enjoyable with copious refreshments and lunch. His yeoman’s work goes back years when we hosted Bicycle Advocacy Day in Olympia.

If you haven’t met her already Transportation Advocacy Day will also be a great opportunity to meet Bicycle Alliance of Washington’s new Executive Director, Barb Chamberlain. She’ll be welcoming advocates at the commencement of the day’s activities.

So join us February 12 for Transportation Advocacy Day. It’s a great opportunity to grow bicycling statewide, to meet your state elected officials, and to tell your stories and to make your case for why Washington’s transportation priorities need more balance in Olympia.

And, again, thanks in advance for your support and advocacy in 2013!

Share WA bike stuff!
Posted in Advocacy, Alert, BAW News, Events, Funding/Policy, Infrastructure, Issues & Advocacy, Olympia/Thurston County, Politics, Safe Routes to School, Safety, Transportation | 3 Comments

Biking Across Snoqualmie Pass?

By baw_admin | Published July 24, 2012

This post was contributed by Scott Chilberg.

Biking across the Cascades just ain’t what it used to be, thanks to I-90 construction along Keechelus Lake and a series of tunnel closures on the John Wayne Pioneer Trail between Thorp and South Cle Elum. Luckily, alternate east-west routes allow for continued bicycle access through these areas, so if you’re planning a bike trip make sure to read up on the closures prior to heading out and look out for bicycle route signs along the way. Here’s the low-down on the detours:

Due to construction of the I-90 Snoqualmie Pass East Project, WSDOT is restricting interstate bicycle access between Exit 54 and Exit 62. The suggested detour runs along the west side of the Keechelus Lake on the John Wayne Pioneer Trail. According to the WSDOT website, this 8-mile trail loops around the lake for about an hour before reconnecting with the freeway and is not recommended for racing-style bikes due to the occasional loose gravel spots and potholes. Bicyclist may also use US 12 White Pass or US 2 Stevens Pass to cross the Cascades. A map of the detour and more information regarding trail conditions and the construction project can be found here.

Four tunnels along the John Wayne Pioneer Trail between Thorp and Cle Elum will also be closed for an indefinite period because of safety concerns. Detours for both eastbound and westbound travelers are marked along the route, so cyclists should look out for yellow signs and maps marking alternate routes. Visit the Washington State Parks website for detailed directions and more information about the tunnel closures.

As long as you’re aware of the detours, biking along this stretch will remain very doable, so don’t be discouraged! Just make sure you’re on the alert for detour signs and, as always, do your research before embarking on your trip.

Share WA bike stuff!
Posted in Alert, Travel, WSDOT | 1 Comment