Seattle joins list of Bicycle Friendly Communities

Seattle is now officially a gold level Bicycle Friendly Community.

The League of American Bicyclists made the award to Mayor Greg Nickels at the opening of the international Pro Walk / Pro Bike Conference in Seattle.

The designation comes about a year after the city council unanimously approved a resolution in favor of the hard-fought 10-year, $240 million bicycle master plan.

Although it was issued to Nickels, all the bicyclists in Seattle are responsible for the award. It notes that more than 4% of Seattle's commutes are by bicycle, which is 10 times the national average.

If I have a chance to ride my bicycle over there tomorrow, I probably wouldn't notice any change in bicycling, in spite of the new designation. It really is a recognition to the work done by people in and out of city government to make bicycling work in the city.

The list

Among those are Peter Lagerway, the bike master plan manager in the city's transportation department, as well as the many advocates in the nonprofit Cascade Bicycle Club, as well as those in other bike clubs around the city.

Before Seattle was added to this list, the League had named 84 cities in 31 states as Bicycle Friendly Communities. The cities are ranked by medal; Portland, Oregon, and Davis, California, are the highest at the platinum level. Gold-level cities include San Francisco, Boulder, Colorado, and Madison, Wisconsin.

Previously, Bainbridge Island and Port Townsend were named as a bronze level bike friendly communities, and Bellingham received the silver level. Check out the Bicycle Friendly Community website for all the designees and more information about the program.

A press release issued by the mayor's office cited addition reasons for the designation:

1. Increased funding and rapid implementation of bicycle facilities;

2. Investment of $300,000 in the Bike Smart Seattle, a bike education and encouragement program;

3. Recreational facilities, such as the Colonnade Urban Mountain Bike Skills Park; and,

4. Bike Station Seattle, which offers bike parking, rentals and repairs at its 311 3rd Avenue South location.

League of American Bicyclists president Andy Clarke said:

"The city has the basics of extensive bike parking and a great bike map; it has signature projects, like the I-90 and Burke-Gilman trails; and is now embarking on innovative bicycle boulevards, signals, education, and marketing programs. We commend Mayor Nickels for his vision in creating a world class, sustainable city, for his leadership in facing up to the challenge of climate change, and for recognizing that the simple act of getting more people on bikes is at the heart of both."

Ironically, the city's Bicycle Friendly award comes about a month after a notorious run-in between Critical Mass cyclists and a motorist. The local biking blog Seattle Likes Bikes examined the incident in "Anatomy of a Critical Mess: How everyone screwed up." It points the finger at the cyclists, the driver, the police and the media as screwing up.

Source: Biking Bis