Bike to Work month begins tomorrow and is timed perfectly with the arrival of warmer temperatures and lots of sunshine! So, it’s time to dust off the bike, pump up the tires and go for a ride. Thanks to the Bridging the Gap (BTG) transportation program riding your bike to work or for play has gotten easier.
In six years, 130 miles of bike route signage has been installed, over four miles of new trail constructed and more than 163 improvements made to Seattle’s urban trails and bikeways. The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is taking big steps to increase the number of on-street bike facilities. Before BTG, the city had fewer than 20 miles of bike lanes and sharrows. Today we have more than 142 miles and have continued to maintain them by restriping more than 150 miles.
Over the past two years community groups across the city have started asking for neighborhood greenways. Greenways may be a newer concept in Seattle, but they have been widely successful in other cities. Greenways offer a safer and more comfortable place to walk and ride a bike for everyone from kids to grandparents and include improvements like speed humps, sidewalk improvements and wayfinding signs. To help meet demand, SDOT is installing more than seven miles of greenways in 2013. For more information on the greenway to travel visit SDOT’s program webpage.
The completion of the Bicycle Master Plan in 2007 has provided a valuable road map to making needed investments in Seattle’s bicycle infrastructure. The plan is currently going through a major upgrade which is expected to wrap up later this year. The draft plan will be available in June. Keep your eyes peeled for more information more information soon. This plan and funding from BTG are helping to make Seattle a more bike friendly city.
For more information on the Bicycle Master Plan and the update please visit their site. Additional BTG information can be found on their site.