Washington Bikes Endorses Joint Senate and House Transportation Package, Move Ahead Washington (SB 5974 and SB 5975), With Over $1.25 Billion to be Invested Across Washington in Biking, Walking and Rolling
On Tuesday, the Senate and House Transportation Committee chairs unveiled their joint funding proposal for investments over the next 16 years, in the form of the Move Ahead Washington package. Investments in essential bike & pedestrian safety and education programs total an unparalleled $1.25 billion, including programs that benefit children across Washington.
"The scale of walking and biking investment proposed in Move Ahead Washington is unprecedented," said Lee Lambert, Executive Director for Washington Bikes. "By building more places to walk, bike, and roll across Washington, we're making our communities safer, and we're giving future generations options to get around that don't rely on fossil fuels or cars. The sidewalks, protected bike lanes and multi-use trails that will result from the Move Ahead Washington package will create healthy, happy, and more prosperous local communities."
"Kids who walk, bike, and bus become adults who walk, bike, and bus – and this funding package will ensure a safe and healthy future for all of us," Lambert added.
The $1.25 billion investment in biking, walking, and rolling funding represents a four-fold increase over the 2015 Connecting Washington transportation package, which included $320 million for biking and walking. Right now, funding constraints mean that only one in five applications to the bike/ped and safe routes to schools grant programs receive funding – which leaves too many communities wanting, at a time when more people are biking than ever before due to the pandemic bike boom.
"This commitment to increase investments in biking and walking programs and projects comes at an important time," said Vicky Clarke, Policy Director for Washington Bikes. "We are experiencing nothing short of a public health crisis on our streets, with deaths and serious injuries to people walking and biking increasing year on year. Investing in biking and walking ensures we can all get home safely - including our most vulnerable road users. Growing the bike/ped and safe routes to schools grant programs is essential in achieving our statewide goals of ending deaths and serious injuries on our streets."
What's in the package for biking, walking, and rolling?
Program increases for WSDOT Safe Routes to Schools ($290m) and Bike/Ped Grant programs ($278m). These are competitive programs that local jurisdictions use to implement safe infrastructure around schools (Safe Routes to Schools) and across their communities (Bike/Ped Grant Program).
A new grant program; Reconnecting Communities ($50m). This program is intended to fund active transportation projects that undo harms in communities bisected by highways and other major transportation corridors.
A new school-based bike program ($216m) will help teach youth critical skills to bike and walk safely.
Bike/Ped project list ($293m) for projects across Washington state. These improvements will create safe walking and biking connections by filling gaps in the current active transportation network, including both on-street bike networks and sidewalks, as well as trails. Some highlights:
Signature trails advanced:
Eastrail improvements in Bellevue and Renton. For more: https://eastrailpartners.org/ep-news/eastrail-state-funding-priorities
Mountains to Sound Greenway Trail "Bellevue Gap"
Re-knit walking and biking networks across historic highway projects:
Liberty Park Land Bridge, Spokane. For more: https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/sep/06/getting-there-land-bridge-...
SR-500 & NE Stapleton Road/ NE 54th Avenue Bicycle & Pedestrian Overcrossing, Vancouver
North Aurora (HWY 99) Safety Improvements. For more: https://www.got99problems.org/
For further comments, contact Vicky Clarke, Washington Bikes Policy Director, at 360-731-4467 or vickyc@wabikes.org.
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Washington Bikes increases investments to build and maintain bicycle connections as well as safe places to walk and roll; provides tools for local advocates to improve their communities; and promotes the health, safety, and economic benefits of bicycling. Our work and that of our many partner organizations means more people biking all across Washington, the #1 Bicycle Friendly State in America (every year since 2008)!
