Thank you for all of your letters, phone calls, artwork, petitions, and other efforts in support of Vashon’s Safe Routes to School Project. We would also like to thank our 34th legislative district representatives and King County council members for their support.

We did not receive funding this year. However, our voices were heard and perhaps we...

Thanks to Senator Sharon Nelson, Representative Eileen Cody & Representative Joe Fitzgibbon for endorsing the current Vashon Island School District application for Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) funding of Vashon Safe Route to School (SR2S) Program application.

Vashon’s Dr. Martha Johnson is working with VISD’s Michael Soltman & staff, King County’s Susan Oxholm and WSDOT’s Safe Routes to School Coordinator, Charlotte Claybrooke,...

 



As announced at the King County web site hours ago, Bike Vashon will receive $3000 as one of two dozen grants to start in on our Bike and Walk Initiative!

The purpose of the grant, from our original proposal:

Funds are being requested to help launch Phase One of the Vashon Bike and Walk Initiative (VBWI) that will engage the Vashon community to conceptualize and promote the vision of a bicyclist/pedestrian friendly island.  The project will also seek to enact several walking and cycling priorities that have been incorporated in the following plans:

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Vashon is in the lucky position of being considered for Safe Routes to School funding.

Your support is needed!

The next 6 weeks are critical, as our grant application moves through the Washington Department of Transportation for approval. Safe Routes to School funding is federal dollars administered by the individual states. It is directed to elementary and middle schools, however in our case, high school...

King County Department of Transportation Road Engineer Jim Didricksen (who I’ve noted out on his bicycle recently enjoying this grand weather!) called to announce that the county plans to start removing about 4500’ feet of existing rumble strips. They anticipate starting on Monday, October 8th with operations taking about a week – depending on the weather.

Sections slated for removal are marked with paint on the roadway, but the majority will be south of town near the high school: between SW Cemetery Road and SW 204th St. The centerline rumble strips there will stay, but the shoulder sections will be milled away and repaved.

Roughly a 1000’ north of town will also be removed in areas where the shoulder is under the 4’ minimum width.

Decision paves way for new direction in King County to make safety improvements for everyone who uses County roads; opens new partnership for community and County to create a Bike-Friendly Vashon

After a months-long process of hard work and perseverance by Islanders committed to safer roads, the King County Department of Transportation took an important step to address safety concerns by announcing a halt to a plan to install more rumble strips on Vashon.

“We want to thank the County for their responsiveness to residents who communicated the very real threats to safety and mobility due to the installation of rumble strips on Vashon,” said Steve Abel. “Dow Constantine’s leadership and willingness to listen shows how government can work for residents across King County.”

“I am pleased that the County was receptive to such a compelling case for safety made by the Vashon-Maury community members,” commented State Senator Sharon Nelson. “I have heard from many constituents expressing their...

Leslie...

In a well received press release submitted at 4:18 this afternoon, the County has stopped further rumble strips!

A huge “Hurrah!” for the community and political system (special thanks to Dow Constantine, Sharon Nelson and Joe McDermott) that stopped this misguided experiment on Vashon.

As our most articulate and knowledgeable volunteer Joshua Putnam (go to our Facebook site to see his public commentary) has noted in private communications we still need to deal with the existing hazards ground into our bike lanes and we still want to see the county commit to supporting our “Bike Friendly Vashon” vision - but for now we should certainly celebrate our...

Not too surprising – but still unfortunate – three of the country’s major bicycle advocacy groups have decided not to merge. That they had even announced that possibility speaks to the desire they had to unify and that the hope had flamed at one point.

I’ve rarely seen groups merge or disband – a perverse sign of success as it signals lack of ego and noble ambitions to seek community good and reduce the inevitable overhead from multiple semi-overlapping organizations. It works in the fiscally driven corporate world, but less often in the more nuanced nonprofit sector.

From the League’s blog on the topic:

After months of steady dialogue and face-to-face meetings, the leaders of the Alliance for Biking & Walking,...

The King County Executive, Dow Constantine, is making his decision today on next steps for the experimental Vashon Rumble Strip project with a result apparently due by the weekend.

To me, this is about whether the county is listening to its citizens call for a visionary future or is forcing a KCDOT staff originated pilot project down our throats in order to garner $200K of salaries provided by the federal grant.

Although dressed up as a “safety issue”, the limited underlying accident data used as a justification is out-of-date, and doesn’t support installation rumble strips on Vashon. Indeed initial reports indicate a troubling rise in accidents since the rumble strips have been installed. The Community Council has twice unanimously passed motions opposing the rumble strips – even immediately after hearing the DOT’s rationale for them. Local politicians support our cause. The KCDOT’s modifications made in response to the initial outcry was trivial and insignificant – a slap in our...

The following emergency motion passed unanimously by the 30 members present. What is remarkable about that number is that no one voted against or (or even abstained) immediately following after an hour-long justification of the project from King County’s DOT staffers to the council. The DOTs arguments rang hollow for the islanders.

The motion was presented by Bike Vashon’s key Spokesperson, Steve...

“The Vashon-Maury Island Community Council on Monday unanimously passed a motion to demand that the county Department of Transportation make no more rumble strips on Vashon Highway and pave over existing rumble strips in the next two years.” So starts the Beachcomber’s report on the Vashon Community’s success in unanimously passing our anti-rumble strip motion by 35-0. Read their full report online at:

-- www.vashonbeachcomber.com/community/162903076.html

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http://vmicc.org/ should soon be updated with an agenda, but please show up Monday night for their 7 PM meeting at McMurray Middle School. See the earlier blog for a copy of our motion and more details.

There is overwhelming community support for our position, but we’d still like a strong showing to help communicate the depth of community concern for unannounced...

Unfortunately we heard of a horrific accident yesterday. In the latest accident Leslie was bicycling south to near Burton when she reportedly hit the rumble strip near the Rasmussen dental clinic. She wound up with a broken nose and a broken bone in her hand among numerous contusions and other injuries – requiring 10+ hours of emergency treatment at Harborview. She added her comments...

Take Action Today to Save 20 Years of Progress in Growing Bicycling Nationwide The federal transportation bill, which has been looking dead in recent weeks, just sprang to life in the last 72 hours. With a June 30 deadline to get a deal done, things are moving fast.

Now we need your help to ensure Congress retains funding for safer streets and Safe Routes to Schools by calling Senator Murray (and Congresswoman Herrera Beutler, if you live in SW Washington), by clicking the following link: http://www.americabikes.org/report_your_call

The short: late last week US Senate and House leadership decided to make a last-minute push for a bill by June 30, directing Senator Boxer and Representative Mica to go into serious negotiations on the transportation bill. Top on their agenda: working out an agreement on bicycle/pedestrian funding and on environmental streamlining.

Conference negotiations are done in secret and we don't know the specifics of the changes to Cardin-Cochran amendment (this Senate amendment is where Safe Routes and Transportation Enhancements will be preserved in the transportation package. For more info on this amendment: http://blog.bikeleague.org/blog/2012/03/success-a-better-map-21-for-cycling/), but the rumors are flying and none of them are good for biking and walking. We believe that the local control aspects of Cardin- Cochran may have been compromised, or possibly that state DOTs will have the ability to opt out of the whole or half of the program.

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Thanks to Charles Backus for finding the following from US Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood’s March 15, 2010 blog at http://fastlane.dot.gov/:

To set this approach in motion, we have formulated key recommendations for state DOTs and communities:

Treat walking and bicycling as equals with other transportation modes. Ensure convenient access for people of all ages and abilities. Go beyond minimum design standards. Collect data on walking and biking trips. Set a mode share target for walking and bicycling. Protect sidewalks and shared-use paths the same way roadways are protected (for example, snow removal) Improve nonmotorized facilities during maintenance projects. ...

As noted on the VMICC’s Current Motion page, BikeVashon has submitted the following motion for consideration at their next meeting, on Monday, 16 July 2012, 7:00pm at McMurray Middle School. Please come and help support this vital vote!

VMICC Motion 2012.06.01 Rumblestrips PDF | Print |

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Partway through the May 21st Community Meeting with KC DOT, several staffers headed across the parting lot to speak in front of the Vashon Maury Island Community Council. According to the VMICC minutes, this is the summary of that discussion:

Presentation:  Jim Didricksen and Rick Brater...

Here’s an alert BikeVashon is forwarding from the Bicycle Alliance of Washington, and ultimately from the League of American Bicyclists.

Selected members of the House and Senate are negotiating right now to produce a final transportation bill, and it's come down to a fight for local control.  Washington communities - and cities and counties across the country - need transportation funding to build sidewalks and bikeways to make streets safer, get local economies moving, and encourage active living. But some members of Congress want to eliminate local access to these federal funds. Twenty...

Tonight's Meeting at the Red Bike starts early - at 6:30 PM. Honored guest is Blake Trask, Policy Director for the Bicycle Alliance of Washington! We've had lots of subgroups working the past week on projects. Much discussion has also taken place on our email list. Come tonight to get a good rundown!

Blake Trask directs policy programs, including direct advocacy in Olympia, working with agencies and stakeholder groups, and engaging with bicycle clubs and other interested organizations across the state. His experience on environmental planning and policy, stakeholder involvement, and work with numerous local and state agencies provides...

Michael Wang died last July while bicycling on Dexter Avenue in Seattle. Only today, after Erlin Garcia-Reyes had an incident with police, they were able to somehow connect him with the previous crime. The Seattle Times is reporting that the police arrested Garcia-Reyes this morning,

Vashon's bicyclists are meeting tonight and talking of reforming the venerable Spokespeople organization. We're jazzed about forming a set of roles.

After an underwhelming meeting with King County last week, we're getting ready for a longer effort to promote bicycling on Vashon & Maury Islands.