Washington State Plans New “Cycle Highways” for Improved Bike Infrastructure

Washington State is about to spend money on a community of “cycle highways” that may supply safer, sooner, and extra environment friendly biking routes throughout the state. Whereas the U.S. is historically car-centric, the idea of cycle highways—devoted, high-quality bike routes designed for long-distance journey—is gaining momentum, and Washington is one bike-friendly state that would paved the way.

A community of motorcycle routes might operate very similar to highways, connecting cities and areas with secure, quick, and dependable paths for cyclists to journey or commute into the town for work. Washington already has greater than 1,600 miles of shared-use paths, however many of those trails are disconnected, leaving cyclists with inconvenient gaps of their routes. The state’s new cycle highways plan goals to attach these trails, making a seamless and secure biking community throughout Washington.

With an rising variety of individuals selecting biking as a mode of transportation, the necessity for interconnected bike routes has by no means been better. Cycle highways would offer cyclists with secure and steady journey routes, particularly for long-distance commuters.

There are different examples of bicycle highways in North America, such because the Specific Bike Community (EBN) in Montreal, which is a 191-kilometer bike lane challenge that connects totally different factors of curiosity in Canada’s second largest metropolis.

There’s additionally an initiative in California to discover two bike freeway pilot initiatives.

And, after all, the Washington plan takes inspiration from different bicycle-friendly meccas comparable to Copenhagen and Amsterdam.

To make the cycle highways a actuality, Washington’s Legislature is allocating thousands and thousands of {dollars} for bike path improvement. The state’s transportation price range contains $46.5 million over the following two years to fund key bike path initiatives, with an extra $100 million earmarked for related initiatives by 2031. These funds will assist shut gaps between current trails and enhance connections between main routes just like the Burke-Gilman Path, Palouse to Cascades Path, and Spokane’s Centennial Path.

The Burke-Gilman rail path in Washington

This funding is seen as an important step towards making a extra bike-friendly state. The cycle highways program is a part of a broader effort to make biking a safer and extra viable possibility for everybody, decreasing dependence on automobiles and offering extra sustainable transportation selections.

One of many primary challenges going through Washington’s present bike infrastructure is the shortage of connections between current trails. Most of the state’s greatest bike routes, such because the Burke-Gilman and Centennial Trails, are remoted, making it tough for cyclists to journey lengthy distances with out encountering unsafe or disconnected stretches of street.

The cycle highways program will tackle these gaps by prioritizing key connections between trails, permitting for steady bike journey throughout the state. The funding allotted within the state transportation price range will assist full these crucial connections, making bike journey extra environment friendly and accessible for everybody.

The state is growing an in depth plan to deliver the cycle highways to life. This plan will define the mandatory steps to attach current trails, create new bike routes, and make sure that the community meets the wants of cyclists. The main target can be on constructing a system that’s not solely purposeful but additionally secure, making certain that bike highways are separated from automobile visitors and designed to deal with excessive volumes of cyclists.

“That is essentially about security,” mentioned Sen. Marko Liias, D-Edmonds, in an article for the Seattle Instances. “We want bike lanes and full streets, however the grade-separated path amenities are the gold normal of security.”

As a part of the planning course of, the state can be amassing public suggestions on the cycle highways idea to make sure that the ultimate system aligns with the wants and preferences of cyclists throughout Washington. As soon as the plan is finalized, it’ll present a roadmap for making a complete and linked community of cycle highways that spans all the state.

Along with the state’s cycle highways initiative, there’s additionally a push to develop regional “tremendous trails” that join native bike routes to the broader community. For instance, the Leafline Path community within the Puget Sound area already covers 450 miles and is predicted to develop to 900 miles. This path community connects communities, transit stations, and main locations, making it a mannequin for what a linked, statewide system might seem like.

The success of regional networks like Leafline exhibits how efficient bike infrastructure might be when it’s fastidiously deliberate and linked.

With sturdy legislative backing and rising public curiosity in biking, Washington is nicely on its approach to making a community of cycle highways that may make biking a extra accessible and engaging possibility for residents. The state’s funding in bike infrastructure just isn’t solely about bettering security and connectivity but additionally about selling sustainable transportation choices and decreasing reliance on automobiles.

In keeping with the League of American Bicyclists, Washington is probably the most bicycle-friendly U.S. state.