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

Washington State is about to spend money on a community of “cycle highways” that can provide safer, quicker, 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 may operate very similar to highways, connecting cities and areas with secure, quick, and dependable paths for cyclists to journey or commute into 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 growing variety of folks selecting biking as a mode of transportation, the necessity for interconnected bike routes has by no means been larger. Cycle highways would supply 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 mission that connects completely different factors of curiosity in Canada’s second largest metropolis.

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

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

To make the cycle highways a actuality, Washington’s Legislature is allocating hundreds of thousands of {dollars} for bike path growth. The state’s transportation funds consists of $46.5 million over the following two years to fund key bike path tasks, with a further $100 million earmarked for comparable 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 a necessary 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 choice for everybody, decreasing dependence on automobiles and offering extra sustainable transportation selections.

One of many essential challenges going through Washington’s present bike infrastructure is the dearth of connections between current trails. Most of the state’s finest 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 handle these gaps by prioritizing key connections between trails, permitting for steady bike journey throughout the state. The funding allotted within the state transportation funds 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 carry the cycle highways to life. This plan will define the required steps to attach current trails, create new bike routes, and be sure that the community meets the wants of cyclists. The main focus shall be on constructing a system that isn’t solely purposeful but in addition secure, making certain that bike highways are separated from automotive site visitors and designed to deal with excessive volumes of cyclists.

“That is basically about security,” stated Sen. Marko Liias, D-Edmonds, in an article for the Seattle Instances. “We’d like bike lanes and full streets, however the grade-separated path amenities are the gold customary of security.”

As a part of the planning course of, the state can be gathering 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 related community of cycle highways that spans the complete state.

Along with the state’s cycle highways initiative, there may be 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 anticipated to develop to 900 miles. This path community connects communities, transit stations, and main locations, making it a mannequin for what a related, statewide system may appear like.

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

With sturdy legislative backing and rising public curiosity in biking, Washington is properly on its approach to making a community of cycle highways that can make biking a extra accessible and enticing choice for residents. The state’s funding in bike infrastructure is just not solely about bettering security and connectivity but in addition about selling sustainable transportation choices and decreasing reliance on automobiles.

Based on the League of American Bicyclists, Washington is essentially the most bicycle-friendly U.S. state.