Citizens are invited to three open houses in April to provide input as the City of Spokane updates its Master Bike Plan. The update includes identifying ways to make Spokane more bicycle friendly, improving bike routes, signage, and other elements.
"We haven't updated the City's bicycle plan in any significant way for 20 years," says Ken Pelton, a City planner who is working on this project. "As a City, we want to encourage alternative modes of transportation, so making it easier for cyclists to get around just makes sense."
The open houses will be held on:
- Tuesday, April 22, at the Southside Senior Activity Center, 3151 E. 27th Ave., from 6 to 8 p.m.
- Thursday, April 24, at the West Central Community Center, 1603 N. Belt, from 7 to 9 p.m.
- Tuesday, April 29, at the Northeast Community Center, 4001 N. Cook, from 6 to 8 p.m.
At the sessions, citizens will find information about the planning process, maps of different aspects of the plan, and the opportunity to make comments and suggestions and ask questions.
During the open house on April 24 at West Central Community Center, the Washington State Department of Transportation also will hold a public hearing on the 2008-2027 Washington State Bicycle Facilities and Pedestrian Walkways Plan.
The City's Master Bike Plan is part of the transportation section of the City's Comprehensive Plan. The City's Planning Services and Engineering Services departments-along with the Bicycle Advisory Board-have been working on the bike plan update.
To date, their work has included creating an inventory of existing bike lanes, routes, signage, and other facilities. They have also reviewed bicycle planning ideas from other communities to get ideas for Spokane.
This work was anticipated with the adoption of the City's current Comprehensive Plan in 2001, which stated the City should "undertake additional planning for non-motorized travel to address more specifically the needs of bicyclists and pedestrians." The latest update to the Comp Plan in 2007 specifically added the statement, "Future planning should include an integrated Bicycle Master Plan that defines the goals and design elements for bicycling facilities in the City."
The City first adopted its "Bike Routes Plan" in 1978. A number of updates to this plan were developed and adopted in the 1980s and early 1990s.
Citizens who are unable to attend one of the open houses can contact Pelton or Joel Soden, project planner, by calling 625-6300. Information on the bike plan effort also will be available soon at www.spokaneplanning.org.
For more information on the Washington State Bicycle Facilities and Pedestrian Walkways plan, contact Paul Reeves at WSDOT, 310 Maple Park Ave SE, Olympia, WA, 98504 or by email at reevesp@wsdot.wa.gov. The web site is www.wsdot.wa.gov/bike/bike_plan.htm. |
