Walk and Roll: WSDOT Active Transportation Update Feb. 7, 2020

Washington State Department of Transportation sent this bulletin at 02/07/2020 06:34 PM PST

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WSDOT Walk and Roll E-News alternates between this resource edition and a regional news round-up. It comes out 2-3 times per month. Most recent editions: Regional news round-up Feb. 3; resource edition Jan. 13

ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION NEWS FROM WSDOT AND PARTNERS

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Safe Routes to School and Pedestrian/Bicycle Program Grants Update

In past years the call for Safe Routes to School and Pedestrian/Bicycle Program project applications has gone out from WSDOT Active Transportation Division in January, with an April or May deadline.

This year we anticipate that we will put out a call for projects shortly after the end of the 2020 legislative session, in late March. We have updated and streamlined our application process with the assistance of WSDOT’s Lean Process team. The new, shorter schedule will provide enough time for jurisdictions to complete applications and for WSDOT to complete the review process and provide a recommended list for consideration in the 2021-23 budget process.

The list of grant applications recommended for funding is always subject to legislative approval for the source and amount of funds authorized. Eligible jurisdictions include cities, counties, and tribal governments.

How to receive notice that a call for projects has been opened: Subscribe to the WSDOT Active Transportation Walk and Roll E-News if this e-mail has been forwarded to you. 

Technical assistance: WSDOT Active Transportation Division staff are available to provide technical assistance and to help jurisdictions identify and address priority locations and incorporate a safe systems approach. Crash data is available upon request at the WSDOT crash data page for local jurisdictions to use in planning projects.

City Safety Program Grants: WSDOT’s Local Programs Division currently has an open call for City Safety Program grants, funded with Highway Safety Improvement Program dollars. These grants require development of a city road safety plan based on principles of systematic safety.

Local Programs staff have the pedestrian/bicyclist crash data analysis and will share it in their outreach to cities considering applying for those grants. Safety-related projects that have been the subject of Safe Routes to School and Pedestrian/Bicycle Program applications may be appropriate for inclusion under this program if they address the criteria identified. The deadline for City Safety Program applications is March 6. Contact: Ed Spilker, City Safety and Traffic Programs Manager, SpilkeE@wsdot.wa.gov.

Projects that were funded in the 2019-2021 budget: Governor Inslee’s proposed budget maintains funding for projects that were identified through the last application cycle and approved for funding. The governor’s guiding principles in developing his proposed transportation budget and associated project list included an emphasis on maintaining safety in our transportation system and mitigating impacts on vulnerable individuals.

It is important to note that these and other projects and grants may be affected by legislative deliberations to amend the 2019-21 transportation budget to reflect passage of I-976.

The process leading into the 2019-2021 project list resulted in a record amount of funds requested ($187.4 million), as noted in the 2019-2021 Safe Routes to School/Pedestrian/Bicycle Program report (PDF). Projects totaling approximately $41 million were recommended for funding.

Contact for more information: Charlotte Claybrooke, Active Transportation Program Manager, ClaybrC@wsdot.wa.gov.

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State Active Transportation Plan Update

We're working with our local jurisdiction partners to review and refine the outputs from our analysis of state routes and align with locally adopted plans on identifying corridors and locations that would benefit most from future improvements. We anticipate having the draft out for public comment toward the end of March.

In the meantime you can view a recording of our Dec. 11, 2019 online info chat for an idea of how we’re approaching the statewide needs assessment element of the ATP.

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Congratulations to Bicycle Friendly Businesses in Washington!

The League of American Bicyclists announced a new round of Bicycle Friendly Business recognition in January. A number of Washington businesses/organizations moved up or renewed. Congratulations to all for your efforts in evaluating yourselves and working to be more bike-friendly destinations and workplaces.

This list includes those that were recognized in the January announcement. 

  • Platinum: Washington Bike Law: Moved up; BFB since 2009; Seattle Children's Hospital: Platinum rating renewed; BFB since 2009
  • Gold: Sportworks Northwest Inc.: Moved up; BFB since 2015
  • Silver: No new Washington designations
  • Bronze: Transpo Group; new; City of Spokane; new designation (although Spokane previously held a Bronze ranking, these are for a three-year period and require renewal to maintain a continuous designation)

Bicycle Friendly America

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Walk and Roll in Winter Too: Safe Routes in All Weather Photo Contest

The Safe Routes Partnership invites you to submit your photos to the Safe Routes in All Weather photo contest. Prizes! Categories include Safe Routes to School, Safe Routes to Parks, and Fun/Humor. Deadline Feb. 28.

When you share photos, videos or memes in social media, tag with #WSDOTactive if we can use your images to illustrate walking and rolling in Washington state.

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Legislation in the 2020 Session

Bills related to bicycling or walking that are under consideration in the 2020 session:

SSB 6208 / HB 2358: Modifying stop sign requirements for bicyclists

SB 6466 / HB 2684: Traffic control signals, including bicycle signals 

SB 6493: Cooper Jones Active Transportation Safety Council

HB 2587: Establishing a program for the designation of state scenic bikeways.

HB 1793: Establishing additional uses for automated traffic safety cameras for traffic congestion reduction and increased safety.

Many bills are introduced with the same version in both House and Senate. Direct any questions about bill contents and purpose to bill sponsors.

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Roadside Memorial Program

WSDOT's Roadside Memorial Sign Program allows people who have lost family members in roadway collisions to have a sign installed in memory of the victim and to raise awareness to help prevent future crashes. The program initially focused on DUI crashes as part of a grassroots effort by family members, but it has since expanded to several other types of fatal crashes, such as distracted driving and crashes involving pedestrians or those on bicycles. 

The memorial signage includes a safety message such as Please Watch for Bicyclists and a plaque that lists the name of the person who died or their sponsoring family.

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Registration open for Washington Bike, Walk, Roll Summit April 26-27, Spokane

The Washington Bike, Walk, Roll Summit provides an opportunity for community members, advocates and professionals to learn, share and connect around mobility issues and to make our communities safer and more accessible for people wheeling and walking.

WSDOT sponsors the Summit and encourages state and local transportation professionals to participate in technical trainings offered. 

  • Dates: April 26-27, 2020
  • Location: Spokane Convention Center
  • Registration

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Mode-Neutral Usage: Who Doesn't Love a Buffet?

The term “road diet” was first introduced in 1999 in a piece by Dan Burden and Peter Lagerwey, both from Washington state: Road Diets: Fixing the Big Roads (PDF). 

The piece opens with a couple of metaphors: Nationwide, engineers are putting roads on “diets,” helping them lose lanes and width. In the process formerly “fat” streets often become leaner, safer, and more efficient. They become multimodal and more productive. Another metaphor: In many cases these former “warrior” roadways are tamed and turned into “angels.”

A good metaphor helps us tell a story people can remember and relate to. While the term “diet” might suggest a shift to healthier habits for some, for others it suggests deprivation--making do with less than you want, feeling dissatisfied, craving something more or different. (To say nothing of what we can now recognize as fat-shaming language.)

Who likes to diet? No one. But a buffet....

A road buffet has something for everyone.

A road that only has lanes for drivers is like the bowl of iceberg lettuce on a buffet line. It requires adding things to make it interesting and appealing and to make you want to come back for more.

A road buffet offers choices so you can take what you need—walking or rolling in the pedestrian space, riding in the bike lane, getting on transit at that stop, driving in the general purpose lane. Just looking at the array tells you that you might want to choose a different option than the one you first thought of. And yes, some of the choices do more to support your health goals than others--just like a buffet.

A road diet would tell you that you can always and only have one bland, boring option. It’s not a real choice. No sunflower seeds, no choice of dressings, no croutons, no cherry tomatoes. Someone decided decades ago that you only want iceberg lettuce.

If using terms related to food just makes you hungry you can use the accurate phrases “roadway reallocation” or "road reconfiguration". These terms remove the sense of deprivation the word “diet” can imply and are neutral in the same way that “change” is neutral while “improvement” has a specific valence or direction.

(Completing the historical record: The term "road buffet" was coined by Cory Wilkerson, City of Santa Ana, and shared at a 2018 meeting of the AASHTO Council on Active Transportation by Jeanie Ward-Waller of CalTrans.)

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FIVE+ THINGS TO READ

'Car Accident' Or 'Traffic Violence'? The Way We Talk About Crashes Is Evolving: "Imagine if outlets today were publishing stories about data privacy from a free wire service run by Facebook, Google or Uber. That's essentially the ethical breach many newspapers allowed back in the '20s and '30s — and the echoes and effects can still be seen in news stories today."

12 Strategies for Centering and Prioritizing Equity in Transportation: "True equity work requires more than a desktop exercise or activity. It requires intentionality. It requires finding comfort while being uncomfortable."

Nine keys to safe downtown streets: "...the difference between an attractive and a repellent downtown may be less than a minute of drive time. Would most people be willing to spare 48 seconds each day if it meant that their city was a place worth arriving at? Probably."

E-bikes, not electric cars, may hold the key to greener transportation: "It's not that [e-bikes are] going to replace cars wholesale, but they're going to replace trips made by cars.... A $3,500 [US] e-bike is going to allow many families to think about going from two cars to one car."

Those E-Scooters Might Not Be as Dangerous as You Think: "Let’s continue to work together to do our part in building an environment that is kind and forgiving to all vulnerable road users — and that includes e-scooters and their future cousins. And let’s all remember that traffic crashes are not “accidents” but preventable incidents."

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TRAININGS, CONFERENCES, WEBINARS

We add new trainings as we find them so the list changes with every issue. The National Center for Biking and Walking maintains a searchable international calendar of conferences, training and events. Some of these offer continuing education credits. All times are shown in Pacific time zone. 

All webinars listed are FREE unless a price is noted. All items are webinars unless a location is noted.

February

March

Looking Ahead

GRANTS AND FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

  • WSDOT City Safety Grants: Deadline March 6, 2020.
  • RCO grants: Deadline May 1 for several programs including Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP- Recreation; WWRP Habitat; WWRP Forestland; WWRP Farmland). A separate application will be due Nov. 1 for programs including the Recreational Trails Program.
  • USDOT TIFIA Rural Project Initiative loans can be used to construct pedestrian/bicyclist infrastructure
  • Have any funding opportunities people should know about? Send to barb.chamberlain@wsdot.wa.gov

AWARDS, COMPETITIONS AND KUDOS

PLANNING AND PROJECTS

Have an upcoming project, open house, public comment opportunity? Construction projects people should know about as they relate to biking/walking? Compliments on a project? Send to barb.chamberlain@wsdot.wa.gov

PRESENT AND PARTICIPATE

RESEARCH AND RESOURCES

Research and resource links are often PDFs. These haven't been reviewed to determine whether they have been posted in a Section 508 accessible format. Not sure what that is? Webinar Feb. 28: 508 Compliance: Creating Accessible Documents.

SURVEYS AND DATA COLLECTION

If you read this far, thank you! You're finding something of value here and you know someone else who should receive this kind of news and learn what's happening with the state Active Transportation Plan. Forward WSDOT Walk and Roll to others and share the subscription link on social media (tag it #WSDOTactive).