Cycling and walking are healthy alternatives to driving and should be encouraged by adding bicycle lanes and sidewalks, county commissioners were told Tuesday by more than a dozen residents who testified during a public hearing on a proposed 20-year Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan.
Commissioners unanimously approved the plan, which was 18 months in the making.
As county transportation planner Laurie Lebowsky put it, the plan sets out a “guiding vision,” to better accommodate bicyclists and pedestrians.
The plan marks the first time in 14 years the county has formally acknowledged the need for safe bicycle routes; the county has never formally addressed the need for safe pedestrian routes.
“It kind of blows my mind that we’ve never had a vision (for pedestrian routes),” said Commissioner Steve Stuart. “Frankly, it shows.”
Republican Tom Mielke joined Stuart, a Democrat, and Republican Marc Boldt in voting yes, even though Mielke lamented that the 23-member Bicycling and Pedestrian Advisory Committee that worked on the 300-page plan didn’t try harder to identify a funding source.
“The program is great … but I would like to see something to fund those ideas,” Mielke said.
Funding ideas in the plan include creating a Transportation Benefit District, establishing a voluntary fund for retrofitting streets with bike lanes or exploring partnerships with the private sector.
But the key idea will likely be aggressively pursuing grants.
Terri Elioff, who lives in the Hudson’s Bay neighborhood, told commissioners that adopting the plan will give the county a leg up when it comes to competing for grants.
She said a healthy community needs a fully-functioning transportation system, and that includes acknowledging cyclists and walkers.
Sharon Pesut of Community Choices 2010 was among several people who wrote letters in support of the proposal.
“Healthy communities invest in sidewalks, trails and bike lanes, and public transportation routes that have destinations related to our activities of daily living,” she wrote. “These connect us to getting to work, school and our places of worship; getting to services such as grocery stores, barbershops, drug stores and the library; and getting us to interesting places where we recreate, socialize and take in the beauty of our community.”
The plan, which worked off the Vancouver-Clark Parks Department’s Regional Trails and Bikeway Systems Plan, includes priorities for bike lanes and sidewalks.
Stuart said safe routes to schools are a top priority.
“How many of you remember teaching your child to ride a bike?” Stuart asked, and a number of hands went up in the room.
In some areas of the county, parents don’t feel comfortable letting their children ride bicycles, he said.
“I hope we haven’t lost that for good,” Stuart said.
During a Nov. 3 work session, Mielke suggested making bicyclists register and pay a fee; those fees could be used to build bike lanes.
On Tuesday, Lebowsky said she researched that issue and came up with a number of problems. The fees wouldn’t cover the administrative costs, it would be difficult to enforce and the county could only charge people who live in unincorporated parts of the county, so city residents would be exempt.
Mielke let the registration idea drop.
Stuart said funding will have to be an ongoing conversation.
“We don’t have answers right now,” he said.
Stephanie Rice: 360-735-4508 or stephanie.rice@columbian.com.
