Creating a sustainable, equitable active transportation system that works for all of us.

By Barb Chamberlain, Washington State Department of Transportation

Often when I talk about active transportation and mention the value of a complete bike network, someone raises a hand and says, “But not everybody rides a bike.” Here’s the thing—not everybody drives either. Building systems that assume everyone can drive has produced places that make it hard to do anything else. If we want a more sustainable future and cities and towns that serve everyone who lives, works, or visits there, we need transportation that works safely and comfortably for all of us. The good news is that investments in active transportation make things better for everyone because almost everyone uses it at some point. Even if you drive everywhere, you still need to cross the street or get from a parking spot to your destination on foot.

In Washington state, approximately 25 percent of the population doesn’t drive. Some are too young, such as a school-age child whose parent adds to morning or afternoon traffic congestion if they don’t find it safe for their child to walk to school. Some have a disability, which means they can never drive. Others are too old to drive safely; they’ve entered what the American Automobile Association refers to as their “driving retirement” years. (That conversation with my dad didn’t go so well. He had only one definition of transportation independence, so it vanished. I’m planning ahead for myself!)

But those who do get behind the wheel need and deserve streets that give them design cues to drive appropriately for an area’s mix of people, modes, and destinations. A design that invites drivers to go fast through a place where children are on their way to school or where people are crossing to get to a bus stop is a design that provides the wrong information. Offering places for people to walk and pedal; setting the right speed limits; and supplying design cues so that drivers go at safer speeds helps us all get to our destinations safely.

"We know from national research that more than 50 percent of the public is interested in riding a bike. They just won’t do it unless they feel safe. We also know that over half of all trips taken in 2021 were less than 3 miles—about a 15-minute bike ride, and many were a half-mile or less!”

When we improve facilities for walking and bicycling, we create a great positive feedback loop. We know from national research that more than 50 percent of the public is interested in riding a bike. They just won’t do it unless they feel safe. We also know that over half of all trips taken in 2021 were less than 3 miles—about a 15-minute bike ride, and many were a half mile or less!

Imagine now that your town has accessible, well-maintained sidewalks and a continuous bike network that doesn’t drop riders into heavy, fast traffic with a sign that says, “Bike Lane Ends.” This kind of complete, inviting system makes riding feel safer—and it is safer because exposure to a potential crash is reduced. If a store on Main Street installs racks for a dozen bicycles in a parking space that used to hold only one vehicle, more people will walk or pedal. This leads to cleaner air and water (fewer particles shed from car brake linings and tires) and improves health and healthy habitats.

Creating a positive feedback loop like this is good for cities. It’s what the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) heard when we conducted outreach across the state. Whether they drive, take the bus, ride a bike or walk, everybody wants to feel safe crossing the street, road, or highway. They want clean air to breathe. They want enjoyable downtowns and livable neighborhoods.

WSDOT’s Active Transportation Plan (ATP), published in December 2021, introduces critical concepts for the agency and its partners to work on together and create and connect walking and cycling facilities across jurisdictional boundaries, just as we did for driving. This includes addressing the disproportionately high number of serious and fatal crash rates in areas with higher rates of poverty or that are more racially and demographically diverse—exactly the places where more people rely on alternate modes of transportation. Those statistics aren’t a coincidence; they’re an outcome of decisions made over many years.

The ATP’s goals—connectivity, opportunity, participation, partnership, and safety—are compelling goals for every city or town. WSDOT looks forward to partnering with community leaders to create complete, comfortable transportation networks so everyone can get where they need to go in a cleaner, greener, healthier, more sustainable, and equitable future.

Barb Chamberlain, a former Idaho state legislator, is the director of the Washington State Department of Transportation’s Active Transportation Division. Prior to joining WSDOT, she served as chief strategic officer of Cascade Bicycle Club and Washington Bikes.

For more information: wsdot.wa.gov