Date:  Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Contact: Paula Reeves, WSDOT Bicycle & Pedestrian Program, 360-705-7258

OLYMPIA – In communities across the state, volunteers will be tallying the number of people who chose to walk or bike to their destinations. The information being gathered in late September and early October will be used to establish benchmarks and track progress toward the state’s goal of encouraging people to get out of their cars.

“Just like counting cars and trucks, counting bicyclists and pedestrians at specific locations will help us more accurately measure demand, benefits of existing paths and trails and help us identify new needs,” said Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond.

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and the Cascade Bicycle Club are enlisting volunteers and other organizations like FeetFirst and the Bicycle Alliance of Washington to count the numbers of people bicycling and walking on paths, bike lanes, sidewalks, and other facilities on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 and 2.

While Cascade Bicycle Club is using their network of members to perform the counts in selected cities (Bellevue, Bellingham, Bothell, Bremerton, Ellensburg, Everett, Kent, Kirkland, Longview, Olympia, Richland, Spokane, Tacoma, Vancouver, Walla Walla, Wenatchee and Yakima), people who would like to help are encouraged to participate with counts in their own communities. Those who are interested in helping can learn more by visiting WSDOT’s Web site at: wsdot.wa.gov/bike/Bike_Counts.htm or by contacting Cascade Bicycle Club at:organizer@cascadebicycleclub.org or calling 206-957-0689.

Bicycling plays a big role in Washington’s transportation network. In fact, Washington was recently named the nation’s number one “Bicycle Friendly State” by the League of American Bicyclists.

WSDOT is doing this as part of the National Documentation Project, an annual bicycle and pedestrian count and survey effort that is sponsored by the Institute of Transportation Engineers Pedestrian and Bicycle Council, and to determine progress toward its goal to increase non-motorized trips.

Information about WSDOT’s Bicycle program can be found at: www.wsdot.wa.gov/bike/default.htm

Information on WSDOT’s Walking program can be found at: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Walk/default.htm

Information on the National Documentation Project can be found at: www.altaplanning.com/App_Content/files/NDP_Description090205.pdf

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