By Fran Korten
The City Council is about to hold an important study session. On March 16 at 5 p.m. the session will be on the future of sustainable transportation on our Island—and how we can form appealing choices beyond driving, including transit, micro-transit, In addition to the council, the session will bring together decision-makers from the school and park districts, the land trust, and the parks foundation. The council recognizes that achieving a bold sustainable transportation plan will require collaboration across many jurisdictions.
The main speaker will be world-renowned sustainable transportation expert Gil Penalosa. He will engage our city leaders in imagining Bainbridge as a bikeable, walkable city that works as well for an 8-year-old as for an 80-year-old. Penalosa has advised more than 350 cities around the world on their sustainable transportation systems, including Victoria, B.C.; Portland, OR; and Toronto, Canada. A key element of sustainable transportation is an attractive, safe network of bikeable, walkable trails. Such a network would enable most children to get to school and other places on their own, enhancing their health and fitness and eliminating traffic jams at our school entrances. It would make transportation more affordable—owning a car costs on average $9,000 per year, while a bike costs much less. It would give everyone a choice to hop in their car or get some exercise by biking or walking.
Such a network fits the city’s Climate Action Plan, which sets a goal of 25 percent of all trips on the island to be by bike or foot by 2030 and 50 percent by 2045. Our bus and ferry systems are another critical part of our sustainable transportation system, as are micro-transit, such as a circulating shuttle, and systems for sharing cars and bikes. In a Feb 12 talk that Penalosa gave to the city’s Sustainable Transportation Task Force, he pointed out that our island’s size gives it great potential to achieve major shifts in modes of transportation. Most trips within the island are less than 5 miles—a range doable on a bike and especially easy on an electric bike. Many trips are close to just a half mile, making them easily walkable, especially with increased density in Winslow.
Research shows that the secret to achieving major mode shifts is the perceived safety of the routes. About 56% of many city populations are interested in biking and walking but do not feel it is safe. What is needed is more than paint on the road, shoulders or bicycle signs. Perceived safety requires protection from cars. An off-road path that is direct and convenient is the gold standard; a lane along a road can be safe when it has buffers such as planters or raised curbs, so bikers and walkers don’t worry about being hurt or killed by a car. Only 8% to 16% of people will bike on roads with no shoulders or just shoulders—hardly enough to meet our climate goals.
So far, Bainbridge Island has just one place that meets the safety criteria for biking and walking along a major road. That is the Sound to Olympics Trail from Winslow Way to High School Road. To transform how we get around on our island, we need an entire network of safe, connected routes linking schools, community centers, grocery stores, neighborhoods, parks and all of us.
To find a link to the meeting, go to the city website, find “agendas and minutes” and click on the agenda packet for March 16.
Fran Korten is a member of the steering committee for Bainbridge GreenWays, a program of Sustainable Bainbridge focused on promoting sustainable modes of transportation on the island.
