HomeMy WebLinkAbout6-15-2020 Public Comment - H. Van Wetter - Safer Biking in BozemanFrom:Hannah Van Wetter
To:Agenda
Subject:Safer Biking in Bozeman!
Date:Monday, June 15, 2020 2:45:29 PM
To Whom it May Concern,
As a concerned citizen, I would like to make my voice heard in advance of your budget
discussions next week and advocate for more funding for bicycle-friendly roads in our city. I
just spent the weekend biking all the GVLT trails in our community and was impressed by
the number of accessible trails and pathways, particularly in the new growth area, but
disappointed by the bike friendly connectivity in the main heart of Bozeman and our
surrounding streets.
Please act to improve the viability and safety of biking and walking in Bozeman by
increasing the “Annual Bike Path Improvement” Capital Improvement Program (CIP) line-
item by $50,000. This program pays for retrofit bicycle and pedestrian safety projects such
as crosswalks, flashing beacons, and protected bike lanes that improve the safety of biking
and walking in Bozeman.
Active transportation is an essential means for Bozeman to achieve its climate and
affordability goals, reduce traffic congestion, and improve public health.
New and reconstructed streets are built to a Complete Streets standard, but most
of Bozeman’s bicycle and pedestrian travel occurs on older streets that do not
meet modern standards.
In 2019 four bicyclists and pedestrians were run over or killed within city limits.
Tragic incidents like these can be reduced with the types of safety improvements
the Annual Bike Path Improvement CIP item pays for.
Bozeman’s trends mirror national trends, where cyclist and pedestrian deaths are
at their highest rate in nearly thirty years, due in part to distracted driving and larger
vehicles (1).
In response to these trends, cities are acting to improve the safety of biking and
walking. For example, Seattle just increased its budget by $10.3 million for bike
path improvements and by $11 million for walking routes (2). Bozeman’s
proportional equivalent would be increasing funding in FY2021 by $250,000 for
biking routes and $265,000 for walking routes. Fort Collins budgets $11 million per
year for bicycle improvements and safe crossings.
Improving bicycle and pedestrian safety is an opportunity for Bozeman to invest in
communities of color and other underserved populations. Black or African
American households are three times more likely to be without a car than white
households, and are more likely to bike for transportation than white households
(3).
Increasing funding for the Streets Maintenance Annual Bike Path Improvement CIP
from $50,000 to $100,000 will provide needed additional resources to retrofit older
streets to meet modern safety standards.
I request that the City of Bozeman rise to the challenge of providing safe streets by
increasing dedicated funding for bicycle and pedestrian safety, beginning with adding
$50,000 to the Annual Bike Path Improvement program in FY2021 and committing to do
more in coming years. The safety of Bozeman residents who bike and walk depends on it.
Thank you for your consideration!
Hannah Van Wetter
1121 Holly Dr.
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Sources:
1. Outside Online. “Every Cyclist Who Was Killed by a Driver in 2020.” June, 2020.
https://www.outsideonline.com/2409749/outside-cycling-deaths-2020
2. Seattle Neighborhood Greenways. “8 BIG WINS for walking/rolling/biking and equity in
the 2020 Seattle City Budget!” November, 2019.
http://seattlegreenways.org/blog/2019/11/25/sng-wins-big-for-the-2020-seattle-city-budget/
3. People for Bikes. “Building Equity: Race, ethnicity, class, and protected bike lanes: An
idea book for fairer cities.” July, 2017 https://wsd-pfb-
sparkinfluence.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2017/07/EquityReport2015.pdf