HomeMy WebLinkAbout6-16-2020 PUblic Comment - R. Rockafellow -Bike CIPFrom:David and Rachel Rockafellow
To:Agenda
Subject:Please Increase the “Annual Bike Path Improvement” Capital Improvement Program (CIP) line-item by $50,000
Date:Tuesday, June 16, 2020 12:49:39 PM
Dear Commissioners,
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.
Respectfully,
Rachel Rockafellow, RN
1202 South Spruce Dr.
Bozeman, MT 59715
406-586-2405
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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