Good News for Cycling in Seattle

Well, they finally did it. Several months ago, Mayor Nickels pledged to make Seattle "the best city for cycling in America" and on Monday the City Council adopted the Bicycle Master Plan. I was somewhat involved with this effort, at least to the extent that the Seattle Bicycle Facilities Collaborative's findings were incorporated into the plan itself. In any case, it sounds really ambitious:

The 10-year Bicycle Master Plan calls for 118 miles of new bike lanes and 19 miles of trails, as well as lane markings and signs to create awareness of cycling across the city.

And, unusually for a plan of this nature, there is actually some money for implementation:

The city has budgeted $27 million for cycling projects out of a $365 million transportation levy voters approved last fall. The money, and a timeline, set Seattle apart from other cities such as San Francisco, San Jose, Berkeley and Baltimore that also have cycling plans, Hiller said.

I think this is absolutely fantastic news, and I think momentum for cycling will continue to build as the ramifications of Peak Oil and climate change continue to unfold. The full article can be read here.