Seattle Adopts New Bicycle Master Plan

“The Seattle City Council has unanimously agreed to overhaul its Bicycle Master Plan, to provide separated bike lanes as well as a network of calm back-street routes known as greenways,” reports Mike Linblom. Seattle adopted its previous Bicycle Master Plan in 2007.

“The plan, approved Monday, calls for 474 miles of new or improved bike routes, at a cost of about $20 million a year for 20 years. Half would be greenways, plus 102 miles of bike lanes separated from traffic, and 32 miles of off-street trails.”

A separate article by Tom Fucoloro provides additional details about the two-year process of drafting the plan and what it will take to build out the planned network.

“The resolution approving the bike plan does not include funding. Cost estimates put the plan somewhere between $391 – $524 million over 20 years, though not all of that money will come directly from Seattle. Regional, state and federal grants will certainly be used to offset much of the cost, and the city can save money by including bike upgrades with other city work (utilities work, major repaving projects, private development, etc),” according to Fucoloro.