That picture shows a unanimous vote to update the comp plan with the Master Bike Plan. Wow. That was anti-climatic.
About 2 1/2 years ago years ago, the Bicycle Advisory Board recommended starting work on the MBP and pushed the city council to support the work. About 5 months later, we started the plan. Eventually, Joel Soden (graduate student at EWU) did the actual drafting of the plan. Ken Pelton, Joel's boss, oversaw the work and was key in navigating it through the various city departments and external bureaucracies. Lots of people and citizens -- as well as the council and various city departments -- threw in on the plan. But from where I'm sitting, the plan wouldn't have happened without the BAB pushing, Joel developing, and Ken driving.
On Monday, the city's Bike/Ped coordinator will start. Remember, way back in August of last year? The city council voted to fund a Bike/Ped coordinator. There's another riveting picture of the vote in that post too. Well, that's finally come together too.
So here we are. The two biggest goals that the BAB set out for itself when Bob Lutz took over the board 3 years ago have been met. What now? Implementation is an on-going work item, and having a Bike/Ped coordinator will offload a lot of the extra curricular (and nearly always during the work day) meetings that BAB members have had to squeeze in over the last few years.
It will be interesting to see how the BAB evolves as we're freed to do other work. Btw, we still need two more people. We really need north side representation. Go here if you are intersted.
Awesome, good work guys!
ReplyDeleteThank you BAB for all of your hard work.
ReplyDeleteSo who is the new coordinator? Anyone from the community you/we knew already or someone that specifically came to Spokane to take the position?
ReplyDeleteThank you BAB!
ReplyDeleteI would love to go out for the BAB, but I think my house is about a 1/4 mile north of the city limit. Bummer. Thanks for all your hard work in getting this done, and for writing a great blog.
ReplyDeleteRight on. A whole bunch of cyclists are gonna benefit from this work for years to come. Huge thanks to everbody involved in making this happen.
ReplyDeleteThank you for all of the hard work on the MBP. I want to correct one point however, it has been more than 2 1/2 years in the making. During my tenure on the BAB we were improving the SRTC MBP. Though we didn't get too far on it, we did push the agenda. I am not trying to seek glory, I am trying to give bigger kudos to the current BAB as they are the group that got the city council to recognise this project that has been more than a decade in the making! Wait a go BAB!!!
ReplyDeleteYes. This is a masterstroke. The timing couldn't have been better. The economy is going gang busters and in 1-2 years when hyperinflation hits it will be an even greater idea. Thanks John for the info. This is the kind of idea that builds communities.
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