Seattle Greenways Gaining Momentum

Seattle is lagging behind with bike-friendly greenways, but a new referendum aims to change this in November.

Portland serves as a model for Seattle, according to Blake Trask, statewide policy director for Bicycle Alliance of Washington. To him, neighborhood greenways are about creating more pleasant, friendly, and sustainable communities that improve quality of life for everyone.

Greenways are pedestrian friendly, green belts of land in cities that often include bicycle pathways.

“Really it’s the first year the idea has taken hold,” Trask said, regarding the greenway project.

The proposed Proposition 1 will add a $60 a year car license fee to vehicles, which will then be pooled into funding for transit and street improvements. This will include repairing potholes, upgrading traffic signals and crosswalks, making safer crossings for pedestrians, and allowing for more improvements on greenways, according to Bill LaBorde, staff member of Seattle City Councilman Tom Rasmussen.

The proposition could bring in $20.4 million a year for 10 years, according to a City document.

There are currently three greenway projects at various stages happening in Seattle, and these would "provide bicycle access between neighborhoods," LaBorde said in an interview.