Bike Plan Stop 3: Seattle
As a precursor to full plan implementation, Seattle DOT Tags Future Bike Routes Last year, Seattle revamped its Bicycle Master Plan after the city had agreed to rethink all future road projects as “complete streets” projects, i.e., all modes of transportation would be supported, not just cars. A lot of the plan is typical master … Continued
12:28 PM PST on February 13, 2008
As a precursor to full plan implementation, Seattle DOT Tags Future Bike RoutesLast year, Seattle revamped its Bicycle Master Plan after the city had agreed to rethink all future road projects as “complete streets” projects, i.e., all modes of transportation would be supported, not just cars. A lot of the plan is typical master plan boilerplate, but Seattle earns major kudos by planning to increase its bike lanes by 900%.
Seattle’s plan aims to change the percent of trips taken on a bike from 2% to a whopping 12%. To meet this goal, the city decided to add 200 miles of bike lanes to the 25 that already exist. The Seattle P-I reports that by adding more bikes, the city hopes to increase safety:
At least four times a week, John Duggan, a Seattle attorney specializing in bicycle accidents, gets calls from people who have been hit by cars. “In almost all of these cases, the cars are not aware of the cyclist or they misjudge the bicyclist’s speed,” he said.
For Duggan and city officials, it’s a matter of numbers. There often aren’t enough bikes on the road — and designated bike lanes and signage — to make motorists aware.
From Copenhagen, Denmark, to Portland, cities have found that as the number of bicyclists increase, so does the safety for those riders. Toward that end, Wentz said his planners are hoping to encourage a threefold increase in urban bicycling over the next decade.
Another sign that the plan was being taken seriously was a city hall press conference where the Mayor announced that Seattle was going to be the NW’s new bike capital…while I think Portland may have something to say about that, this ten-year plan is certainly something that the Emerald City can be proud of.
image via IHeartBikes
Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.
More from Streetsblog Los Angeles
Streetsblog SGV Reporter Chris Greenspon Receives Civil Engineering Journalism Award
SBLA SGV Reporter Chris Greenspon was honored by the American Society of Civil Engineers Metropolitan Los Angeles Branch with their 2026 award for Excellence in Journalism
July 10, 2026
Friday’s Headlines
Throne bathrooms, Culver City, Long Beach, housing, homelessness, e-bikes, Studio City, and more
July 10, 2026
L.A. City Reconnecting MacArthur Park Plan Calls for Closing Parts of Wilshire Boulevard
"Reconnecting the park is one part of our broader commitment to invest in this neighborhood and create public spaces that are safer, greener, and more welcoming for everyone"
July 9, 2026
Thursday’s Headlines
It's too darn hot, MacArthur Park, buses, Boyle Heights, Culver City, D Line extension, Koreatown parking, WeHo, car-nage, and more
July 9, 2026
Carson Seeks Input on Bicycle Action Plan
Take an online survey for the city of Carson's ambitious Bicycle Action Plan, which focuses on 213th Street, 223rd Street, Avalon Boulevard, Central Avenue, Del Amo Boulevard, Dolores Street, and Victoria Street
July 8, 2026
