To help further enhance cycling in Seattle, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) has officially launched the 2012 Bicycle Master Plan (BMP) update project.

Scheduled to be updated after five years, the BMP has been effective at guiding improvements to the City’s bicycle system over the last five years, including the installation of 129 miles of bike lanes and sharrows, 98 miles of signed routes and 2,230 bike parking spaces.

An update to the plan presents an opportunity to include fast-evolving best practices and new thinking in bicycle facilities, safety, and design that will result in an even more connected bicycle network for all Seattle residents seeking to ride for recreation, shopping or commuting.

“We’re so excited to see the City planning a network of safe, comfortable streets that connect us to our neighborhoods, whether we walk, drive, ride a bike, push a stroller, or move by wheelchair. The Bike Master Plan update is a critical step towards a healthier and more equitable Seattle,” said Cathy Tuttle, Coordinator of Seattle Neighborhood Greenways, in a statement.

The Seattle City Council included $250,000 from the General Fund in the 2012 budget to complete the update, and provided guidance that the updated plan include neighborhood greenways and separated bicycle facilities to help to encourage more people to ride their bicycles for all trips. The updated plan will include a clear prioritization process, which will help direct where future bicycle investments occur.

“The 2012 Bicycle Master Plan update brings an incredible and timely opportunity to create and realize a vision for a community that bicycles, where bicycling is normal, convenient and safe for everyone,” stated Chuck Ayers, Executive Director of Cascade Bicycle Club.

SDOT would love for you to tell them where you would like to see future improvements to help encourage more bicycling in the city by filling out an online survey or using their mapping tool.

The two new tools will help SDOT better understand how you use (or don’t use) the existing bicycle facilities, as well as what you care about most for the new Bicycle Master Plan.

Find the Tell Us! survey, here.

And the Show Us! mapping tool, here.
The interactive map was created so that the public can show indidcate more specifically where they make (or would like to make) bicycle trips, which roads and intersections need improvements, and which facilities work.