Organizers of the fall bicycle counts in the state of Washington are looking for volunteers.
This is the fifth year that volunteers will be sent out to popular bicycle commuting routes to tally how many bicyclists are using them.
The dates are Sept. 25, 26 and 27 for this statewide effort. Generally, the time slots are 7 to 9 a.m. or 4 to 6 p.m.
Volunteers are needed in Bainbridge Island, Bellevue, Bellingham, Bothell, Bremerton, Burien, Ellensburg, Everett, Federal Way, Ferndale, Gig Harbor, Issaquah, Kelso, Kent, Kirkland, Lakewood, Longview, Lynden, Mercer Island, Milton, Mountlake Terrace, Oak Harbor, Olympia, Orting, Redmond, Renton, Richland, Seattle, Shoreline, Snoqualmie, Spokane, Tacoma, Tukwila, University Place, Vancouver, Walla Walla, Wenatchee and Yakima.
You can register for volunteer time slots at the Cascade Bicycle Club sign-up website. Cascade is helping the state Department of Transportation in this project.
This information is helpful to determine the demand for bicycle lanes, trails and signed routes through cities. It also helps in the design of future bicycle projects.
The volunteers also will be counting pedestrians.
The state Department of Transportation website has data for 2008 through 2010. In year-to-year comparisons using consistent tally stations, the bicycle numbers dropped 33% between 2008 and 2009. I remember reporting that the weather the day of the count in 2009 was particularly blustery, which kept some folks off their bikes.
The same-locations tally rose 31% between 2009 and 2010.
Over the years, the number of bicycle and pedestrian count locations has risen from 102 in 2008 to 229 in 2010 as the number of participating cities grew from 20 to 30.
More details about the program at the Washington State Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project website.
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