Draft Bike and Walk Salem Plan

The plan drafted by the Salem Public Works Department represents a modest, incremental improvement over the existing plan. The inclusion of routes to be developed as family-friendly bikeways and the development of more separated multi-use paths recognize current thinking about how to more effectively encourage bicycling and walking in a manner that gets the 60 percent of citizens who are "Interested but Concerned" on their bikes. The identification of other gaps in bicycle/pedestrian system in Salem and the proposals to resolve these problems represent long-term improvements.

However, modest, incremental improvements are not enough. Like many other metropolitan areas, Salem is faced with serious transportation problems that demand that we move beyond timid, incremental steps and embrace bold, innovative approaches that reduce our auto-dependence through development of a multi-modal transportation system. We simply cannot afford to continue down the same road that we have been on--a road that is fundamentally hostile to bicycling and walking.

Prior to the recession, energy prices were increasing and, if the world economy ever recovers, we are likely to see energy prices begin to skyrocket again. Rising energy prices have affected and will continue to affect many citizens' mobility, including their ability to simply get to their jobs. Other than housing, transportation costs represent the largest expenditure that most families make. As shown in the following charts, these costs have been growing and there is a significant disparity among income groups.

We are also experiencing an emerging public health crisis because of the skyrocketing obesity rate as shown in the chart below. We currently are spending $147 billion a year on obesity related illnesses--about 10 percent of our current healthcare spending. Health professionals are predicting that we may be seeing the first generation in U.S. history to not outlive their parents. To combat these problems, the Centers for Disease Control urges communities to enhance the infrastructure for bicycling and walking.

The city should strengthen the bike/ped plan to expand transportation options and improve public health by focusing on making the downtown area a more attractive, safe, and convenient place to bicycle and walk. Significant and visible improvements in the downtown area would effectively signal the city's commitment to the development of a truly multi-modal transportation system.

Specifically, the plan should designate the following streets as family-friendly bikeways and should immediately initiate an aggressive and creative approach to make these streets easily and safely accessible to cyclists of all abilities:

• Church Street from Mission Street to Union Street
• Chemeketa Street from Front Street to 25th Street
• Union Street from Front Street to Summer Street

These streets do not carry large volumes of motor vehicle traffic. The improvement of these streets as family-friendly bikeways would not materially affect access to and movement through the downtown area by motorized traffic, but they would demonstrate that the city is serious about accommodating all modes of transportation.

Other specific changes that should be made in the draft plan are:

• Perform a global replace of the term "accident" with the term "crash." "Accident" suggests an unavoidable occurrence that could not have been avoided. Transportation professionals use the term "crash" because these incidents are almost always avoidable and result of somebody operating their vehicle in an unsafe manner.
• With respect to Policy 3.1, clarify that information and instruction on bicycle safety issues will be provided to bicyclists and motorists. There is no question that many bicyclists violate traffic laws and, in so doing, put themselves into jeopardy. However, many crashes are caused by unsafe (and illegal) operation of motor vehicles. The safety of bicyclists and pedestrians cannot be achieved solely by the education of and enforcement against these road users.
• Reconsider or clarify the designation of Chemeketa Street through the Capitol Mall as a proposed cycletrack. Traversing the mall at grade level involves crossing at least four pedestrian walkways. Unless the plan proposal is to improve the road under the Capitol Mall, this is not the place to suggest that cyclists will be able to speed through an unencumbered pathway.

Overall, the draft plan is an improvement, but it lacks the needed focus on immediate and significant changes that will achieve the objective of providing a truly multi-modal transportation system in the city. Now is the time for bold, creative planning; not timid, business-as-usual, auto-centric development.