Bikes Roll at the Polls
Election Night Victories throughout the Region

November 16 2006

A lot of good things happened on election-eve this year, but none was as important to regional cyclists as Seattle's Proposition 1. It is one of the most impressive and potentially transformative initiatives to which Cascade Bicycle Club has ever committed itself. It is also the linchpin to the soon-to-be unveiled Seattle Bicycle Master Plan.

Along with a coalition of environmental and transportation organizations, we shaped the message and made the case that Proposition 1 is about more than fixing potholes. The voters agreed and Prop 1 passed with nearly 54% of the vote.

Proposition 1 allocates an impressive 21.7% of the new funds to bike and pedestrian projects. In 2008, more than $11 million of $51.5 million would be allocated to school-area safety construction, trail construction, bicycle safety projects and other related spending areas. But that's only the beginning.

Of next year's $51 million, $39.2 million is committed to major maintenance, seismic work on bridges and other critical needs. Because that money is governed by the City's new "Complete Streets" policy, which requires that all major maintenance is accompanied by improvements for bicycling, walking, transit and persons with disabilities, virtually every dollar spent rehabilitating our crumbling roads and bridges will also be a dollar spent to make Seattle a better place to ride.

Thanks to all of our members who joined us in supporting Seattle's Proposition 1!

Pro-Bike Incumbents Defended, Seats Picked Up

For 42 of the 43 candidates and measures supported by Cascade Bicycle Club the outcome of Tuesday's elections was a cause for celebration. It will be difficult to match this year's success rate of 97%, but it gives us something to work toward.

As an organization, we were successful in targeting key districts where the investment of time and support would pay dividends for the region's cyclists. All but one of endorsed candidates won their elections, contributing to a growing pro-bike awareness in state and local government.

Now, we have to move quickly to capitalize on those successes. Next steps include meeting with incoming freshman legislators, firming up our state-level priorities and weighing in on committee assignments.

Interested in helping to elect pro-bike candidates? Check out the CBC Action Fund.

Cascade's endorsement process is non-partisan.

In each election your choices are likely based on candidates’ values and their positions on the issues most important to you. Those may or may not include their positions on issues that impact cycling.

For Cascade's staff, Advocacy Committee, and Board of Directors, holding candidates and elected officials accountable is central to our mission to "Create Better Communities through Bicycling." We issue endorsements because the policies that affect bicycling begin and end with our elected representatives.

To find out where they stand, we ask candidates to complete a questionnaire. The questions span a range of issues including: child safety, bicycle lanes and trails, transportation funding, land-use, and sprawl. We also evaluate candidate's past votes, talk to local activists and, when necessary, interview them face to face.

Critical votes for incumbents last session spanned a range of issues impacting bicycling, including: child safety, bicycle lanes and trails, transportation funding, land-use and sprawl. Legislation of note for 2005 and 2006 included:

• Active Transportation Planning
• Transportation Partnerships Funding
• Share the Road License Plates
• Regional Transportation Investment District
• Commute Trip Reduction, and more.