Anchorage Assembly Liberates Bikers

Anchorage friend DZ sent me this link to a KTUU story.  I'd seen it at Bicycle Commuters of Anchorage blog (which is on my AK blog list at the right) and knew it was big, but being Juneau, other things distracted me.  I do miss my bike and I know good bike paths are part of the answer to our dependence on foreign oil.  As I've said before, biking to work isn't for everyone, but many people could bike in the summer only, or three days a week only, or even one day a month.  The cumulative effect would make a big difference in energy consumption, physical fitness, health care costs, traffic, parking ease, mental health, and even people in the community talking to each other as they get out of cars and into closer contact with their fellow citizens. 

The Bicycle Commuters of Anchorage posts begins:

 While it turned out to again be a long night, those that stuck it out were greeted with a great cap to the evening. The Assembly first voted 10 to 1, rejecting an amendment to withdraw the proposed route that would parallel the railway from Westchester lagoon to south Anchorage. It is a great uninterrupted route and we were happy to see it stay in the plan. While it will no doubt require a lot of work to make it a reality, BCA is certainly up to the challenge and hopes that the Railroad and the City can find a solution. Rails along trails can be tricky but there are many successful examples from across the country.
Then to top the night off, the Assembly showed 100% support for the Bike Plan. We extend our thanks to the Assembly for their patience. There were a lot of bicyclists who came out to let the Assembly know how important this is to the bicycling community. BCA is excited that the Plan has the Assembly’s full support. And, assuming AMATS approves the plan, that we can all move forward with its implementation.  It no doubt will make Anchorage safer and more convenient for bicyclists, but it will also make Anchorage a more livable city for everyone.

All good stories need a villain and the KTUU story inserts one whose imagination is constrained by money.  If you don't believe in something, you package it as $100 million, but if you believe in something, it's $5 million a year for 20 years.  If you don't believe in something, it's too much money.  If you believe in something, you find ways to raise the funds.  After all, the mayor does support the Knik Arm Bridge which is waaaay more money.  Maybe if the bridge were just for bikes and pedestrians we could bring the cost down. 

Assembly unanimously OKs 20-year bike plan

Mayor Dan Sullivan says the plan would be great in an "ideal" world, but it's just too expensive. (Joshua Borough/KTUU-DT)

by Jason Lamb
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Cyclists have something to look forward to after the Anchorage Assembly approved the 20-year Anchorage bike plan at the Tuesday night Assembly meeting.
Supporters say it will cut bike and vehicle crashes while adding new bike paths and bike lanes in Anchorage.
The plan, which passed unanimously, will create more bike trails, add bike lanes and create connections between existing trails.
The cost for the plan's proposals adds up to more than $100 million dollars. Mayor Dan Sullivan says that's too much.
Despite unanimous approval, some Assembly members wanted to make sure that cyclists wouldn't be left with unplowed bike lanes come winter.
"There's the expectation that these lanes are going to be there and they're going to be striped. But we need a strategy for prioritizing in the winter time, which ones we're going to clear first and some sort of coordination so people won't have expectations that those lanes will be there if they're not going to be cleared," said Assembly member Sheila Selkregg.

Thanks DZ