Squeaky Wheels 2022 Year in Review

Bike Safety Milestones on Bainbridge Island

Some very important things happened on Bainbridge Island in 2022 to make biking safer for all users and to set the table for future improvements. These are the highlights:

• The Sustainable Transportation Plan was unanimously approved by COBI City Council at its meeting on March 22. The STP was the product of a more than two-year process involving a citizen task force, an expert external consultant, monthly updates to Council, and multiple public engagement sessions. Squeaky Wheels board member and Vice President Alyse Nelson served on the Council-appointed task force. Scenario 2 under the STP, which Council endorsed, calls for a network of high-quality biking facilities funded by the City that will connect Winslow with each of the Neighborhood Service Centers (Lynwood Center, Rolling Bay, and Island Center) and with schools. Unfortunately, the incremental infrastructure spending contemplated by Scenario 2 was not included in the City budget approved in November. Squeaky Wheels and other advocates will continue working with the City to see that the approved plan is fully funded.
  
  
• In December, the City and Squeaky Wheels were notified by City Thread that Bainbridge Island was one of nine cities and towns across the country selected for participation in City Thread’s Accelerated Mobility Playbook program. This program provides technical assistance designed to help participating cities fast-forward the build-out of their mobility networks. It includes a community-specific mobility audit of the city’s current state of practice and an action plan for improved implementation of the existing Sustainable Transportation Plan and strengthening partnerships. This is an exciting opportunity to highlight the importance of implementing the STP and get some practical help doing so.
  
  
• Significant progress was made toward improvement and completion of Dana’s Trail in 2022. The Bainbridge Island School District funded construction of trail improvements between Madison Avenue and the existing trail facilities that run between the play fields at the north end of the Bainbridge High School campus. When the planned bike and pedestrian improvements to Madison Avenue are completed in 2023, a protected crossing of Madison from Sakai Park to Dana’s Trail will be constructed. Connecting a trail from the Sound to Olympics trail spur through Sakai Park to the recent trail improvements on the BISD campus. These significant improvements help fulfill the vision of former Squeaky Wheels president Dana Berg, who working tirelessly for safe facilities for walking and biking on Bainbridge before her untimely death a few years ago.

As we look forward to 2023 and welcome a new Sustainable Transportation Analyst to COBI’s staff, a primary focus for Squeaky Wheels will be to help the City commit and secure funding for full implementation of the Sustainable Transportation Plan. We look forward to the day when people of all ages and abilities have safe places to ride from Winslow to key island destinations. We have a Council-approved plan that calls for just that, and we want to see it fully funded. With your help, we can make that happen!