Bicycles offer alternative travel

Infrastructure must be updated to make biking a more feasible option

Susan Schell

of the Gateway

As Pierce County’s population continues to grow, more cars will be on the road, which could cause more traffic headaches. Add spiking gas prices and a shaky economy, and the inevitable question becomes, “Is alternate transportation really possible?”

If one wants to “go green” and make bicycling a regular means of getting around, does the City of Gig Harbor and its environs offer a biking-friendly community?

Pierce County Council chair Terry Lee, an avid bike rider, said it’s a matter of creating streets to accommodate bike riders to begin with.

Lee helped pass a resolution the county council called “complete streets” to make new construction include a non-motorized component to encourage and enhance non-motorized travel.

“We’ve gotten a lot more proactive in continually looking for ways to make alternative travel feasible,” he said. “You have to have that mentality — every time you look at a road project, you are thinking, ‘What about the bikes?’ When you ride, you want to ride without feeling threatened. I’d love to be able to travel around just on trails.”

Part of that plan is to install bike racks on buses and to look for opportunities for Park & Rides to reach out to a larger part of the population.

“Congestion is looked at as the biggest ally to public transportation,” Lee said. “And in Pierce County, it is continuing to get worse. We need to enhance ridership with public transportation.”

As roads and structures continue to be built, ways for people to travel without cars are factored into them, Lee said. The new Narrows bridge is a perfect example. When the bridge was built, wider, safer lanes were added to accommodate both walkers and bicycle riders.

“This non-motorized piece is used quite a bit because it’s safe to use,” Lee said. “On the old bridge, it was scary and dangerous.”

Lee sits on the board of directors for “Forever Green,” which works in cooperation with the Rivers and Trails Office of the National Park Service and created a map of proposed trails in Pierce County. One of the group’s main projects is to attempt to link walking trails in the county.

“The group was formed to deal with trying to preserve and protect open space,” Lee said. “Our mission is to integrate the urban trail system in Pierce County. I’m very excited about the Cushman Trail. We want to connect it to the Scott Pierson Trail in Tacoma. The mission of ‘Forever Green’ is to tie these small pieces together and try to provide the capital funding for those projects.”

Lee describes himself as a “real believer” when it comes to linking Pierce County’s trail system together. He said he envisions bike riders will one day be able to travel from Gig Harbor to Carbonado utilizing a complete trail system.

“If you continue to focus on tying these inner-trails together and continue to think green, I think we can continue to move in that direction,” he said.

Marc Connelly, executive director for the Peninsula Metro Parks District, said connecting the Cushman and Scott Pierson trails is a vital element in the system.

“There’s a missing link in the connection of those two trails,” he said. “If you talk about regional connections — it just can’t happen without this. The Scott Pierson Trail is located on the west side of the new Narrows bridge and the Cushman trail just happens to be on the other side of the freeway.”

State Rep. Pat Lantz, D-Raft Island, said connecting the trails is an issue close to her heart.

“I feel so very strongly about this,” she said. “I took my grandkids across the bridge, but when we came back, we said, ‘Oh my goodness, there’s nowhere to go.’ It’s so unfriendly for non-motorized use.”

Lantz said linking the trails would be a tremendous asset for the community.

“If you consider the icon our bridges are, it makes a lot of sense and becomes critical to allow it to function,” she said. “They have a nice big lane on the new Narrows bridge if a person wants to walk, push a stroller or ride a bike. But when you come to Tacoma, you have this non-friendly, motorized neighborhood.”

Lantz said it’s vital to provide a link to the Narrows Gate Park on the Gig Harbor side.

“The idea of being able to get on our side and look back to Mount Rainier — you need to come across the bridge to do that,” she said. “To not be able to do this is a waste.”

The conceptual plan is to reinstate the old Stone Drive, which runs underneath the bridges, so bicyclists and walkers can get from one side of the freeway to the other.

Connelly said PenMet Parks has been working with the Washington State Department of Transportation and Pierce County in discussing how to utilize the site of the old concrete batch plant in order to make it a reality.

Lantz said most large cities have accommodations for bikers built into them. It’s the patchwork layout of Pierce County’s urban, suburban and rural areas that makes getting around on bicycles difficult.

“Victoria, B.C., has an incredible network of bike paths,” Lantz said. “It’s the way people get to work, and it’s how people recreate. It’s a vision of what they see happening here.

“Biking allows you to appreciate the ambience of the place that you’re in. It’s fast enough to get where you’re going, and slow enough to enjoy the view.”

Lantz said bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly trails are part of a healthy community.

“Linear parks are one very effective way to combine a whole lot of good things,” she said. “Allowing your community to take advantage of these iconic places and not spending money on gas and having a car. In Olympia, we have a lot of staff that bicycle to work, and it finally got some attention.”

Lantz said there are funds in the budget to build a bike shed at the capitol campus.

“That’s really an important feature — a place to take your wet clothes off and walk into the office feeling presentable,” she said. “A biker needs that help as well, and the State of Washington took that into consideration.”

Gail Robinette, media relations director for Franciscan Health System, agreed that businesses need to step up to help employees find alternative means of transportation. Bicycle racks will be installed at St. Anthony Hospital, which also will have two Pierce County Transit bus stations.

A bike lane also will be built into the new road on Canterwood Boulevard from Borgen Boulevard north to the hospital.

But even with the city’s infrastructure making it easier to accommodate bicycle riders, some bicyclists feel the biggest obstacle is making it safe for bicyclists and motorists to be on the road together.

“A lot of people don’t like to ride around cars at all,” said Drew Romberg, manager of Old Town Cycle in Gig Harbor. “The general public could be more aware of cyclists. People are always getting killed from the negligence of drivers. They honk at you and scream at you. They should have a little respect for other people that are trying to find other ways of getting around.”

Romberg said locals are not used to sharing the road with bikers like big-city residents are.

“In big cities, or even little towns with a lot of bikers, people will be more aware,” he said. “Portland is fantastic — there are bikes everywhere. They have advocacy groups that support bikers.”

Romberg said the issues for cycling are relatively universal wherever you go. It’s all about having the infrastructure to support alternate travel, having people willing to use alternate travel, and having motorists respect those who just want to leave their cars at home.

Reach reporter Susan Schell at 253-853-9240 or by e-mail at susan.schell@gateline.com.