This year, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is kicking off a new program to count pedestrians and bicyclists at sites throughout the city. Staff will be using a new methodology provided by the National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project which is being used by cities throughout the US, and has a number of benefits our current system doesn’t provide.
These counts are a fun and informative way to see how people are moving from place to place without cars, and as an avid bicyclist, I am committed to helping more people walk and ride to their destinations. This new method will enable us to collect better data on a more frequent basis, and will lead to better decision-making when we are planning new investments.
Since I joined the council in January, one of my guiding principles is to ensure good data informs good decisions. I think this new program will give us information to make decisions with a shrinking pot of money for these investments.
Volunteers are the backbone of this work, and I hope you join me for the first quarterly count on January 11-13. Each volunteer will receive a short training and be asked to participate one two-hour period per quarter. Counts will take place January 11-13, May 10-12, July 5-7 and September 13-15, and the Saturday preceding. Count periods are 10 am to noon and 5 to 7 pm on weekdays and noon until 2 pm on preceeding Saturdays. To volunteer, please send an e-mail to walkandbike@seattle.gov with your name, e-mail address, phone number, preferred neighborhood, and whether you are available weekdays or weekends or both.
Hope you can join us!