Tuesday March 2nd, 6PM @ Loussac Library – Come show your support for the Anchorage Bike Plan and let the vote happen!
To all Anchorage bicyclists. All of our groundwork has succeeded. We’re hearing the Bicycle Plan has 100% assembly and mayoral support, and is expected to pass on Tuesday night. Therefore, it’s absolutely critical that those of us showing up at the Tuesday assembly meeting respectfully keep quiet and just let the assembly vote. The sooner they can vote on it, w/o any interruptions from enthusiastic cyclists, the sooner we will have our Bicycle Plan.
Since we have certainty in the Bicycle Plan passing on Tuesday, it’s essential that we respect the decorum and simply let the vote take place. Please, refrain the urge to speak at the meeting. The work has already been done.
This Saturday, March 6, re-channel that energy and blow off all your excitement at the BCA Winter Bike Fest fundraiser. 6:30-8:30 pm at BP Energy Bldg. Let’s all bask in the glory.
But what if we think the bike plan is flawed and does not really address issues that are key to cycling in Anchorage: like uniform speed limits (35 mph or lower), sidewalk riding and the lack of law enforcement? Should we just keep our mouths shut? I make this comment after re-reading an old copy of “Alaska Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan: An Integral Part of VISION 2020; Alaska’s Long-Range Statewide Transportation Plan.” (March 1, 1995).
I would ask you to first consider whether the Plan is a step in the right direction. BCA believes it is. In order to make Anchorage safer and more convenient for bicyclists we need a bicycle network. Without, we simply will not improve the safety situation and we will not see a significant rise in bicycle use because of the safety and convenience issues. If you feel the Plan is flawed then perhaps you should speak out. But BCA would question whether that is an effective strategy to make Anchorage safer for all of us. In fact, we would disagree with you. There may be issues within the Plan, but BCA will continue to advocate for a more bicycle-friendly city through implementation of the Plan, and where necessary through revisions to the Plan.
I support the plan, it is a step in the right direction and the process by which it has been arrived at has been transparent and open to the public; The planners have bent over backwards to reach out to the public. But I am disappointed by what has been omitted. I understand why the authors left out speed limits and enforcement (political reality). The only objection I have to what is internal to the plan is the continued use of sidewalks as “bike routes.” I believe that the omissions need to be made clear citizens and members of our government so that they are aware of them when they consider “road improvements” in future times.
I have commuted thousands of miles from home to work in my lifetime. One of the most liberating experiences for me was to commute 25-30 from my home in Brooklyn to the Upper Westside of Manhattan for 25 years; and not one inch of it on a sidewalk. Anchorage is without a doubt the scariest place I have ever commuted.
It is my belief that the Municipality of Anchorage and perhaps the planners rely on cyclists use of sidewalks to cover the many flaws in Anchorages cycling “system.” Cyclists on sidewalks inconvenience and endager pedestrians and place an undo safety burden on themselves. This has gone on for many years in Anchorage and until it stops (the use of sidewalks) cyclists will not be afforded the rights that belong to them as citizens.