Here is Local 20/20’s latest Resilience Review column in the Port Townsend Leader published in the 5/9/19 edition, by David Thielk.
In January, and then again in November of 2018 (off tourist season), the City of Port Townsend engineering department collected traffic frequency and speed information from dozens of locations in Port Townsend. At each location, they sampled over a 3 day period (Tuesday through Friday afternoon). The data stands for itself.
For example, on Cherry Street, between G and H Streets, the median speed was 29 mph. 39% of vehicles were traveling faster than 30 mph. 5% were moving greater than 35 mph, and 4 cars were reported going between 45 and 50 mph as they approached the four way stop. Further south on Cherry Street, in the 300 block, the median speed was 34 mph. 38% of the vehicles were traveling over 35 mph. The posted speed limit on Cherry is 25 mph.
On Hastings at Ivy (from 2017 data), where the posted speed limit is 35 mph, 74% of the vehicles were exceeding the speed limit with many moving faster than 50 mph. The fastest vehicle was recorded at 81 mph.
Research shows that nationally, 40% of all vehicle trips are less than two miles in length; 50% are less than 3 miles. Cycling constitutes only about 1% of all trips. Port Townsend probably lies close to the national average.
I am a utility rider. That is, the bicycle is my primary utility vehicle. You can find me running errands from my Port Townsend home to Safeway and Chimacum. I ride 12 months a year, 24 hours a day, rain or shine. But, I am unusual. When I ask friends why they don’t get on their bicycles, they tell me that the traffic is too fast. When I ask newcomers who do cycle what they think about cycling infrastructure in Port Townsend, they tell me it’s inconsistent, unpredictable and inefficient for the cyclist.
Transportation contributes at least 40% of the carbon emissions in Jefferson County. In the past 10 years, motor vehicle traffic has grown far faster than our population. The last two summers have been significantly more hazardous for cyclists. And, speeding is now the norm. Our current approach to bicycle infrastructure and motorist control is not supporting the shift away from motor vehicles fast enough to address climate breakdown. We need to do more, and do it more quickly.
We must re prioritize public safety AND reduce carbon emissions with safer infrastructure and dis-incentives for motorists. We can start by using existing speed data to plan intensive, random and frequent speed monitoring that results in tickets without warnings. Secondly, we can plan roadway design with safe, efficient, and predictable cycling infrastructure first, and then design for cars afterward. Thirdly, we need to change how we manage parking to raise revenue for transit, discourage driving, and encourage walking and cycling. Dedicating real estate to part time parking is a subsidy that encourages motorists to drive. It is also a squandering of resources that could be used in so many other ways to make our community more liveable.
Biography: Dave Thielk leads the Local 20/20 Transportation Lab and is on the board of The ReCyclery. The views expressed here are his own.
