State seeks volunteers to tally bicyclists and pedestrians

Volunteer registration is now open for anyone wanting to help count the number of people who walk or ride bicycles to their destinations during a three-day State survey starting on Tuesday, September 27.

Volunteer support is vital to the success of this project, and about 400 people are needed for the count. In 2015, volunteers tallied more than 74,000 bicyclists and pedestrians in communities across Washington.

For this ninth annual survey, the WSDOT and Cascade Bicycle Club are partnering with FeetFirstWashington Bikes and Futurewise to help count the number of people bicycling and walking Tuesday, September 27, through Thursday, September 29.

“The data from this survey helps communities in many ways,” said Secretary of Transportation Roger Millar. “Volunteers are a key piece of the collection process – we couldn’t do this work without them.”

Data collected in the count is used by state and local agencies to estimate demand; measure the benefit of bicycle and pedestrian project investments; and improve policies, project designs and funding opportunities.

For example, the city of Bellingham used count data to monitor bicycle and pedestrian transportation trends for its award-winning Alabama Street Corridor Multimodal Safety Improvement project.

There are plenty of opportunities for Seattleites to assist locally. To learn more, visit WSDOT’s websiteemail Cascade Bicycle Club or call 206-439-4301.

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