This week’s The Stranger covers a shake-up in Seattle’s bike world:
Peter Lagerwey, the former head of the city’s bike and pedestrian program and a 22-year city veteran, [was forced out]. The final straw reportedly came when Lagerwey allowed the appointment of Bicycle Advisory Board nominee Catherine Staunton, a pediatrician and advocate for separate bike facilities, to move forward.
The challenge — as Seattle moves to implement its first bike master plan (11 years after Portland’s) — is a challenge common to bike advocacy circles. From the article:
The plan, she told the council, “does not address safety issues. I think it’s designed for bicycle enthusiasts.” A more “visionary plan,” Staunton suggested, would move bikers to segregated trails and paths. Cascade Bicycle Club advocacy director David Hiller, in contrast, believes bikers should be taught to act like cars. “It doesn’t work from an engineering standpoint” to separate bikes from traffic, Hiller said.
This is an age-old debate, with passionate believers on both sides. Ironically, Staunton may resign.
