Make the Seattle Bicycle Master Plan work for your business at a Downtown open house

Join Cascade, Commute Seattle and the Seattle Department of Transportation for an open house event next Monday and help shape the future of bicycling in Downtown and around Seattle.

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The proposed bike network for Downtown includes separated bike lanes. How will bicycling affect your business?

After several rounds of public engagement the draft Seattle Bike Master Plan Update is nearly complete.  In Downtown, the proposed bike network includes separated bike lanes, referred to as cycle tracks in the draft, on Second and Fourth Avenues, parts of Fifth and Seventh Avenues, as well as Spring/Seneca, Union/Pike and Stewart Streets. With the deadline for public comment approaching on July 26, we encourage Downtown businesses to attend to share your opinions that will shape the final plan for City Council adoption.

Titled Plan for Success: Making the Seattle Bicycle Master Plan Work for Your Business, at the open house event you'll 

-Learn how your business can benefit from the growth in bicycling

-Get an overview of the Bicycle Master Plan

-Review maps of proposed bike routes near your business

-Learn about plans for maintenance, funding, and bike parking

Who should attend?

-Businesses who currently have lots of bike commuters

-Businesses who are located along streets proposed for separated bike lanes

-Businesses who want to attract  more customers who shop by bike

-Businesses who conduct business by bike (retail, food delivery, product delivery)

-Businesses interested in recruiting and retaining employees who want to bike to work

What's the business case?

Protected bikeways are new to Seattle--the City completed the first urban cycle track in Seattle on Linden Avenue North just last June--but cities nationwide are finding protected lanes physically separated from traffic are increasing safety for riders, enticing more people to bike and benefiting the businesses around them.

In fact, in Manhattan, injuries for all road users decreased by 35 percent on Eight Avenue and 59 percent on Ninth Avenue after the installation of a protected bike lane on both arterials. Meanwhile, shops along 9th Avenue saw retail incomes soar as much as 50 percent higher than in 2007 before the project, compared to an average of three percent increase in sales across Manhattan over the same period.

Furthermore, evidence is mounting that good biking infrastructure attracts big businesses, great jobs and top talent. Bicyclists make great customers, they are healthier, happier and more productive employees and building bike-friendly can help a business meet its bottom line.

The Bicycle Master Plan will dictate what type of bicycling infrastructure gets built and where for the foreseeable future in Seattle. The June 2013 draft of the Seattle Bicycle Master Plan Update has proposed a world class bicycle network for Seattle--make it work for your business by sharing your input next Monday.

Please R.S.V.P. to info@commuteseattle.com and contact Jessica Szelag at Commute Seattle at (206)-613-3127 with any questions. Hope to see you there!

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Event Details:

Plan for Success: Making the Seattle Bicycle Master Plan Work for Your Business
Date: Monday, July 22
Time: 4 p.m.- 6 p.m.
Location: Russel Investment Center, 1301 Second Ave, Seattle, WA, 17th Floor
Please R.S.V.P. to info@commuteseattle.com

If you cannot attend this event, you can still provide comment on the draft Seattle Bicycle Master Plan Update to SDOT by filling out a comment form found here. Submit your comments by July 26!