SENATE BILL REPORT

                   SB 5942

                    As of February 20, 1995

Title:  An act relating to prioritization of bicycle projects.

Brief Description:  Prioritizing bicycle projects.

Sponsors:  Senators Kohl and Prentice.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:  Transportation:   2/21/95.

SENATE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION

Staff:  Brian McMorrow (786-7304)

Background:  Washington State's Multimodal Transportation Plan emphasizes the importance of completing local bicycle networks that parallel or cross state highways.  It also suggests that the state should provide bicycle friendly facilities on designated rural highway loops and improve bicycle access to Washington State Ferries.

Because the Department of Transportation is responsible for implementing the multimodal plan, it has collected numerous proposals for bicycle projects from various sources and created criteria for evaluating and ranking them in order of importance. Currently, the criteria used to evaluate and rank bicycle projects are not in statute, and safety is not included among the several criteria that are used.

Summary of Bill:  Bicycle projects must be divided into urban and rural categories, and each project within those categories must be prioritized according to either the rural or urban criteria and point system.

The criteria and point systems used in both categories emphasize the importance of safety.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.