WABI Burien is pleased that our new bike racks were listed as one of “Ten Great Things Happening in Washington State” by the Washington D.C.-based organization, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.
The following is an excerpt from the article written by Amy Kapp, Content Strategy Manager/Managing Editor, Rails-to-Trails. (For the full article, click on the link above.)
Ten Great Things Happening in Washington State
It’s impossible to hit even 1 percent of the things that make Washington a mecca for self-propelled transport and trail development. The state is a long-recognized national leader in these areas, harnessing federal funds, and promoting and enacting policies that have led to some of the most walkable and bikeable communities in the country. In 2013, Washington was named the most bicycle-friendly state in the U.S. for the sixth year in a row by the League of American Bicyclists. And, Washington continues its commitment to smart growth, demonstrated in part by its 20-year plan to enact strategies addressing $1.6-billion-worth of bicycling and pedestrian improvements.
There’s no denying that Washington is a place where nature, development and active transport are one with each other (for real; see bike-in-tree story by Discover Washington State)—but we’ll let the evidence “speak” for itself.
8. WABI-ists of Burien
What’s in a name? Sometimes everything. WABI Burien is short for Walk/Bike Burien, an organization dedicated to nurturing a walk-bike culture in their 100-year-old waterfront community along the Puget Sound. We were pleased to hear about their recent bike-rack effort, which according to WABI Burien President Maureen Hoffmann was an original raison d’etre when she and other local walking/biking advocates set up as a nonprofit a few years ago. And in 2013, in partnership with the city’s parks and recreation department and with support from the Washington State Community Economic Revitalization Board, they saw this goal fulfilled, installing 23 custom bike racks in the downtown area (with plans to install 18 more in the coming future).
“Through the Downtown Burien Bike Rack Project, we want to encourage people to be active and healthy, to shop local and to consider alternate ways of getting around town,” Hoffmann recently told RTC. Photo courtesy WABI Burien
