Advocacy & Safety - Seattle mayor "Mike Bikes" McGinn talks bikes and city planning

This is an interesting write up at a local advocacy website of a lunch meeting between Seattle's new incoming mayor/bicyclist Mike McGinn and some transportation activists...

A lot of stuff coveredd in a fairly brief writeup, and several interesting directions in urban planning...the new mayor talks bikes and city planning..link in blue below:

"Cascade and McGinn Strengthen Nationwide Partnerships" (http://www.cascade.org/Advocacy/blumenthal.cfm)


"..McGinn also addressed the problem of gaining public support for bicycling. As a part of his transition into the mayor’s office, he is looking for projects that can provide early accomplishments and build momentum. As for the naysayers, he asked us to remember a statement he made at Cascade’s office during his campaign endorsement interview: “The ‘frontlash’ is always worse than the backlash.” He noted that in many instances, an initial uproar over adding bicycle lanes or with any project dissipates after citizens don’t mind or even enjoy the results."


The frontlash is always worse than the backlash. Nice.

The frontlash is always worse than the backlash. Nice.

Is that the same as "It's easier to ask forgiveness than to seek permission"?

I don't speak for the mayor, haven't met the new one yet, but in the context of a talk about planning for bikes as transportation in this city, I think his administration is going to largely ignore all the biatching and moaning about bikelanes and stripes for bicyclists on the road.

No Hassid blockades of street design that benefits all members of the public.

Planning for bikes as road users as per AASHTO guidelines is going to occur regardless of the petty complaints of the public, who often genuinely enjoy civic improvements once implemented.

He's hinted at restricting big bad parking more than once, I'd expect seattle to implement sweeping ped and bicyclist infrastructure in Seattle.

McGinn used to be state chair of the Sierra Club, i'm sure pollution, congestion, quality of life, etc, all sit high on hizonners' task list.

I hope he can do something about high-speed free merges and diverges at the mouths of freeway ramps, and I would like to see a serious push to make all traffic signals detect bicycles. I think most of the cycling community can support changes such as these, instead of fighting over the more controversial types of special facilities.