WA named most bike-friendly state again
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 8 months AGO
A bike rider takes to the trail at the Crescent Bar Recreation Area. Washington has reclaimed its spot as the most bicycle-friendly state in the country by the League of American Bicyclists, according to an announcement from WSDOT.
FILE PHOTO
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | December 17, 2024 2:10 AM
OLYMPIA – There is no state more supportive of people who travel by bike than Washington, according to an announcement from the Washington State Department of Transportation.
Washington leads U.S. states in fostering bicycling and systems that support it, earning it the top spot in the League of American Bicyclists’s Bicycle Friendly State rankings for 2024, according to the announcement. The competitive ranking program evaluates states based on their commitments to bicycling across five categories: infrastructure and funding, education and encouragement, traffic laws and practices, policies and programs, and evaluation and planning.
“Making it easier for more people to cycle safely to work, school or for fun has been an important part of our transportation planning,” Gov. Jay Inslee wrote in the announcement. “Many of these efforts are supported by our Climate Commitment Act which is paving the way for more riders and also educating them so they can ride confidently. I appreciate the work of our Bicycle Friendly communities, businesses and universities that have all contributed to building active, healthy transportation options.”
Washington received top ranks due to the state’s comprehensive attention to the issues faced by cyclists as well as its longstanding and continued leadership that moves bicycling forward, according to the announcement. The advocacy group highlighted Washington’s Statewide School-Based Bicycle Education Program as a national model for what state government, local agencies and bicycle-education organizations can accomplish together. It also pointed to the state’s planning work that provides safe bicycle infrastructure and design guidance and training that supports those plans.
Washington has an extensive history of support for cyclists, the DOT wrote. The state has taken the program’s top spot for all but one year since it launched in 2008. Washington was rated third in the nation in 2022, ending the state’s 14-year run at the top the rankings. Rankings were not awarded in 2023.
“It’s great to once again lead the nation in recognizing that bicycling is an important part of a multimodal transportation system,” Washington Secretary of Transportation Roger Millar wrote in the announcement. “We’re committed to providing transportation choices for all users of the system – including people who bike, walk and roll. We have more work to do, but this ranking affirms that we’re on the right path.”
ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Quincy National Night Out scales down
QUINCY — Quincy’s National Night Out was more compact this year, which worked out well, said QPD Sgt. Joe Westby, who’s in charge of event planning for the Quincy Police Department. “National Night Out is a big event, and the fact that we’re able to shrink it up is like a breath of fresh air,” Westby said. “If you're always doing the same thing, it's kind of nice to switch things up and see how it works.” National Night Out took place Thursday on the block of C Street next to the police station, a shift from previous years when it was held at Lauzier Park. The smaller space meant fewer emergency vehicles for children to explore, but it also meant less walking for attendees. Grant County Fire District 5 brought a fire truck, and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office had a patrol boat. Renew, the Grant County behavioral health agency, had a booth and so did Quincy Partnership for Youth. Veterans Operation Creation sang the national anthem, and the Quincy Animal Shelter brought kittens that piled over each other making friends with passersby. As before, the QPD served grilled hot dogs.
Quincy Police retirements leave big shoes to fill
QUINCY — There are some big shoes to fill at the Quincy Police Department. “We’re losing 48 years of experience between them,” Quincy Police Chief Ryan Green said at the retirement party for Capt. Jorge Trujillo and Det. Damon Powell Thursday. Trujillo, who grew up in Sunnyside, has been with QPD for 19 years, he said, coming on as a patrol officer fresh out of the military. From there he served as a field training officer, a detective and finally captain. “I consider him my left-hand man,” Green said. “He runs the operations side of the house … He knows the agency very well, and he knows the community.” Trujillo has some projects around the house to tackle now that he’s retired, he said.
Big fun on a small scale
Wheat Land Communities’ Fair opens Thursday
RITZVILLE — The Wheat Land Communities’ Fair isn’t as big or as flashy as some of the county fairs around central Washington, but the folks who keep it going like it just the way it is. “It’s somewhere you can go and get an old-time traditional feeling, and you’re comfortable letting your kids roam the grounds and experience all that it has to offer,” said Board Member Lori Williams. “It’s more of a feeling than (one) specific thing,” The fair starts Thursday in Ritzville and runs through Sunday. Starting Friday, the 56th Ritzville Rodeo will take place alongside the fair at the rodeo grounds. This year the entertainment budget was expanded, Williams said, to be able to offer more fun that’s covered by the cost of admission. For the kids, there’s face painting, balloon art, Lego crafts, races, contests and games. Children can also ride on a little train towed around the fairgrounds behind a tractor.