The cities of Edmonds, Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace are working together to improve access to health and wellness choices within their communities, by making bicycling safer, and increasing connectivity by completing 11 critical missing links of the regional bicycle network. This collaboration, called Bike2Health, is funded by a grant from the Verdant Health Commission.
The community events and education portion of the Bike2Health program has many opportunities for learning about cycling in 2018.
A “Maintenance for Everyday Riders Presentation” is taking place Saturday, July 28 from 10:30-11:30 a.m. at the Verdant Community Wellness Center, 4710 196th Street SW, Lynnwood. This free demonstration-only class is an overview of the basics of bike maintenance. In this class, participants will learn about how to perform routine maintenance on braking and shifting systems. Pre-registration is required at www.cascade.org/bike2health.
A Bike Rodeo, conducted by Cascade Bicycle Club, will be held at the Mountlake Terrace National Night Out, Tuesday, August 7, 6:00-8:30 p.m. at Evergreen Playfield Complex, 22205 56th Avenue W. A Bike Rodeo is a fun, interactive, non-competitive skills course designed for kids to improve their bike handling and traffic safety skills.
There are upcoming Fall Family Rides where the entire family can explore local neighborhood routes and destinations. These rides emphasize safety, fun and learning to be a predictable rider. Pre-registration is required at www.cascade.org/bike2health. Rides are set up for 5:30 p.m. September 12 in Lynnwood, September 19 in Mountlake Terrace and September 26 in Edmonds.
Once complete, Bike2Health will create a regional bicycle network establishing several key north/south and east/west corridor routes and connecting major destinations (colleges, civic centers, employment centers, the Interurban Trail, etc.) and transit hubs (the Edmonds Ferry, the Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace transit centers, and Swift bus rapid transit stations). In total, roughly ten miles of bicycle network will be connected or improved by installing shared lane markings, bicycle route signage and about six miles of new bicycle lanes.
The City of Mountlake Terrace has also completed the installation of wayfinding and route signage throughout the Bike2Health network within the city. This will be key in helping commuter and recreational cyclists alike find their way to the city’s Town Center, Transit Center, Library, Recreation Pavilion, and the Interurban Trail, among other destinations.
To help encourage new cyclists to use the network, Bike2Health will also install bicycle wayfinding signs along the major bicycle routes to guide users to key destinations within Edmonds, Lynnwood, and Mountlake Terrace. In addition, new wayfinding and route signage will be installed along the Interurban Trail to help users navigate through missing segments and find the best routes from the trail to major destinations.
More information about Bike2Health is available at www.bike2health.org.
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