Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe = bike-friendly
Published 2:00 am Wednesday, July 8, 2015
In May, the City of Sequim joined peninsula neighbor Port Townsend in earning honors for being a bike-friendly community.
In early June, their Blyn neighbors were aded to the list.
The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe became the first tribe in the nation to earn the designation from the League of American Bicyclists, a nonprofit bicycling advocacy group that has designated 17 “Bicycle Friendly Communities” in Washington and dozens more across the country.
Jamestown was bestowed a bronze-level designation from the league.
Annette Nesse, chief operations officer for the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, submitted the application.
“Being recognized by a national organization for our efforts is a way to get the word out that Jamestown welcomes visitors to come and enjoy what the tribal government and its enterprises have to offer in the way of cultural, recreation, shopping and scenic experiences,” Nesse said, in an interview on the League of American Bicyclists’ website.
“As a community we celebrate the history and culture of the tribe, past and present. Cycling represents a modern self-reliant mode of travel that is affordable and has great health benefits,” Nesse said. “Becoming more bike friendly is a way to promote independence and fitness and advocate for outdoor recreation to our tribal citizens of all ages.”
Applicants are scored on engineering (bicycle network and connectivity); education (motorist awareness and bicycling skills); encouragement (mainstreaming bicycle culture); enforcement (promoting safety and protecting bicyclists’ rights); and evaluation and planning (setting targets and having a plan).
Tribal officials say they’ve been engaged in all of these activities, particularly so as portions of the 126-mile Olympic Discovery Trail reach completion through the tribe’s Blyn property.
(Completed ODT sections now total 69 miles with another nine miles under construction as of May 2015 and right-of-way agreements are in place for over 87 miles, according to the Peninsula Trails Coalition.)
The tribe also offers bicycle safety and maintenance classes for staff and encourages group rides to and from work.
The tribe purchased and preserved the Dungeness River Railroad Bridge, a critical first section in the trail’s development during the 1990s.
The tribe also will have a new trail section under construction that adds nearly one mile of paved trail to the Olympic Discovery Trail and also is negotiating for property that can support another half-mile ODT section in the near future, Nesse said.
“This award has heightened our awareness of cycling as a mode of transportation to be integrated into our transportation infrastructure in general,” Nesse said. “It is a way to transition from one mode of travel to another.”
The Bicycle Friendly Community program is a way communities gauge quality of life, sustainability and transportation needs, and benchmark their progress toward improving their bicycle-friendliness. Since 2002, the program has accepted over 870 applications for designation and there are currently 357 Bicycle Friendly Communities in 50 states.
“Our regional trail system, the Olympic Discovery Trail, is seamlessly incorporated into our tribal operations and we welcome the public to enjoy the tribal trail sections,” Tribal Chair/CEO W. Ron Allen said. “As the first tribe in the nation to be awarded a League designation, we look forward to continuing a strong affiliation with the cycling community.”
Along with the award came tips on how to achieve a silver designation from the League of American Bicyclists, including:
• increasing the amount of bicycle parking
• working with the State Department of Transportation to make the sections of U.S. Highway 101 that pass through tribal lands safer for cyclists
• working with the county to install a bicycle way-finding system with distance and destination information
• offering training in bicycle skills for children and adults
• expanding promotions of May as Bike Month
• promoting cycling throughout the year and,
• regularly conducting research on bicycle usage among the tribal community, staff and those who cycle the ODT through Blyn.
Seattle is the only Washington city to receive a gold-level designation, while Port Townsend, Bellingham, Redmond and Ellensburg have earned a silver rating. Jamestown joins Port Angeles, Sequim, Bellevue and several other cities with a bronze rating.
The league ranks Washington as the No. 1 bicycle-friendly state in the nation; Minnesota is No. 2 and Delaware No. 3. Oregon is ranked No. 6.
About the league
The League of American Bicyclists was founded in 1880 to advocate for better roads for bicycling and represents the nation’s 57 million cyclists in its mission to lead the movement to create a “Bicycle Friendly America” for everyone.
For more information about the League of American Bicyclists, see www.bikeleague.org.
For more information about the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, see www.jamestowntribe.org.
For more about the Olympic Discovery Trail, see olympicdiscoverytrail.com.
