Help wanted: State seeks volunteers to count people who bike and walk

The number of people who choose to walk or ride bicycles as their mode of transportation is increasing in Washington each year. Just how many?

Here is an opportunity to help the state find out. Volunteer registration is now open for anyone who wants to help count the number of people who walk or ride bicycles to their destinations during a three-day survey starting Tuesday, Sept. 26.

Volunteer support is vital to the success of the project, and about 400 people are needed for the count. In 2016, volunteers tallied more than 78,000 people biking and walking in communities across Washington.

For this ninth annual survey, the Washington State Department of Transportation and Cascade Bicycle Club are partnering with FeetFirst, Washington Bikes and Futurewise to help count the number of people bicycling and walking Tuesday, Sept. 26, through Thursday, Sept. 28.

“Data from this survey help state and local governments plan and evaluate improved connections for Washingtonians who walk and bike, in a similar way we plan for other modes of travel,” said Active Transportation Division Director Barb Chamberlain. “Volunteers make the collection process possible – we couldn’t do this work without them.”

This volunteer effort makes sure that people who bike and walk are counted as essential users of the transportation system. Data collected during the count is used by state and local agencies to estimate demand; measure the benefit of bicycle and pedestrian project investments; and improve policies, project designs and funding opportunities.

In addition to the annual count, WSDOT, Cascade Bicycle Club, and local agencies are partnering to install permanent counters at locations around the state. To see data from both data collection programs, visit the WSDOT Bicycle and Pedestrian Count Portal.

Get involved

To learn more, visit WSDOT’s website, email Cascade Bicycle Club or call 206-954-4896.

To sign-up to volunteer, visit bikepedcount.wsdot.wa.gov.

Participating communities

WSDOT and the Cascade Bicycle Club are asking volunteers from across the state to perform the counts in nearly 60 communities including Anacortes, Bainbridge Island, Battle Ground, Bayview, Bellevue, Bellingham, Bothell, Bremerton, Burien, Burlington, Concrete, Ellensburg, Everett, Federal Way, Ferndale, Gig Harbor, Issaquah, Kelso, Kenmore, Kent, Kirkland, La Conner, Lake Forest Park, Lakewood, Longview, Lyman, Lynden, Mercer Island, Milton, Mount Vernon, Mountlake Terrace, Oak Harbor, Olympia, Orting, Parkland, Pasco, Pullman, Puyallup, Renton, Richland, Seattle, Sedro-Woolley, Shoreline, Skagit County, Snoqualmie, Spokane, Spokane Valley, Sumner, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community Reservation, Tacoma, Tukwila, University Place, Vancouver, Vashon Island, Walla Walla, Wenatchee and Yakima.

WSDOT’s count is part of the National Documentation Project, an annual bicycle and pedestrian count and survey effort sponsored by the Institute of Transportation Engineers Pedestrian and Bicycle Council. The count will also help measure WSDOT’s progress toward the goal of increasing bicycling and walking to reduce the number of vehicle miles driven.