Bicycle Friendly Community

Olympia, WA | Silver Level

Community Highlights: Olympia expanded its bike network through the completion of phase one and two of the Olympia Woodland Trail, connecting to other trail networks and to bike lanes leading into downtown. This has helped grow participation in the Bicycle Commuter Contest from 17 participants in 1988 to almost 1,500 this year. With a grant from Washington DOT the city was able to hire a Bicycle and Pedestrian Program Specialist to work on education, encouragement and enforcement issues in the city. The grant and dedicated staff will promote bicycling to a large range of age groups, an ongoing awareness campaign highlighting messages to encourage bicycling and to promote safe behavior among all roadway users and League Smart Cycling classes. With the support of the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee and a new Bicycle Master Plan in the works, Olympia continues to strive to be more bike-friendly.

Most Significant Recent Accomplishment: Since 1988, Olympia has held a Bicycle Commuter Contest. In 1988 the contest began with 17 participants. In 2007, 1,005 participants were recorded. This year participation rose by one-third with 1,450 commuters taking part in the contest.