Cascade Survey Results: During the COVID-19 Pandemic Healthy, Safe Communities Connected by Bike Matter

This April, more than 1,200 Cascade advocates, members, and volunteers responded to our survey on biking, walking, and rolling during COVID-19.  Your responses helped shape the recently released Cascade COVID-19 Advocacy Platform.

We shared the survey via email to Cascade members and advocates, on social media, via email, at Cascade Town Hall events, and through word of mouth and personal outreach. Many respondents live in the Puget Sound region, but we also received input from communities around Washington state, and even beyond.  The survey consisted of 18 questions on people’s biking habits during the Stay Home, Stay Healthy order, ideas for local Open Street routes, policy recommendations, and safety concerns. 

1. During the crisis, you’re biking more, not less. Almost 3 in 4 respondents are biking at the same rate or more often during the COVID-19 crisis than before.

2. You support bike/pedestrian priority streets: Almost 90 percent of respondents agree that implementing Open Streets (like Seattle’s recently opened Stay Healthy Streets and Edmonds’ restriction of Sunset Avenue for people walking) is a good idea

3. You want car free streets in your neighborhood: You highlighted Seattle’s Lake Washington Boulevard, Alki Avenue, University Way, Beacon Avenue, and Delridge Way SW; Broadway Avenue in Spokane; and Bellevue Way and 148th Avenue in Bellevue  as great candidate streets to open to people and close to vehicles during the crisis. Looking beyond the Stay Home, Stay Healthy order, you strongly support traditional Open Streets and Summer Parkways programs so that you can be in the community safely.

4. Biking matters to you in this time, and so does the health and safety of your neighbors, families, and beyond. From Safe Routes to School, protected and connected bike networks, and effective Vision Zero policies, to the safety and protection for people working at the frontlines of this pandemic, your responses told us that safety is a key factor in our response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

As we advocate in the coming weeks and months, we will do so for people who bike, but also for our communities at-large. Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete our survey and give us the chance to learn more about your needs, ideas, and opinions. 

If you would like to read more about our advocacy platfrom, please click here: https://cascade.org/blog/2020/04/cascade%E2%80%99s-covid-19-advocacy-platform-call-open-streets-protected-networks-and-economic