Community discusses walking, cycling accessibility

 

Diana Zimmerman

Citizens and community leaders met with the transportation planning staff from the Cowlitz Wahkiakum Council of Governments to give input on walking and bicycling accessibility for a regional transportation plan at the Community Center on Friday morning.

There was a full house at the Community Center in Cathlamet to discuss pedestrian and bicycle accessibility in the county.

A group from the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Council of Governments that deals with transportation was on hand to talk about the 2040 Regional transportation Plan and facilitate the ensuing conversation.

"This meeting happened because the former Wahkiakum Chamber of Commerce Director Shannon Gildea wanted to make this happen," Judith Donovan, the transportation planner for CWCOG said. "We have several agencies in attendance, the Washington State Department of Transportation, Washington Fish and Wildlife and we have county, city and other elected officials."

"Our goal is to develop a system," Donovan continued. "Think of it as a dream. It is what we would like to see in the county and the city of Cathlamet in the next 20 years. The goal is to mark that map with red so when I take it back to my office I can say this is a network. Let's not worry about whether its a sidewalk or a trail. Let's identify a corridor.

"The next step is to figure out how to fund it and make it a reality," she said, "but today I would like to leave with a network."

Town of Cathlamet Public Works Superintendent Duncan Cruickshank echoed her statement and brought up some issues that will eventually make their way into the conversation.

Diana Zimmerman

Wahkiakum County Engineer Paul Lacy shares some of the projects that the county is considering at Friday's meeting to discuss pedestrian and bicycle access around the county.

"I guess part of the project would be to have these concrete things you could do tomorrow if you had a crew," he said, "and then you have these dreams. I think that is what you are intending today, that pie in the sky thing and then we have work to do. We have sidewalks that are sometimes two feet wide, so there is an enforcement issue, we need to make them wider. There is a cash issue. We have to come up with the cash to do it. Then there is the classic maintenance issue. We build it then we have to maintain it."

There were red pens available and while people gathered in groups and chatted, others walked up to the map and drew lines where they hoped to see safe paths for pedestrians and bicyclists. Someone marked spots for sky bridges at Boege and Greenwood Roads.

"The (Puget Island) bridge is not ADA compliant," Puget Island resident Marianne Brightbill said.

Another participant pointed out that the intersection in front of the Community Center was probably the most dangerous intersection in town. Many agreed.

A survey is available online. Donovan encouraged all in attendance to fill one out and to tell their friends about it.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Wahkiakum_County

 

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