UW urban planners hold symposium on future of bicycles on city streets

Love them or hate them, bicycles are here to stay on city streets.

Urban planning experts at the University of Washington have invited experts from around the world for a symposium to talk about better integrating bicycles into our city streets.

“We wanted to try and answer the question – What would it take to make our city the most bicycle friendly in the next 10 to 15 years,” says Don Miller, a UW Professor of Urban Design and Planning.

They will look at what other countries have done to successfully integrate bikes and open the floor to new ideas such as lower speed limits on neighborhood streets and separating cars from bicycles in the city.

Experts will also see a special presentation on cargo bikes and a simulation about how these types of bicycles can be vital following a disaster.

“People with cargo bikes can probably go places where motorized vehicles can not go in the case of a disaster,” says Miller. “A group here in Seattle is going to set out on a four hour test where they will go around to various stations and do things that they would be doing in a disaster situation.”

Miller says they have also invited some people who are not excited about sharing city streets with bicycles to hear their objections.

Most importantly, Miller says the symposium will include local city planners who can give them an idea of what it will really take to get any of their plans off the ground.

The symposium gets underway Wednesday evening and runs through Saturday.