The cities of Edmonds, Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace are working together to improve access to health and wellness choices within their communities, make bicycling safer, and increase connectivity by completing 11 critical missing links of the regional bicycle network. This collaboration, called Bike2Health, is funded by a grant from the Verdant Health Commission.
Once complete, Bike2Health will create a regional bicycle network establishing several key north/south and east/west corridor routes and connecting major destinations (colleges, civic centers, employment centers, the Interurban Trail, etc.) and transit hubs (the Edmonds Ferry, the Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace transit centers, and Swift bus rapid transit stations). In total, roughly ten miles of bicycle network will be connected or improved by installing shared lane markings, bicycle route signage and about six miles of new bicycle lanes.
The goals of Bike2Health are to: Increase ridership and improve safety for bicyclists throughout the three cities. Reduce barriers to bicycling by providing end-of-trip facilities like bicycle parking and by improving wayfinding signage. Raise awareness about the benefits of bicycling and provide bicycle safety education to the community. Bicycling, for either transportation or recreation, provides residents in the project area with more opportunities to stay physically active and pursue healthy lives. Bike2Health aims to help improve the health and well-being of community members.
A major component of Bike2Health will be engaging the communities throughout planning and design, while also conducting public education and outreach about bicycle safety, benefits, maps and routes. Community members will be able to participate in a number of activities such as bicycle training events and bicycle rodeos.