Doing it right

NOTE: The following post contributed by the Cascade Bicycle Club is part of a series from advocacy groups supporting the proposed rezone in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood.

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For too long, we’ve been doing it wrong.

Thanks to powerful corporations pushing for a roads-only approach, for decades we have spent most of our money on costly new roads instead of making our existing ones safer for everybody. New roads meant new subdivisions, splattered across our region’s hinterlands.

We forced ourselves into our cars and made our cities less livable for working families and less safe for kids. Families who want to drive less don’t have any options and our neighborhood streets aren’t safe for our kids.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

For nearly a decade people in South Lake Union have been working together on a plan to make their neighborhood better. They have worked with our elected leaders on a plan to invest in making streets safer for everybody and provide everyone with the freedom to get around without a car.

The proposed South Lake Union rezone would create a neighborhood where people can easily and safely walk, bike or take transit to work, school, shops, restaurants, and places of worship.

This is our opportunity to do it right. Our City representatives should stand up for what families need and approve the proposed rezone.