Volunteers Needed for Citywide Pedestrian and Bicycle Counts

From the SDOT Blog: http://sdotblog.seattle.gov/2010/11/19/volunteers-needed-for-citywide-pedestrian-and-bicycle-counts/

In 2011, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will begin counting pedestrians and bicyclists using the National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project methodology, and we need your help!

This is an exciting step forward in SDOT’s data collection efforts. Following a consistent, nationally recognized methodology will improve the quality and consistency of our data, and also increase the frequency with which we collect this type of data. The information we collect will document current levels of walking and biking, help us measure our progress towards increasing the number of people who walk and bike, and help make the case for additional investments. More information about the National Bicycle and Pedestrian Documentation Project is available at http://bikepeddocumentation.org/

SDOT has traditionally relied on volunteers to help us count pedestrians and bicyclists, and we have been grateful for the enthusiastic participation in the past. With the new and improved methodology, we will need even more volunteers than before. We would like to recruit approximately 120 people to assist with the quarterly counts and hope you will be one of them.

Each volunteer will be asked to:

• Attend a short training (either in person or by viewing the training materials on line)
• Conduct counts for a two-hour period on a weekday or Saturday (or both!) once per quarter, starting in January.

Counts will take place January 11-13, May 10-12, July 5-7 and September 13-15, and the Saturday preceding. Count periods are 10 am to noon and 5 to 7 pm on weekdays and noon until 2 pm on Saturdays.

There are count locations throughout the city and we will make every effort to match volunteers with their preferred area.

I hope you will join us for this important effort. To volunteer, please send an e-mail to walkandbike@seattle.gov with your name, e-mail address, phone number, preferred neighborhood, and whether you are available weekdays or weekends or both.

Thank you and please feel free to pass this along to others who might be interested.