car-free adventure

Action Alert — Pedestrian Access on the Bridge of the Gods

While house-sitting this week in Hood River, OR, I took the bus to Cascade Locks to check out transit hiking conditions at the southernmost Washington trailhead of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). My assessment? Mixed. And in some cases — decidedly not great. And a lot of that is because you have to cross the Bridge of the Gods over the Columbia River to continue on the PCT, whether you are traveling northbound or southbound.

I did some preliminary digging to see if I could understand why authorities have not done the most minimal separation — simple concrete curbs and a few flex posts? — to afford pedestrians real space while crossing the bridge. I didn’t find the fulll answer to that question, but did find that there is local support for a pedestrian bridge, some preliminary funding and studies were secured, but due to some byzantine federal rules about toll bridges (vehicle drivers pay tolls) the pedestrian bridge addition is on indefinite hold. As I said in my Twitter thread, I don’t know numbers for locals who cross the bridge on foot, but I do know that in 2023 people should not have to walk in a lane of traffic to cross a major river.

Just a couple weeks ago, the Pacific Crest Trail Association published a Call to Action to urge legislators in both Oregon and Washington to fund the bridge. It’s a short read and easy to sign on. Please sign and share.

Advocacy Update — Summer 2023

Here’s a few quick notes on the advocacy fronts I’m working on.

WTA adds transit-accessible hikes to their quarterly Hike It section

I’m a big believer in the power of using small levers to make modest but important changes. So I’m thrilled to report that Washington Trails Association reached out earlier this year after I wrote several trip reports based on some of my transit trekking outings. The result was this Q&A — and an informal agreement that I’ll write a transit-focused listing for their Hike It section in their quarterly member magazine. The first one appeared in the summer 2023 issue – a trip guide for McCurdy Point in Port Townsend. 

It’s so important to keep showing that transit-based recreation is possible, so that people can try it, and to build support for its expansion. If you are a member of WTA or use their site to look up trip reports, please take a minute to express appreciation for featuring more transit-accessible hikes, and let them know you’d like to see an increase in this kind of content and to see WTA step up support for transit as one of the key means for addressing climate, equity, and conservation. You can email the editor at editor AT wta.org (I’d love if you cc me, too: hithere AT this webdomain).

Transit Trekker is a host organization for the National Week Without Driving

If you want to help invite leaders from the Washington state area to take on this challenge, get in touch using the email above and put “NWWD” in the subject line. If you have connections to Mason or Jefferson counties here in Washington state, I’d especially appreciate hearing from you. 

The Feds

I’m participating in organizing at the national level, learning about some developments at the federal level that could result in increased support for rural and small town transit — more on that this fall. Sign up to get on the mailing list if you want to be in the loop on that.

Want More Updates?

Check out the press page. And if you’ve got travel plans beyond Washington and want to find some transit treks, check out the resource page. Follow on the dying site of Twitter or, now, Blusky at transittrekker.bsky.social, or the blog.

More Than a Travel Guide

A few things about why I’m working to make The Transit Trekker Manual more than just another travel guide:

Those of us who cannot drive deserve the same kind of access to outdoor recreation spaces as those who can drive and have enjoyed that access for nearly the last 100 years. Nondrivers are much more likely to be disabled, BIPOC, and/or low income, which suggests that one of the most effective ways to increase equitable access to the outdoors is to make sure transit serves our outdoor recreation destinations and includes safe routes for walking and rolling.

Many people who can drive would prefer the option to use transit for outdoor recreation as well as other travel — because they hate driving, would prefer not to bear the financial burden of owning a car, or because they recognize it is imperative to tread much lighter in the face of climate change. About ¾ of the people on the Transit Trekker mailing list say they want or are trying to drive less. The rest are nondrivers, some by choice, most not by choice.

Rural communities neighbor many recreation destinations. Contrary to popular assertion, many have large proportions of non-drivers. Nondrivers in these regions need and deserve the same mobility our transportation system delivers to drivers — be it transit, walking, biking or rolling. 

The manual will offer readers detailed trip guides to help them find the best transit treks possible from their communities, eliminating hours of research and planning and logistics coordinating transit schedules and connections to figure out the best days and times to travel.

The manual will also encourage readers to take up advocacy prompts — small acts they can take as they plan and enjoy their transit treks that can show the unmet demand for increased rural mobility and transit-accessible recreation to decision makers and funders — think state and local governments, recreation businesses, transit agencies, departments of transportation, and so forth — and direct readers to statewide grassroots organizations working on mobility justice that they can learn from, support, and engage through. 

In addition to one-time support you can now pledge monthly via the cooperatively owned and operated Camradery, an alternative to Patreon.

Sign up here to get infrequent transit trekking tips and news and get notified when the The Transit Trekker Manual: Washington State is available.