MOUNTLAKE TERRACE, WA—Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) today hosted a “bicycle town hall” with local cyclists, the Cascade Bicycle Club and other local officials from the City of Mountlake Terrace, the City of Edmonds, the City of Lake Forest Park, the City of Lynnwood, the Verdant Health Commission and Community Transit.

Larsen led a bike ride from the Lynnwood Park and Ride to the Mountlake Terrace Senior Center where he then held a town hall style meeting about safe routes to and from schools and expanding the bike network in South Snohomish County.

“Cycling is the primary mode of transportation for thousands of Washingtonians – which makes it important not only for our health and sense of community but also for our economy,” said Larsen, a senior member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. “I will continue to make investing in safe and reliable bike paths and trails a priority so that folks – who may be cycling to Lynnwood for work, Edmonds Community College for school or the Mountlake Terrace Senior Center for recreation – can get where they are trying to go safely and efficiently.”

"U.S. Representative Rick Larsen has been a leader in growing the area's bike network and improving safety for children biking and walking to school," said Elizabeth Kiker, Executive Director of the Cascade Bicycle Club. "Bike rides and town halls like this one show a wonderful commitment to championing better biking and transit connections in South Snohomish County."

Since 2005, the percentage of Washingtonians that use a bicycle to commute has increased by 50%.

Larsen has been a leader in advocating for resources to maintain and improve infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians. Last year, Larsen released a report which shined a spotlight on trends and causes of accidents involving pedestrians and bicycles. Additionally, in December of 2015 Larsen helped pass a long-term transportation bill which increased funding for bike lanes, sidewalks and trails, and requires states to take into account all transportation users – especially bicyclists and pedestrians – when building roads.

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