ForeverGreen Trails Update – March 2026

Larry Leveen, Director, ForeverGreen Trails

The 2026 legislative session is in more than full swing and FGT has a number of legislative priorities. It is working to ensure good policy and funding for active recreation and active mobility. Of specific importance for the Foothills Coalition are the following:

HB 2095: Protecting vulnerable users of public ways. This bill would create refutable, presumptive liability for motorists, who strike a pedestrian or cyclist in certain areas, such as a crosswalk or bike facility. Much like the presumed liability for when a driver rear ends a vehicle, this would help protect active mode users who are often seriously injured or killed on our roadways and are often the victims of bias in collision reporting by law enforcement and media. While this bill will not prevent collisions, it is part of a much-needed effort to shift away from a car-centric society.

HB 2374/SB6110: Electric-assisted bicycle & electric motorcycle regulation. Across the country the unregulated use of electric motorcycles is causing serious injuries and fatalities among their drivers – often teenagers – and others. This bill will define electric motorcycles and differentiate them from electric assist bicycles, enabling local jurisdiction and land managers to regulate their use. The House bill is the better of the two because it does more to address what many consider a scourge of electric motorcycles, many of which are specifically designed by manufacturers to look like bicycles so they “fly under the radar” of law enforcement and parents alike.

HB1992/ESB5581: Implementing safe system approach strategies for active transportation infrastructure. This multi part bill has many beneficial effects. It updates several definitions and requirements regarding active mobility, especially trails. It also provides a method through which WSDOT can exempt itself from “complete streets” requirements on state facilities by investing in the “local system” when doing so can provide equal or better access for active mode users. In short, providing places for people to walk, bike, or roll on local streets or trails when doing so is a better solution for people using those modes. While FGT has some concerns about how such detours might affect less physically able travelers, we are supportive of the bill because it injects some common sense into complete streets requirements and could result in far more pleasant and potentially safer active mode facility networks.

FGT recently briefed the Foothills Board about how this bill might potentially enable development of a section of the trail past Carbonado instead of the state providing for active mode facilities on a new Fairfax bridge. We hope that this would result in a cost savings for WSDOT. We think it would result in a more pleasant route than SR 165 which lacks any shoulders at all. Investing in active mode facilities on the replacement bridge, which are not connected to similar facilities on either side, seems like an efficient use of money with little public benefit. We believe developing the Foothills Trail as a route alternative would be far superior. However, we are not qualified to fully vet this concept for its engineering feasibility (or cost). We will coordinate with Foothills regarding any conversations had with local or state officials about this idea.

FGT is also actively supporting Pierce County’s $400,000 funding request for the “Foothills Trail Crossing Safety Improvement.” This project would install a flashing beacon and crosswalk at the intersection of the Foothills Trail and Pioneer Way to increase trail user safety. This is one of the most requested safety improvements in our entire regional trail system. We know that it is a priority for Pierce County Parks regardless, but this is a good opportunity to try to get it funded, though competition is challenging. FGT and Foothills have been very closely coordinating about this and have contacted the local legislators (Reps. Jacobsen, Keaton, and Senator Gildon of the 25th District) to support this funding request.

Lastly, as a service to Foothills, FGT is supporting the scoping of a project to provide a safer pedestrian crossing of SR 410 south of Enumclaw to allow better access to/from the Foothills Trail in southeast King County. We are currently working with community advocates, local agency staff, and WSDOT on a potential grant application. Updates on this and all of the above items will follow in the next Foothills newsletter. Please direct any questions to info@forevergreentrails.org or call 360-357-3871.

For a complete list of FGT’s legislative priorities in a PDF document that includes direct links to individual bill pages, please see: https://bit.ly/4r4QlYu