EDITOR’S NOTE: Thanks again to Brock Howell of Bike Happy for putting together this comprehensive weekly newsletter.
TOP THINGS TO KNOW & DO
- Find out who won the top honors of the #HappyBikeLanePeople contest >>
- SDOT Director Scott Kubly resigned.
- The SR520 Bridge Bike Path opened.
- Learn about the man behind the mask of Bike Batman, the man who’s helped recover and return ~40 stolen bikes in the last few years.
#HappyBikeLanePeople Contest Award Winners
More than 280 people voted. Here’s who you voted as your top Community Choice winners of the #HappyBikeLane contest:
- Octopus
- Norm with dog & kid
- Axel the Ballard Biking Viking
- Tag-a-long / Safe Routes to School
- Sasquatch
- Dubs the UW Husky
- Comicon Superwoman
- Ballard Fisherman
- Hi Viz Woman
- Go Dog Go!
— Advertisement —
SOCIAL, LIFESTYLE, & ADVENTURE
UPCOMING ACTIVITIES
- Thursday, Dec. 21
- 4:30-6:30pm, Kidical Mass to Olympic Manor Holiday Lights 2017
- 7pm, Point 83 Ride
- Friday, Dec. 22
- 10:30am-1pm, Kidical Mass 520 & Arboretum Trails
- 6pm-Midnight, Peloton Cafe’s Second Year Anniversary Party
- Wednesday, Dec. 27
- Thursday, Dec. 28
- 7pm, Point 83 Ride
- Friday, Dec. 29
- 6:30-11pm, End-of-Year Critical Mass
ARTICLES & POSTS
- Bike Batman unmasked himself in a video produced by the site Great Big Story.
- The Everett Herald did a great profile of an age 70+ cycling group called the Big Shots. The lengthy article includes several videos.
- The Kitsap Sun profiled Ted Schmid and his Bamboocycle that he glides around the Indianola community upon.
- The News Tribune spelled out the state law on electric bicycles.
- Cascade is ending its quarterly Pedal Everywhere magazine, which was a revamp of the organization’s member monthly newspaper Cascade Courier.
POLICY & INFRASTRUCTURE
ACTION
- Submit public comment on the Roosevelt RapidRide Scoping, which currently includes protected bike lanes along Eastlake Avenue.
- Take a survey about a new RapidRide H line from downtown, through Delridge, to White Center & Burien.
- Tell the King County Public Health Board to repeal the bicycle helmet law.
- Shape bike parking plans for First Hill, Columbia City, and Georgetown.
UPCOMING EVENTS
- Thursday, Dec. 21
- 4-6pm, SNG Solstice Office Party
- Tuesday, Dec. 26
- 6:30-8pm, Queen Anne Greenways meeting
- Thursday, Dec. 28
- 6-7:45pm, Beacon Hill Safe Streets meeting
NEWS
Seattle
- Scott Kubly resigned as SDOT director. Goran Sparrman will serve as interim director. Mayor Durkan will commence a national search for a new director. (Mayor’s Office, Seattle Times, Stranger, MyNorthwest, DJC, KOMO, KIRO)
- SDOT released a new traffic report showing annual trends in how people get around and collisions. Unfortunately, the report found the number of people biking decreased in 2016 while the number of crashes increased. (SDOT, Seattle Times)
- After about six months, Seattle’s three bikeshare companies have nearly 10,000 bikes and ridership that rivals the streetcar system. Knute “Mossback” Berger said, “The new bike sharing makes cycling accessible rather than exclusive. It doesn’t insist that cyclists belong to some morally superior class of planet citizen we should all aspire to join. It’s for regular folks.” (Seattle Times, Seattle Bike Blog, Crosscut)
- Bike racks were installed under the the viaduct at Western Ave & Bell St for the explicit purpose of preventing people experiencing homelessness from being able to set-up tents in the space. The racks had little to no benefit for actual bike parking. (Stranger, Seattle Bike Blog, MyNorthwest)
- Officials are concerned that the tolls for the new Alaskan Way Tunnel will cause 14,000 cars to divert onto downtown surface streets. (KIRO7, Seattle Met)
- The City of Seattle and Sound Transit signed-off on a framework to build the West Seattle and Ballard light rail lines by 2030 and 2035. The Ballard alignment is especially important for building safe bikeway across Salmon Bay as an alternative to the Ballard Bridge. (Curbed, Seattle Transit Blog, West Seattle Blog)
- Regular family biker Marshall Foster was profiled for his role as planning director in helping Amazon quickly build its Denny Triangle and South Lake Union campus. (PSBJ)
Outside of Seattle
- Yesterday, the SR520 Bridge bike path opened, creating a new connection from Seattle to the Eastside. 1,200 bike trips were recorded in just the first hour thanks to the celebratory events. (WSDOT, Seattle Bike Blog, CHS Blog, Bellevue Reporter, Seattle Transit Blog)
- Eastside Rail Corridor Trail is quickly taking shape in Renton, Newcastle and Bellevue (Biking Bis)
- Construction on Kenmore’s West Sammamish River Bridge, which includes bike improvements, will start in 2019. (Woodinville Weekly)
- Letter to the Editor: New Sound-to-Olympics Trail Bridge across SR305 will improve safety. (Bainbridge Island Review)
- Puyallup’s 2018 budget includes funding for property acquisition for the Riverwalk Trail. (The News Tribune)
- As part of a new YMCA in Kent, the city will pay about $2 million for improvements along SE 248th Street, including new sidewalks and bike lanes. (Kent Reporter)
SPORT
UPCOMING EVENTS
- Wednesday, Dec. 27
- 6-8pm, Beginners’ Bike Polo Night (Cal Anderson)
SAVE THE DATES
- Jan. 7, Tapeworm Time Trial Series begins
- Jan. 20, Outdoors For All’s Stinky Spoke
- Feb. 25, Cascade’s Chilly Hilly
- Apr. 8, 2018 Gorge Gravel Grinder
- Apr. 29-30, Washington Bike Summit
BIKE INDUSTRY JOBS
Bike Retail
- Professional Bike Mechanic, Aaron’s Bicycle Repair
- Mechanic-in-Training, Aaron’s Bicycle Repair
Nonprofit
- Community Organizer, Seattle Neighborhood Greenways
- Program Coordinator, Bike Works
- Bike Month Program Lead, Cascade
- Finance Director, Cascade
- Major Taylor Ride Leader/Instructor, Cascade
- Outreach Coordinator, Commute Seattle
Government
- Assistant Civil Engineer Specialist I, SDOT
- Senior Multi-Modal Design Engineer, SDOT
- Associate Multi-Modal Design Engineer, SDOT
- Public Space Management Inspector, SDOT
- Traffic Records & Data Supervisor, SDOT
- Supervising Project Manager, SDOT
- City Center Program Manager, Lynnwood
RECENTLY STOLEN BIKES
Fourteen bicycles were listed as stolen in the Seattle-area to Bike Index, and eleven bikes were reported as stolen to the Seattle Police Department in the last week. In case your bike is ever stolen, make sure you’ve registered your bike on Bike Index. Bicycle Security Advisors provides more information about how to keep your bike safe.
WEEKLY TIP
It’s cold, slick, and maybe soon snowy out there on the streets. Just last week I was going near zero miles-per-hour in making a turn and my bike slipped out from under me. Seattle Parks has a few tips to handle the weather, including slowing down, increasing situational awareness, and wearing lights.
Subscribe
Subscribe here to get the Bike Happy newsletter delivered to your inbox every Thursday.
