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  • Cascade outlines its advocacy priorities during COVID-19

    Like so many other organizations, Cascade Bicycle Club has had to scale back and dramatically redesign how it does work during this outbreak.

    After furloughing half its staff and surveying people about how they can help during this time, the organization released a four-point platform for its advocacy efforts.

    From Cascade:

    In the last few weeks, hundreds of you have shared that you’re biking more during the pandemic – for exercise and essential errands, to care for family, and for mental health or fun. That’s why our work to make biking safer and more accessible continues.

    At the same time, the COVID-19 crisis has uncovered new needs for how we use our public spaces, and how we get around. That’s why, along with our existing priorities, we’re launching an advocacy platform for the COVID-19 era and beyond.

    1. Open up temporary spaces for people biking and walking now, and as we edge out of lockdown so that we can all safely walk and bike with physical distance between ourselves.
    2. Complete bike networks faster, not slower, as we start to move around our communities again and need a multi-modal transportation system that keeps us safe.
    3. Open Streets programs for the recovery. Cities can help reboot our local business districts, and local economies by bringing community and commerce together in streets that are open to people, closed to cars.
    4. An economic recovery centering – not sidelining –  investments in biking, walking, multi-modal networks. Economic stimulus funding for transportation must include substantial dollars for projects that advance trails and on-street bike networks.

    Read their post for more details about each point.

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  • Ask Seattle Bike Blog: We want your bike-related questions

    Hey you! Yes, you in the mask. Do you have a question about biking?  It could be anything. Big, small, important, trivial, it doesn’t matter! Seattle Bike Blog wants to answer it in a fully-researched blog post and/or video.

    My goal with Ask Seattle Bike Blog is to dive deep into your questions, providing far more information about them than you really wanted to know. What’s the point of [baffling thing]? How do I [do this bike thing]? How does [bike-related thing] work? Etc.

    Questions can be about current events, history, infrastructure or anything that falls into the very broad category of bike culture. If in doubt, ask it anyway. You can even submit questions anonymously if for some reason you don’t want people to know you asked it. It’s like a sex ed question box…except for bikes. We look forward to reading and answering them.

    This page will be linked in the navigation bar, so you can return here to submit questions any time.

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  • City announces new and expanded Stay Healthy Streets in the CD, Beacon Hill, Greenwood and Rainier Beach

    A woman biking with a child on her bike. The street is wide open.
    This was not technically a Stay Healthy Street. This stretch of Green Lake Way was closed to cars last weekend ahead of some construction work, and people found that it became a great place to walk and bike away from the busy Green Lake path.

    Seattle has added six more miles of what the city is calling “Stay Healthy Streets,” car-light streets where through-traffic is banned and people are allowed to walk in the street 24/7. They are part of an effort to create more space so people can stay socially distant from others while still getting outside.

    People are still allowed to drive to their homes. Deliveries and services are also allowed.

    SDOT tested the concept in the Central District and High Point starting last weekend, and the CD route will be significantly expanded Friday. They are also adding Greenwood, Beacon Hill and Rainier Beach routes Friday, bringing the total number mileage to nine miles.

    Notably, the city is making efforts to get around barriers like busy stretches by converting some on-street parking spaces to pathways so a few of the routes can be longer. For example, the block of 1st Ave NW next to Fred Meyer in Greenwood will have a pathway on the west side of the street. This is the only busy block, since people use it to access the giant parking lot, so extra protection is needed there to make the route work:

    Map of the route in Greenwood (more…)

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  • Some ways the city can help more people bike during the West Seattle High Bridge closure

    Excerpt from the Bicycle Master Plan map showing projects in and near West Seattle.
    From the Bicycle Master Plan. Dashed lines indicate needed improvements as of 2014. Full map (PDF).

    Seattle needs to take bold, unprecedented action to help many more people get around by bike during the longterm West Seattle High Bridge closure. This isn’t just about improving cycling conditions, it’s one of the only ways the city can keep the whole transportation system moving.

    Every idea needs to be on the table, including efforts we have never tried before. This is an unprecedented challenge in recent Seattle history.

    The West Seattle High Bridge is closed until at least 2022, and it may not ever open again in its current form. At this point, very little about the bridge is certain other than that it’s going to be closed for a long time. The lower bridge is still open, including the biking and walking path. Personal motor vehicles are not allowed, reserving this connection for transit, freight and emergency vehicles.

    Of course the closure is already causing huge transportation problems for the neighborhood as everyone driving a personal vehicle who would have taken the bridge needs to reroute all the way to the 1st Ave S or South Park Bridges. But the real headache will come when the economy reopens and the 100,000 vehicles per day that typically cross the bridge have to find another route. There simply is not that kind of car capacity without the bridge.

    This means biking will likely the most reliable and often fastest way to get across the Duwamish River. But as we explored in depth with the help of Anthony Palmieri of the community group West Seattle Bike Connections, the primary bike routes through and to West Seattle are often missing pieces or have other complications that make them either confusing or uncomfortable, especially for new riders. WSBC does great work to help their neighbors find routes that will work for them to help them get riding. But there’s a lot the city can do to remove obstacles that no amount of advice can get around. And many or all these projects can be completed at low cost, especially compared to the scale of this problem.

    The city should be taking major steps to fully connect and protect bike routes to and through West Seattle. Just looking at the unfinished connections in the Bicycle Master Plan is a great place to start generating project ideas. But I thought I would highlight a few in particular: (more…)

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  • Fremont Solstice Parade (and painted bike ride) cancelled for 2020

    It’s not a surprise, but the 2020 Fremont Solstice Parade has officially been cancelled. And that means the annual painted bike ride is also cancelled.

    Of course the ride and parade shouldn’t happen amid the outbreak, but it’s still tough news. The Solstice Parade and the pre-parade painted bike ride are among the iconic events that make Seattle what it is. So I’m mourning the news.

    The Fremont Arts Council, which puts on the parade, is exploring ideas for a virtual celebration. I’m guessing there won’t be a body paint biking element, though…

    More details from the Fremont Arts Council:

    After assessing the current and projected data related to COVID-19 and hearing from King County Public Health and the Seattle Office of Special Events, the Board of Directors felt the wisest and safest choice for the FAC and the community would be postponement to next year.

    Looking ahead, the Fremont Arts Council will need your support throughout this year, more than it ever has before.

    How You Can Help:

    1. The Green Hat in the Fremont Solstice Parade and the Beer Garden at the Fremont Solstice Celebration at Gas Works have been the FAC’s main source of funding for the year. Without it, our budget for 2020-2021 is very small. Please consider joining or renewing your membership OR making a donation
    2. We are brainstorming how to add new revenue streams for the FAC and we are writing grants to support the FAC and its events. If you have an interest in developing funding sources or grant writing, please help us by joining Dayna and the Development Team.
    3. We were chosen by the UW Human Centered Design and Engineering Department to help update our website! If you have web development skills and want to learn more about this project, email Lymarie at outreach@fremontartscouncil.org.
    4. Help us CELEBRATE!!

    We’re creating a committee that can take the lead in the outreach and collective processto make a virtual Fremont Solstice Parade and Celebration happen on June 20th. We will be looking for artists, members, sponsors, and volunteers as well as media content and video editors. If you want to help organize, create and be a part of this, email Henry at volunteer@fremontartscouncil.org

    We don’t want June 20th to pass us by wishing for what we can’t have. We may not be able to gather en masse but we CAN still celebrate the Solstice. We want to safely share Fremont Solstice with our families, our friends, our community and the world. We want to see your celebrations, your joy, your rituals, your art! We want to hear your stories! We may not be able to fill the streets but we can still share with each other our celebration at the return of the Sun! 

    Lastly, stay healthy and stay safe! We look forward to creating an online Fremont Solstice Parade and Celebration with you and we look forward to celebrating with everyone in person at Luminata on September 19th.

    With Care and Hope,

    The Fremont Arts Council Board of Directors

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  • Trail Alert 4/27-5/11: Significant delays on Sammamish River Trail for repair work in Bothell

    Map of trail work zone.Work to fix some tree root bumps and repave a section of the Sammamish River Trail in Bothell kicks off April 27 and will last for two weeks.

    During work hours, trail users will need to wait for up to 15 minutes before crews can let them through. There will not be a detour.

    The trail is currently closed for recreation as part of King County Parks’ agency-wide closure that began in late March. People making essential trips or traveling to and from essential jobs are still allowed to use the trails for transportation.

    More details from King County Parks spokesperson Doug Williams:

    Starting next Monday, April 27, we’ll be removing root incursions and resurfacing a short stretch of the trail (less than 100 yards long) near the “Chicken Lot.” The stretch we’ll be working on is at Sammamish River Park adjacent to 102nd Avenue Northeast, and east to the bridge that crosses the river. (See the map below.)

    Construction is going to take place Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., for two weeks – as long as the weather holds. If we get significant rainfall, the project would likely have to be extended to make up for lost work time.

    A flagged trail detour isn’t possible at this location. Instead, we will have flaggers and intermittent closures to allow trail users through the construction zone in 15-minute increments.

    The contractor will have temporary control signage (“construction ahead, expect delay,” “bicyclists dismount,” etc.), and flaggers will control trail user flow through the construction zone. Bicyclists will be asked to dismount and walk through the work site.

    Even though the regional trail system remains closed to everything but essential trips (work, doctor’s appointments, etc.), we’re concerned that trail use will increase with the improving weather. This can create an issue at the construction site because all trail users will have to be stopped together for several minutes while work is being done before they can safely walk through the construction zone.

    With that in mind, we’d appreciate your help in getting out the message about limiting non-essential trips along this portion of the Sammamish River Trail during the construction timeframe

    I know it’s an inconvenience to have a stretch of trail closed like this for construction, but with reduced trail use as part of the Governor’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy guidance, we can get this important safety work done now, rather in the summertime when trail use is exponentially higher.

    We’ve also lined up the timing of this project to coincide with a City of Bothell project to replace the pedestrian bridge in the Park at Bothell Landing.

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Bike Events Calendar

Jul
27
Sat
all-day Bicycle Weekends on Lake Washing…
Bicycle Weekends on Lake Washing…
Jul 27 – Jul 28 all-day
Bicycle Weekends on Lake Washington Blvd
Details from Seattle Parks: On scheduled weekends from May to September, a portion of Lake Washington Boulevard will be closed to motorized vehicles from 10 a.m. Saturday to 6 p.m. Sunday. “Seattle Parks and Recreation[…]
1:00 pm Seattle Queer History Ride 2024 … @ Volunteer Park (Black Sun sculpture)
Seattle Queer History Ride 2024 … @ Volunteer Park (Black Sun sculpture)
Jul 27 @ 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Seattle Queer History Ride 2024 - Capitol Hill to University District (Leisurely) @ Volunteer Park (Black Sun sculpture) | Seattle | Washington | United States
Join me for a 7 mile bike ride going from Capitol Hill into the University District at a Leisurely pace. We’ll visit various sites relevant to Seattle’s current gayborhood and gathering sites around UW.ShareMastodonTwitterFacebookRedditEmail
Jul
28
Sun
all-day Bicycle Weekends on Lake Washing…
Bicycle Weekends on Lake Washing…
Jul 28 – Jul 29 all-day
Bicycle Weekends on Lake Washington Blvd
Details from Seattle Parks: On scheduled weekends from May to September, a portion of Lake Washington Boulevard will be closed to motorized vehicles from 10 a.m. Saturday to 6 p.m. Sunday. “Seattle Parks and Recreation[…]
Aug
1
Thu
7:15 pm Point83 @ Westlake Park
Point83 @ Westlake Park
Aug 1 @ 7:15 pm
Point83 @ Westlake Park
Meet up in the center of the park at 7ish. Leave at 730. Every Thursday from now until forever rain or shine. Bikes, beers, illegal firepits, nachos, bottlerockets, timetraveling, lollygagging, mechanicals, good times.ShareMastodonTwitterFacebookRedditEmail
Aug
3
Sat
1:00 pm Seattle Queer History Ride 2024 … @ Volunteer Park (Black Sun sculpture)
Seattle Queer History Ride 2024 … @ Volunteer Park (Black Sun sculpture)
Aug 3 @ 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Seattle Queer History Ride 2024 - Capitol Hill to Pioneer Square (Leisurely) @ Volunteer Park (Black Sun sculpture) | Seattle | Washington | United States
This is a repeat of my July 6 ride for those that could not make the first offering. Join me for a 5 mile bike ride around Seattle’s current gayborhood (Capitol Hill) and historic gayborhood[…]
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