Seattle Bike Blog

Watch: With the West Seattle high bridge closed, here are some popular bike routes to get across the Duwamish River

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

March 31, 2020

Transcript (auto-generated .txt)

There is still no timeline for reopening the West Seattle high bridge, by far the most-traveled way to get across the Duwamish River and connect to the rest of the city. In the meantime, the lower Spokane Street swing bridge and its walking and biking trail is still open, making biking a vital way for people to get to and from the neighborhood.

The full impact of the closure has not yet been felt because so many residents are on lockdown in their homes due to the outbreak. But there are still many people with essential jobs or who need to make essential trips, and biking may be their best option. This will especially be the case if the bridge is still closed when workplaces reopen.

So I reached out to Anthony Palmieri, a member of the local bike advocacy group West Seattle Bike Connections, to ask him what advice he would give new riders. He also helped walk through some basic bike routes people can take from various parts of the peninsula, including the Alki/North Admiral, the Fauntleroy Ferry, the Junction, White Center/Delridge and South Park. I then put together a Google Earth tour to help you visualize the routes. The goal of the video was to demystify these bike routes a bit. They are mostly comfortable and easy once you know the way, and some parts are even kind of magical and wonderful.

Palmieri urged anyone who is interested in biking but needs some more specific advice or help to reach out to West Seattle Bike Connections. Their volunteers are happy to help. Join their Facebook Group or email them at [email protected].

WSBC played a vital community role during the winter 2019 Alaskan Way Viaduct closure, hosting how-to rides and sharing bike route knowledge. Bike counts across the low bridge registered August numbers in January that year, taking a lot of pressure off the transportation system.

tags: anthony palmieri, lower west seattle bridge, sdot, upper west seattle bridge, video, west seattle, west seattle bike connections

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Bike Works reopens shop by appointment only, offers medical and grocery workers 50% off repairs

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

March 30, 2020

Image from Bike Works.

Bike Works was among the first major bike organizations in Seattle to shut down operations amid the COVID-19 outbreak, doing so well before Governor Jay Inslee’s order requiring many businesses and education services to close.

Staff have been working for the past three weeks to reorganize Bike Works’ Columbia City community bike shop to create an online store and a socially-distant way of operating so they could reopen the shop safely and keep folks in the southend rolling. The biggest change is that they are asking people not to visit the shop without first making an appointment. You can do so my calling the shop (206.725.8867) or emailing Josh. You can also call if you have any questions.

In addition, they put together a new online store, so you can browse there instead of going into the shop. Then you can just make an appointment to swing by and pick up whatever you ordered. They will disinfect bikes before giving them to you. They can’t offer test rides, but are offering a 30-day return policy if it doesn’t work for you.

In declaring the state’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order — Washington’s version of a shelter-in-place order — Governor Inslee created an exception for bike repair shops, citing them as an essential service. With many people avoiding transit, where it can be difficult to maintain proper social distancing, biking has become an even more vital and affordable way to get around for essential workers or people making essential trips. Bike Works is among the relatively few southend bike shops, so it’s great that they are finding a way to responsibly reopen.

On that note, they are also offering medical and grocery workers a big 50% discount on repairs, including parts and labor. That’s an awesome service for community members who are doing so much for us right now.

Of course, Bike Works is much more than a shop. Its other work, such as its popular after-school programs, remain on hiatus. (more…)

tags: bike works, covid-19

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King County Parks closure includes County-run trails, though they remain open for essential transportation only

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

March 27, 2020

The Burke-Gilman Trail north of Seattle is a King County Parks trail. Image from King County Parks.

King County Parks took an extraordinary step this week to close all its parks in an attempt to further discourage people from crowding or gathering as we fight the spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. And unless you are an essential worker or are accomplishing an essential task (like going to the grocery store or a doctor’s appointment), that means county-run trails are closed, too.

While Governor Jay Inslee did say that getting outside for exercise is still allowed so long as you practice social distancing, the County does not want to you do so on its trail network. This includes about half of the 300+ miles of regional trails in the county, including sections of the Burke-Gilman, Sammamish River, Interurban South, Green River, Cedar River, Eastrail and Snoqualmie Valley Trails to name a few. It does not include any trails within the Seattle city limits or trails operated by WSDOT (like most of the I-90 and 520 Trails). There are also sections of regional trails under the control of local municipalities (like the Cross-Kirkland Corridor stretch of the Eastrail) that are not affected.

So yes, it’s a little confusing. The average user probably has no idea when they’ve crossed from a municipally-managed trail segment to a County one (sometimes there will be a King county branded sign letting you know, but not always). But we’re in an emergency, so do your best to follow official public health guidance and forgive some sloppiness in the rules.

And regardless of who operates a trail, the spirit of the King County ban should be on your mind. We talked about this a bit in our post: Let’s talk about responsible biking during this pandemic. Even if a trail is open and the governor says its OK to bike for recreation, you have to avoid bunching or crowding. If that means exiting the trail, waiting or turning around, then that’s what you’ve got to do. Residential streets are your friend right now, since they are typically wide open. Some stretches of trail have plenty of space, but others get crowded. It would be great if folks had more space to spread out, but that’s no excuse for joining a crowd right now. Six feet of separation is a minimum.

Here’s the official trail use guidance from King County Parks:

If an individual is part of the essential workforce and needs to commute for work or needs to accomplish essential tasks by using the King County Parks regional trail network (i.e. grocery store, doctors appointment, etc.) they are allowed to do so. Individuals who use trails for these purposes should follow social distancing guidelines and our standard trail rules and etiquette.

Non-essential use of the RTS remains closed as part of the ongoing efforts to protect public health and curb transmission of COVID-19.

tags: king county parks

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One idea for socially distant outdoor space: Make roadways like Lake Washington Blvd and the I-5 Express Lanes car-free

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

March 26, 2020

Seattle this week closed parking lots at eight busy parks to discourage congregating and enforce social distancing. This was a wise move, as crowds were a bit too dense in many places, including Alki Beach, Seward Park, Green Lake and Golden Gardens.

But while closing parking lots is one way to reduce the number of people gathered in those places, the city, county and state should also consider opportunities for opening more wide-open space to recreation so people can safely and responsibly get around if they are headed to the grocery store or an essential job, or get outside if they are just trying to get some exercise and unwind from the stress of it all.

Traffic has plummeted across the city, which is great because that means people are staying home. It also means that there is a lot of excess street space lying around right now, an asset we might be able to put to better use during this time.

This conversation has been going on in cities all over the world, and really gained steam when Bogota, Colombia, made some of its world-inspiring Cicolovía routes open 24/7 to help people get around without packing into crowded transit. But, of course, Bogota has been hosting these massive open streets events for decades, so they have it down and residents are familiar with them. It is a much bigger ask to request that a city start a whole new open streets program in midst of the COVID-19 shutdown.

Open streets, especially on busy streets through dense areas, will likely require a ton of coordination, communication and on-the-ground workers in order to make them safe and functional. In general, the more intersections (especially big intersections) along the route, the more money and staff are required to make them work as part of an open streets event. As much as I would like to say the city should create a citywide network of car-free streets, I know that such a project would be immense and require a significant budget and a lot of staffing. I would love to be wrong, but I doubt this is a reasonable use of city resources at this exact moment in time.

However, Seattle doesn’t need to start from scratch. Like Bogota, we have experience with open streets that we could enact right now without dedicating a ton of resources. (more…)

tags: covid-19

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Person driving struck and killed a 63-year-old Newcastle man biking in Bellevue Sunday

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

March 24, 2020

Photo from Bellevue PD.

A man turning left from Northrup Way onto NE 8th Street struck and killed a 63-year-old man from Newcastle who was riding his bike just west of Lake Sammamish Sunday afternoon.

Though the collision is still under investigation, the City of Bellevue said in a statement that the 44-year-old person driving turned in front of the victim and struck him just before 4 p.m.

The man is the third person killed while biking in Bellevue in the past seven months and the second involving someone in a car making a left turn to or from NE 8th Street.

With the COVID-19 outbreak, biking is one of the few ways people can get outside and get some exercise while maintaining proper social distancing. It is heartbreaking to be reminded that as we all attempt to deal with one public health emergency, the ongoing public health emergency of traffic deaths and injuries is still raging, too. Though traffic collisions are down sharply due to reduced driving, it only takes one bad one to create a tragedy.

Our condolences to this man’s friends and family.

More details from the City of Bellevue: (more…)

tags: bellevue, deaths

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Bike repair deemed an ‘essential service’ during statewide stay-home order

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

March 23, 2020

From the “WA Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers” guidelines (PDF).

Most people are required to stay inside under Washington State’s just-announced “stay home, stay healthy” order. Similar to the “shelter in place” orders in other cities and states, Jay Inslee announced further restrictions on activities and businesses that are allowed right now in an effort to further slow the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19. You can leave the house to go to the grocery store or pharmacy or other essential service. You can also leave to exercise, including going for a bike ride.

But many people still need to get around, and biking has become a lifeline for people trying to avoid using public transit. It is also a great way to get outside and get much-needed exercise while following social distancing guidelines (so long as you are smart and safe about it).

So it is good news that bicycle repair services are considered an essential service under the state’s guidelines (PDF). Bike shops may remain open if they choose to so long as they practice social distancing.

This is especially important considering the demand for bicycle transportation following today’s surprise news that the city will close the upper West Seattle Bridge for and unknown period of time. For many people in West Seattle, including many essential workers, biking is likely to be the best way to get across the Duwamish River for a while. So they are going to need access to bikes and bike repairs.

Some shops around town have chosen to close even though they were not ordered to do so. Others have significantly changed the way they operate. Be sure to call ahead to find out if your local shop is open and whether they have new rules or restrictions you need to follow. Some shops may require sign-ups in order to limit the number of customers, for example. (more…)

tags: alex kostelnik, bike shops, covid-19, jay inslee

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