Seattle Bike Blog

Padelford named next Director of Seattle Neighborhood Greenways, now hiring 2 staffers

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

May 26, 2017

Padelford, right, with Phyllis Porter of Rainier Valley Greenways advocating for a safer Rainier Ave. Photo from Padelford.

With Founder and Executive Director Cathy Tuttle retiring, Seattle Neighborhood Greenways staffer Gordon Padelford is getting ready to take the organization’s helm. He will be the first ED of the organization other than Tuttle, who founded it in 2011 and led its formation into a 501(c)(3) non-profit the next year.

“I’m incredibly grateful to have her as the leader of Seattle Neighborhood Greenways, and I’m sad to see her go,” said Padelford.

The change in leadership will happen “as soon as we hire the two staff,” he said. That’s right, SNG is hiring a Communications/Development Coordinator (PDF) and a Community Organizer (PDF) right now. Applications are due June 8.

From its start, SNG has been a volunteer, grassroots-fueled coalition of neighborhood groups focused on making their local streets safer, more multimodal and more fun. The coalition list now includes nearly 20 groups throughout Seattle. Localizing groups has been the key to its success, since people are extra motivated when it’s the streets their family members and neighbors use that are at stake. (more…)

tags: cathy tuttle, gordon padelford, seattle neighborhood greenways

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Investors are putting big money into private bike share companies + Spin’s community project donates to Bike Works

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

May 25, 2017

Promo photo from Spin.

Spin, one of at least three companies hoping to launch a stationless bike share service on the streets of Seattle this summer, just landed $8 million in venture funding, according to a company press release.

This funding news highlights what is perhaps an overlooked aspect of Seattle’s private bike share story: There is an enormous amount of money behind this emerging business model. And many of these companies are hoping that Seattle will be the premiere city to showcase their services.

As Techcrunch reports, a handful of companies with similar business models have been building investment capital:

Spin’s competition includes several other funded startups here. Social Bicycles, the first to offer kiosk-free bike sharing in the U.S., has raised $7 million, and has already reached profitability. Another early bike-share player, Zagster, closed a $10 million Series B round that it announced in January. And earlier this spring, LimeBike closed a $12 million Series A round led by Andreessen Horowitz.

But these companies pale in comparison to the funding behind some international companies like China-based Bluegogo, which reportedly closed a $58 million investment deal in February (we took a Bluegogo for a test ride around downtown). Mobike and ofo, the two biggest stationless bike share companies based in China, measure their investments in the hundreds of millions. Seattle Bike Blog has not yet received word whether Mobike or ofo are interested in the Seattle market. (more…)

tags: bike works, spin, spin cities, stationless bike share

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Blaming streetcar tracks for her death, McCloud’s brother files claims with city, Sound Transit

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

May 25, 2017

Friends and family of Desiree McCloud painted her bike white and decorated it with notes, flowers and Magic cards. Unlike most ghost bikes, this one is the bike she was riding when she crashed.

Friends, family (including her brother Cody) and community members walk in honor of McCloud. Her ghost bike sits at 13th and Yesler.

One year after the bike crash at 13th and Yesler that took Desiree McCloud’s life, her brother Cody has filed claims against Sound Transit and the City of Seattle that blame the First Hill Streetcar tracks for her death.

Cody told the Seattle Times that the claims are “not about the money. It’s about a message: ‘Don’t kill me on these streets.’”

Streetcar tracks are known hazards for people biking because bike wheels can slip into the gap in the tracks and either get stuck or knock the rider off balance.

Desiree was biking westbound on Yesler with a group of friends when she ended up between the streetcar tracks while passing a friend, as surveillance video showed. This means she would have needed to cross the track again to get into the bike lane. Her friend told police she then saw Desiree wobble and fall. No other vehicles were involved.

She died a week and a half later from her head injury. She was 27.

At a memorial walk in her honor, one friend described her as “brash and brilliant, passionate and true.” These are themes that run through the incredibly moving remembrances friends sent to Seattle Bike Blog after she passed away.

“If one of her friends had been hurt or killed, she’d be the one banging on City Hall,” her father said after the memorial. (more…)

tags: cody mccloud, desiree mccloud, first hill streetcar, yesler

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Sunday: Thousands of people will bike on I-5, I-90 and SR-520 + Still time to register – UPDATED

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

May 24, 2017

The 2017 route, from Cascade.

For just one morning, the I-5 Express Lanes through downtown Seattle, the main deck of the 520 Bridge, a path through Bellevue and the I-90 Express Lanes will be filled with thousands of people on bikes.

It’s hard to over-hype Sunday’s Emerald Bike Ride, the second year for Cascade’s newest major event. You don’t have to be a bike ride kind of person to be excited for this. Biking on major urban freeways, including two different floating bridges, is a rare experience you don’t want to miss.

If you register online, the adult non-member cost of the full ride is $40. Note that online registration ends ~~tonight (Wednesday) at midnight~~ (UPDATE: Cascade has extended the registration deadline to midnight Thursday), but you will be able to register in person at the start line Sunday morning for $10 extra. Discounts for members and youth.

Though the route may look long to people who do not usually go on big rides, you will be hard-pressed to find a flatter route through our hilly region. But freeways have been engineered with billions of dollars worth of work to be flat and direct. You will be shocked how fast and easy it is. (more…)

tags: cascade bicycle club, emerald bike ride 2017

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Saturday: Bike for donuts with Mighty-O and Bicycle Benefits

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

May 24, 2017

You can bike around our amazing city, eat a bunch of donuts and support Bike Works all at the same time Saturday.

I know it sounds too good to be true, but that’s what happens when Ian from Bicycle Benefits rolls into town. He and the BB organization have teamed up with Mighty-O Donuts to host a morning tour of the company’s locations on Ballard, Capitol Hill and Green Lake. You’ll get coffee and donuts to fuel your adventure, as well as a t-shirt.

It costs $20 to ride, but proceeds benefit Bike Works.

More details from the registration page: (more…)

tags: bicycle benefits, mighty-o donuts, tour de donut

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Green Lake and Wallingford paving projects are a chance to make major bike network improvements

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

May 23, 2017

A series of planned paving projects in Green Lake and Wallingford are a big chance to make significant improvements to the North Seattle bike network. And of course, the city could save a lot of money by making these improvements at the same time the streets are being torn-up for paving, anyway.

The collection of paving projects represents a new approach the city is taking for handing paving work. Instead of making each streets its own project (with its own public outreach and contract bids), SDOT is grouping nearby projects together and beginning outreach on the group of projects earlier.

SDOT is hosting an open house 5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. Wednesday at Green Lake Elementary. They will also host a drop-in session 10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. June 10 at Billings Middle School. An online open house will go live Wednesday (UPDATE: Here’s the survey link. It’s open through June 12). (more…)

tags: green lake, sdot, wallingford

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