Seattle Bike Blog

Why everyone should try Pronto before it shuts down Friday

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

March 29, 2017

Soon, these stations will become part of Seattle legend… the bike share that once was.

If you have not yet tried Pronto Cycle Share, make it your civic duty to give it a spin before it shuts down for good Friday.

Yes, I’m talking to you, haters.

I’m also talking to all of you who ride your own bikes and never saw the need or use in trying Pronto. And to all of you who don’t work or live anywhere close to the service area. Go out of your way to try it in the next couple days.

Because after Friday, Pronto will become part of Seattle lore: The public bike system that once was.

So take the light rail to UW Station and grab a Pronto to get coffee on the Ave. Or take a bus or train to International District Station and Pronto up to Pike Place Market for lunch. Find an excuse. It will only cost you $8.

Because while Pronto is going away, the debate over bike share in Seattle is not ending any time soon. And if you want to have first-hand experience to know what you’re talking about, this is your last chance.

Bike share is simply one of those things that doesn’t totally make sense until you do it yourself. There’s this almost magical feeling that happens when you dock the bike at your destination and hear it beep. You get to just walk away. The bike isn’t your responsibility anymore. You don’t even need to bike back later if you don’t want to. You can take a bus instead. Or get a ride from a friend. Whatever.

In a word, it’s freedom. (more…)

tags: pronto emerald city cycle share

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Capitol Hill groups come together to host hyperlocal Transportation Action Day

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

March 28, 2017

Several Capitol Hill community groups are working together to host a free training for anyone who wants to learn how to advocate and organize for safer streets Sunday. Afterwards, attendees will immediately put their new knowledge into action by heading out to businesses in the neighborhood to help gather support for safer streets and connected bike lanes.

“We want people to come to it and know that advocating for themselves isn’t a scary thing,” Marley Blonsky of the Capitol Hill Community Council told Kaylee Osowski at Capitol Hill Seattle.

The idea came from Capitol Hill Renters Initiative, Alex Brennan told CHS. Since, the Community Council, Seattle Neighborhood Greenways and Cascade Bicycle Club have all joined to help.

The training starts at 2 p.m. in the “Pike/Pine Room” on the second floor of the 12th Ave Arts building. After an hour inside, people will hit the streets for two hours to build support.

There are many safe streets and bike connection needs on Capitol Hill, but protected bike lanes connecting Broadway to downtown is the most pressing. The One Center City effort is working on such a plan, and business support will be important to make sure it happens.

More event details, listed by the Capitol Hill Eco District: (more…)

tags: alex brennan, capitol hill, capitol hill eco district, capitol hill renters initiative, capitol hill seattle, cascade bicycle club, marley blonsky, seattle neighborhood greenways

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First section of new Arboretum Trail opens near Madison Valley

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

March 27, 2017

A construction map showing the basic area completed (mostly finished trail stretches further, but is blocked just north of Arboretum Drive)

A key section of the new WSDOT-funded Arboretum Trail opened late last week, connecting Madison Street to the car-free Arboretum Drive.

The segment is fairly short, but it is one of the most important stretches of the whole plan for people biking. The trail gives people a way to get to Arboretum Drive without needing to bike on one of the busier sections of Lake Washington Blvd. Arboretum Drive is a beautiful, hilly route through the Arboretum that provides a lovely route for people heading to Montlake.

This connection will be even more important later this year when the 520 Trail touches down in Montlake, creating a direct biking and walking link between Seattle and Medina for the first time ever.

The full Arboretum Trail is scheduled to be complete late this year. Connections at the north end won’t truly be finished until the 520 Bridge project completes construction of its massive makeover of the Montlake area.

I biked down to check out the new section of trail and put together this video:

Some notes: (more…)

tags: arboretum, arboretum trail, parks and recreation, sr 520, wsdot

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#GivePedsTheGreen petitions SDOT to program traffic lights so they stop skipping walk signals

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

March 23, 2017

Image by Troy Heerwagen

A new petition under the hashtag #GivePedsTheGreen is calling on SDOT to make an essentially invisible and low-budget change to traffic signals that could have a big impact on walkability, safety and accessibility in all corners of Seattle. It wouldn’t require any new infrastructure at all, and people driving would likely not even notice the change.

The idea is to program traffic signals in urban villages, the urban center and other areas with many people on foot so the walk signal is never skipped. Instead, just make the program behave as though someone pushed the button every cycle. It’s a pretty simple idea that could pack a big safety benefit.

The campaign was started by Troy Heerwagen, who has written for years at his blog Walking in Seattle. He wrote a post for the Urbanist Thursday explaining the idea and urging people to support the petition. He also says to always push the button when walking so SDOT has proper counts of how many people are trying to cross the street and can adjust signals accordingly.

I can’t possibly support this idea enough. So many safe streets projects require tough trade-offs or big capital budgets, but this one doesn’t. It’s a simple tweak, but it would improve comfort, efficiency, safety and accessibility for people walking around town.

Case study: 18th and Union

(more…)

tags: #GivePedsTheGreen, sdot, Troy Heerwagen

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People get organized to restore bike lanes cut from Madison BRT project

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

March 22, 2017

This slide is from a Madison BRT project team presentation to the Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board in June 2015 (PDF). Nearly all these bike connections have since been deleted from the plan.

The latest plans out of the Madison BRT project (RapidRide G) cut nearly all of the planned bike improvements that were originally planned nearby as part of the high-budget so-called “multimodal corridor” project.

We reported in depth about the cuts last week, and safe streets groups and upset residents are pushing back. There are several ways you can get involved right now to make sure the project team, city leaders and the Move Seattle Levy Oversight Committee know you want the deleted bike lanes and neighborhood greenways back in the project as was presented during public outreach that began more than two years ago.

First, today (Wednesday) is the final day to comment on the project’s online open house. It takes quite a few clicks to get to the comment area, but stick with it.

Second, Seattle Neighborhood Greenway put out an action alert today urging people to email the project team and SDOT leaders urging them to keep the promises made early in the outreach period and during the Move Seattle levy campaign. They even have a handy online form you can use to send your message. UPDATE: Cascade Bicycle Club also has an action alert.

Third, reader Zach Lubarsky is urging people to provide public comment at the start of Thursday‘s Move Seattle Oversight Committee meeting. Show up at Seattle City Hall Room L280 before 5:30 p.m. to provide a short comment asking the committee to hold SDOT accountable for promises made leading up to the levy vote. (more…)

tags: madison brt, rapidride g

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Dispatches from the WA Bike Summit: Transpo Secretary Roger Millar: ‘We’re not just about moving cars and drivers, we’re about moving people’

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

March 21, 2017

WA Transportation Secretary Roger Millar

Be sure to check out our other notes from the 2017 WA Bike Summit.

State Transportation Secretary Roger Millar kicked off the Monday keynote with some solid jokes about job security, a reference to the sudden, politically-motivated firing his predecessor Lynn Peterson one year ago.

Millar, who walks to work every day, talked about the state’s responsibility to see beyond just personal cars.

“We’re not just about moving cars and drivers, we’re about moving people,” he said.

And he emphasized that “active transportation isn’t just for urban centers.” People in communities of all sizes across the state are either choosing to biking and walk or can’t afford another option. (more…)

tags: roger millar, washington bike summit 2017, wsdot

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