Seattle Bike Blog

‘Your neighbor was killed in a car crash here.’ 200+ yellow memorial silhouettes installed around Seattle

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

November 16, 2023

Photo by Seattle Neighborhood Greenways volunteer Eric Mackres.
If you see a yellow silhouette attached to a pole or sign around town, it’s there because a person was killed in a traffic collision near that spot in the nearly nine years since Seattle first approved it’s Vision Zero goal in 2015. The sheer number of these yellow memorials, numbering over 200, provides a grim status report on the city’s progress toward its goal of zero traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2030.
The signs have been installed thanks to a significant volunteer-powered effort led by Seattle Neighborhood Greenways and are part of the annual World Day of Remembrance memorializing victims of traffic violence and calling for change.
In addition to the signs, Seattle Neighborhood Greenways has two community walks planned in two of the city’s worst hot spots for traffic deaths: SoDo and Aurora. Details:
11 a.m. Friday, November 17
SODO – SODO Link Station Station

11 a.m. Saturday, November 18
Aurora Avenue – Aurora Ave and N 84th Street
This year, Seattle Neighborhood Greenways is specifically targeting the most dangerous kinds of streets in the city. “80% of pedestrian fatalities occur on streets with more than one travel lane in each direction — our wide, busy streets where people feel comfortable driving fast,” said Gordon Padelford, Seattle Neighborhood Greenways Executive Director, in a press release. “Meanwhile, 80% of people biking are killed on streets without bike lanes.”
A disproportionate percentage of recent increases in traffic deaths have been people walking, so that should be an obvious top priority for traffic safety efforts. But World Day of Remembrance is about everyone killed in traffic, including people in cars.
(more…)

tags: eric mackres, gordon padelford, sdot, seattle neighborhood greenways, vision zero, world day of remembrance, world day of remembrance 2023

— Advertisement —
Watch: Talking about Cranksgiving on Q13

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

November 14, 2023

Watch on the Q13 website.
Paul Tolmé from Cascade and I were on Q13’s Studio 13 Live show this morning. I just love talking about Cranksgiving. It such a positive day, and all you make it that way one bike bag full of food at a time.
Cranksgiving is Saturday, and all the details are coming together nicely. For the second year, Cascade Bicycle Club’s Pedaling Relief Project has been doing a lot of work to not only make the event more fun and dynamic for riders, but also more helpful for our food bank partners. I am just so happy with how this partnership is going, and I can’t wait for you all join us Saturday (more details in our previous post).
I had a great time at Cascade’s office last Thursday getting help from people from various wings of the organization pitching in to help make spoke cards or create signage for Cranksgiving. It remains a very low-budget event, and all the handmade signs and details just add to that feel.
(more…)

tags: cascade bicycle club, cranksgiving 2023, q13

— Advertisement —
Tuesday: Cascade is screening The Street Project

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

November 10, 2023

Cascade Bicycle Club is hosting a screening of The Street Project 6 p.m. Tuesday (Nov. 14) at their office in Magnuson Park.
The 50-minute documentary “is an inspiring story about the global, citizen-led fight to make our streets safer,” according to the trailer:
There will be a Q&A with Cascade advocacy staff after the film.

tags: cascade bicycle club, events, the street project

— Advertisement —
On a bike/Link/Amtrak adventure to Vancouver, WA

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

November 8, 2023

I’m on my way to Vancouver, WA, with a Brompton full of books. A bike to Link to Amtrak adventure is a lovely way to start a day.
I’m giving a book presentation and selling copies at the Vancouver Bicycle Club meeting, 5pm at the Aero Room this evening (Nov. 8).
It’s amazing how much less stressful and complicated train travel is compared to flying. The scenery is amazing, they have regular power outlets, and you can use your phone like normal. And, of course, you emit vastly fewer emissions along the way.
I don’t think most people yet understand how much they will love high speed rail when we finally get around to building it. The biggest issues holding rail travel back are speed and reliability, and building high-speed dedicated tracks will solve both those issues. The Washington State legislature funded some early planning work for a high-speed upgrade for the Cascades route, and that work is ongoing.
(more…)

tags: amtrak, biking uphill in the rain, Vancouver WA

— Advertisement —
Good bike lights are empowering

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

November 7, 2023

A foggy evening ride.
Good bike lights are empowering, pun intended. But really, with the end of daylight savings plummeting evening commutes and dinnertime grocery runs into darkness, many readers may be spending a lot of time biking around town at night for the first time. But with a good set of lights, a little darkness does not need to be a reason to leave your bike at home. In fact, some of the most fun I’ve ever had on a bike happened at night. Having lights and whatever other reflective stuff helps you feel confident riding at night is an incredible feeling. Add in proper rain gear, and nothing can stop you from getting around by bike.
Speaking of night riding, Commute Seattle is hosting their annual Light Up Your Trip event from 3–5 p.m. Wednesday (Nov 8) in Occidental Park in Pioneer Square. You an score free safety gear, food and more.
The good news for bike light buyers these days is that technological advancements in LEDs and batteries mean that a good set of lights is easier to find and more affordable than ever. When I first started writing this site, awful little lights powered by watch batteries were still very common. Now you can get powerful lights in all kinds of form factors, which is great. The downside, of course, is that with so many choices and no clear standards (in the US anyway), it can difficult to know what to choose. So while I have written versions of this post many times before, here is my updated advice for 2023:
(more…)

tags: bike lights, daylight savings time

— Advertisement —
Parts of the temporary Marion Street walkway will be repurposed as Sound-to-Pacific Trail bridges

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

November 6, 2023

Photo courtesy of Steve Durrant, Puget Sound to Pacific Collaborative.
The new Marion Street Pedestrian Bridge to the revamped Seattle Ferry Terminal is set to open this week, and crews removed the temporary walkway over the weekend. But thanks to a creative exchange the Puget Sound to Pacific Collaborative facilitated between the City of Seattle and Clallam County, that temporary walkway will not go to waste. Five of the spans are heading across the sound so they can be repurposed as part of the Puget Sound to Pacific (“PS2P”) trail system, a vision for 200 miles of trails from Bainbridge, Kingston and Port Townsend Ferry Terminals to the Pacific Ocean at La Push.
The deal was fairly simple: The City of Seattle donated the spans to Clallam County in exchange for the county funding the work to take them away. So instead of being sold for scrap metal, they they will be reused to help complete a regional trail that will ultimately connect to Seattle via the ferry. Even though Seattle and Clallam County do not share a border, they share an interest in this trail. There are many missing rail trestles along the planned trail route, and rebuilding those spans will likely be among the more costly elements of the trail construction effort. For now, the spans will be stored until they are needed.
(more…)

tags: clallam county, puget sound to pacific collaborative, Puget Sound to Pacific Trail, steve durrant

— Advertisement —