Seattle Bike Blog

Pronto Cycle Share starts charging day-pass users $2 to rent a helmet

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

May 11, 2015

Pronto workers reinstall the helmet box at Bellevue and Pine

If you buy a 24-hour or three-day pass to use Pronto Cycle Share, you will now have to pay an extra $2 to check out a helmet.

The bike share service activated the locks on their helmet bins today, which now require a key code to open. Previously, the bins were completely unlocked and Pronto users were able to borrow cleaned-and-inspected helmets for free and return them on the honor system.

Pronto reports a relatively low theft rate of about 5 percent. Many of these thefts occurred shortly after the system launched in October. Perhaps everyone looking to snag a free helmet has now done so. Early annual members also received a coupon for a free Pronto helmet to keep, and many of them may have taken it from the bin rather than from the select retail outlets like they were supposed to (*wags finger*).

Of course, the return bins will remain unlocked, so future helmet thieves or people looking to skip the $2 charge can still score a free helmet so long as they’re willing to risk getting your head lice.

Originally, Pronto planned to have helmet vending machines at each station, but there is no “commercially viable helmet-vending machine available in the U.S.,” according to a Pronto press release (read the full release below).

Annual members will get emails periodically telling them the code to continue getting free helmet rentals. They can also find the code in the Members Area of the Pronto website. So that’s one more incentive to become an annual member.

More details about the helmet rental change, from Pronto: (more…)

tags: helmet laws, pronto emerald city cycle share

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For 8th straight year, WA named #1 bike-friendly state

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

May 11, 2015

If Washington State were an NBA team, its bike-friendly championship streak would have just tied the 1959–1966 Boston Celtics at eight championships in a row, the longest ever by far.

But, of course, a major difference between the League of American Bicyclists’ bike-friendly state rankings and the NBA is that the other NBA teams are actually trying to win.

Cities across the nation are doing awesome, innovative work to make cycling safer and more welcoming. But every state is still living deep in the car age, pouring billions into expanding highway systems that only get more clogged with each new lane and interchange. State legislatures barely seem to be aware of bicycling. And many that are aware of bikes are trying to move backwards, proposing all-ages helmet laws, doomed bicycle license schemes and even mandatory dayglo vest laws.

So when Washington State passes laws like the Vulnerable User Law and invests a miniscule percentage of the transportation budget into trails, Safe Routes to School and bicycle education, that’s all it takes to jump over the low bar required to reach the top bike-friendly state spot. Washington only received 66 out a possible 100 points, but that solid D grade was enough to secure an eight-peat.

Come on, rest of the country, get it together.

(more…)

tags: 2015 legislature, washington bikes, wsdot

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Watch these happy Cascade Bicycle Club videos

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

May 8, 2015

Cascade Bicycle Club hosed their Bike Everywhere Breakfast Thursday, and attendees saw a series of happy bike videos. I can’t think of a better post for this crazy sunny afternoon.

First off, we already told you about the 1,000 postcards Connect Downtown leaders Rosalie Daggett and Lindsay Buzzo delivered to Mayor Ed Murray during the breakfast. Well, here’s a video they made from their efforts to help collect them:

(more…)

tags: cascade bicycle club, connect downtown, diana nguyen, haley woods, kalpana kanal, lindsay buzzo, rosalie daggett

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Madison BRT project could also build better Union St bike lanes

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

May 8, 2015

Image from SDOT (12th/Union/Madison)

Union Street could get a major bike lane update as part of the Madison Bus Rapid Transit project, according to city plans presented at an open house earlier this week.

The bike route upgrades are part of an attempt to make the Madison Street BRT project a “complete street” by building a nearby “parallel” bike facility rather than trying to squeeze a bike lane onto Madison itself. I’m going to focus on the bike elements here, but you can learn more about the transit elements of the plan in this story from Capitol Hill Seattle.

The first thing you will notice when looking at the bike route map is that it sure stretches the definition of the word “parallel.” Madison is a diagonal street in the grid, so there is no truly parallel route, which planners admit in their outreach materials:

The Madison BRT study includes the identification of a “parallel” bikeway facility. As a diagonal street in a grid network, it is not possible to develop a precise parallel route to Madison for bicyclists. However, with a suite of targeted bikeway investments and intersection enhancements, improved bicycle access to existing destinations and the future bus rapid transit service on Madison Street is possible. The goal of this bikeway is to improve bicycle access for people of all ages and abilities.

(more…)

tags: capitol hill, central district, downtown, first hill, jean tinnea, madison, madison brt, positively union, seneca, spring, union street

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Murray announces plans for big Pronto expansion at annual Bike Month Breakfast

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

May 7, 2015

Connect Downtown members present Mayor Ed Murray with 1,000 postcards in support of more downtown protected bike lanes

Mayor Ed Murray announced early plans for a big expansion of Pronto Cycle Share to bring the system to more Seattle neighborhoods, especially to low-income neighborhoods where access to a working bicycle is a major barrier.

“It’s not gonna be easy, and we’re gonna need help from the Federal government,” Murray said to the crowd gathered downtown for the annual Bike Month Breakfast hosted by Cascade Bicycle Club. There were no further specifics on the plan, but stay tuned.

The idea came in part from conversations Murray and SDOT Director Scott Kubly have had recently with leaders of minority and refugee groups who, Murray said, were not excited about further Bike Plan investments. Murray challenged bike organizations and the bike and environmental movement in general to work hard to expand diversity in membership and leadership.

There is one key front where bike/walk leadership is way ahead: Women. Though membership and participation rates for cycling remain heavily male, nearly every Executive Director of a locally-based biking and walking advocacy organization is a women. Cascade Executive Director Elizabeth Kiker gave a shout out to Cathy Tuttle (Seattle Neighborhood Greenways), Barb Chamberlain (WA Bikes), Lisa Quinn (Feet First), Deb Salls (Bike Works), Jessica Szelag (Commute Seattle) and Rebecca Saldaña (Puget Sound Sage), then she referred to Rob Johnson (Transportation Choices) as the “token man.” (more…)

tags: bike everywhere breakfast 2015, bike month 2015, cascade bicycle club, ed murray

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Mayor updates Move Seattle levy, could put Bike Master Plan on track for first time ever

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

May 6, 2015

How Seattle does community feedback.

When Seattle created the 2007 Bicycle Master Plan, it was clear that the $365 million Bridging the Gap levy did not include enough funding to keep the plan on track. In fact, the city never even got close to funding that plan at the rate required to reach its goals. By some measures, the city had funded less than half the recommended amount before enough time had passed to renew the plan.

With a new and much better plan in place, the Move Seattle Levy is gearing up to replace Bridging the Gap, which expires at the end of the year. And Mayor Ed Murray claims the revised version he is sending to the City Council includes enough funding to put the 20-year Bike Plan on track to be half completed by the time it turns ten years old.

Murray and his administration announced the revised levy during a press even on Beacon Hill Wednesday. There are no huge surprises and few giant changes from the first version, though there are pretty significant increases in sidewalk and intersection work.

The Mayor’s Office will submit their detailed plan to the City Council very soon, and the Council will then have the chance to make changes before passing a version this summer to send to voters in November.

Here’s a quick rundown of what’s different as far as biking and walking is concerned (see more in this PDF): (more…)

tags: ed murray, move seattle

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