Seattle Bike Blog

Seattle fails to achieve ‘platinum’ bike-friendly rating + Here’s how to get there

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

December 1, 2014

Seattle is, once again, a gold-level bike friendly community, according to the League of American Bicyclists.

While Seattle is the only gold-level community in Washington State and one of only four US cities with populations larger than 300,000 to achieve gold status, the reconfirmation of gold status shows that the city is not doing enough to be a true top-tier leader in becoming a truly bike-friendly US city.

The good news is that Seattle has done a lot of work to get up to speed on advocacy and planning. But the city has a whole lot of work left to do to build a complete and connected network of bike lanes and neighborhood greenways. Despite what some angry talk radio hosts or Seattle Times commenters might say, only 17 percent of Seattle’s arterial streets have bike lanes. That’s far lower than the platinum city average of 78 percent.

Seattle has a lot of work to do.

(more…)

tags: bicycle friendly communities, league of american bicyclists

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Hub & Bespoke shutting down Fremont storefront

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

December 1, 2014

Juliette and Aldan, the stylish folks behind Hub & Bespoke. Photo From H&B

Hub & Bespoke and Seattle Bike Blog have essentially grown together. They opened their doors on N 36th Street in Fremont around the same time this blog started in 2010. While we reported bike news and opinion for people using bikes as transportation, Hub & Bespoke was stocking their shelves with stylish accessories and clothing for folks to get around town on two wheels. They are also one of our most consistent advertisers.

So I was sad to receive word that Juliette Delfs and Aldan Shank are shutting down the storefront at the end of the year.

The Hub & Bespoke name is not going away entirely, however. Their website and online store will continue, and they will shift their focus to design and production of their in-house clothing, such as their women’s riding coat. Most of their efforts will be dedicated to women’s clothing lines.

But one of the coolest parts of Hub & Bespoke was their dedication to local designers and makers. It was a place you could go to see what Seattle-area makers are creating, and it was a place for small-scale designers to get their stuff on a sales rack. But the shop simply wasn’t making enough to support them.

So you have a month to shop there, and you’ll find their wares on sale. Clearly, a great chance to snag some gifts for all your bikey friends and family members. Here’s the announcement from Hub & Bespoke: (more…)

tags: fremont, hub and bespoke

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Sally Clark struck person biking in Tacoma + Why she should become leader for safe streets

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

November 26, 2014

Photo from Sally Clark’s office.

Seattle City Councilmember Sally Clark was driving in Tacoma looking for a church when she made a left turn directly into the path of someone biking back in May 2012. Steve Fairbanks had the right of way and had no time to stop before colliding with the side of Clark’s Ford Escape, seriously injuring his left leg.

Fairbanks’ recovery has been long and painful, and his leg has been left permanently deformed. He has also lost sensation in places and deals with chronic pain, according to a claim filed against the City of Seattle this month.

Clark was acting in her official capacity when the collision occurred, opening the city to legal liability for any costs beyond the meager $25,000 covered by her car insurance.

Clark had not spoken publicly about the incident until Tuesday, when the lawsuit brought the incident to light two and half years later. She said she did not see Fairbanks before turning in front of him.

“I was in my personal car and taking a left turn just before arriving at the location,” Clark wrote in a statement reported by the Seattle Times. “I did not see an oncoming cyclist and he didn’t have time to stop before running into my passenger side door. I and others immediately called 911 and stayed with the cyclist until he was taken to the hospital. He had a clearly broken leg.”

Both Clark and Fairbanks were traveling on South 9th Street when Clark turned left onto South Market Street. Here’s a view of the intersection as it was in 2012: (more…)

tags: injuries, sally clark, tacoma

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Cranksgiving 2014 riders haul 1,201 pounds of food to Rainier Valley Food Bank

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

November 26, 2014

105 people biked all around Seattle Saturday buying food to donate to Rainier Valley Food Bank. Seattle’s fifth annual Cranksgiving delivered an astounding 1,201 pounds of food, all purchased from unique local food sellers and hauled by bicycle.

Big thanks to everyone who came out for the ride, and thanks to Rainier Valley Food Bank for all they do to help families put food on their tables. In the past week, RVFB has served 1,391 people, including a record-breaking day November 19. While need tends to peak around the holidays, RVFB serves people all year round. Learn more on their website if you are interested in helping out or volunteering.

Seattle Bike Blog has organized the Seattle Cranksgiving for the past five years, but similar rides also happen in more than 60 cities across the country. The idea continues to spread and grow, and this year the Today show hosts participated in a handful of cities. So maybe next year there will be even more Cranksgiving rides, especially in West Coast cities where efforts have been slower to get going than on the East Coast where it started in the late 90s.

Seattle’s Cranksgiving 2014 started at Gas Works Park and ended at the Royal Room in Columbia City. You can see the full manifest with the list of items, grocery sellers and other challenges riders had to complete on the bike ride scavenger hunt.

Big thanks to the Royal Room for being a great after party venue and providing coffee, drinks and food after a long day of biking. It was not rare for riders to go more than 25 miles during the course of the ride, all while carrying more and more groceries.

Thanks also to Verity Credit Union for sponsoring the event and to our prize sponsors: Detours, Swift Industries, Hub & Bespoke, Flying Lion Brewery, Family Bike Seattle, Bicycle Benefits, and Taking the Lane Media.

Below are some scenes from the ride. See you all next Cranksgiving! (more…)

tags: cranksgiving, cranksgiving 2014

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The Bicycle Story: Former Mayor McGinn on Seattle’s ‘bikelash’

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

November 25, 2014

McGinn announces plans for the NE 75th Street safety project

Maybe it needs to happen in every town on its way to taking bicycling seriously as a mode of transportation: Bikelash. It’s a clever term to describe a period of public outrage over bicycling projects when neighbors believe that the projects will have a potential impact on driving.

Bike projects in Seattle today are not exactly controversy-free, but the response is nothing like what it was just a few years ago. Then-Mayor Mike McGinn was the lightning rod for a lot of that anger, and his political opponents and many reporters found it convenient to bludgeon him over bike issues. But he embraced his identity as a biking mayor, and he played a key role in directing the conversation away from bikes vs cars and toward safe streets for all users.

McGinn did not win a second term, but the conversation about safe streets when he left office was in a dramatically different place compared to when he assumed office just four years earlier.

In some ways, bikelash describes an often frustrating but necessary process where community members need to hash out opinions on street safety and car dominance. But it also forces bike advocates to better understand people’s concerns and expand the coalition of people who support safe streets. It also pushes safe streets advocates and politicians to better understand how to talk about safe streets, which is a concept essentially all neighbors support. (more…)

tags: bikelash, josh cohen, mike mcginn, the bicycle story

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Police looking for person who painted, scrawled messages on Pronto bikes

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

November 24, 2014

Image from SPD

Pronto Cycle Share launched in October, introducing 500 identical green bikes on the streets of Seattle. But I guess they’re not all identical anymore.

Police are seeking a man they say vandalized two Pronto bikes, painting one entirely silver and writing all over the other with a permanent marker. Damages are estimated at around $1,250 in part because the silver bike may not be salvageable.

Police say the man used the same credit card to check out both bikes.

Like anything in public space, Pronto does expect some vandalism to equipment. And some of it is fairly harmless, like this Mike Tyson sticker. And with Alaska Airlines in the protest spotlight over $15 minimum wage issues (Councilmember Kshama Sawant was arrested last week protesting at their headquarters), I have wondered if the bikes could become targets.

The recent vandalism, however, does not appear to have a clear message.

So, to recap: Don’t vandalize Pronto bikes. Pronto has to pay to repair them, not Alaska Airlines. But if you absolutely have to do something, at the very least don’t damage the working parts.

Details from SPD: (more…)

tags: crime, pronto emerald city cycle share, spd

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