Seattle Bike Blog

More details on planned improvements at Rainier and Dearborn

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

July 17, 2014

Image from Google Street View

Yesterday, we posted about the city’s planned Neighborhood Street Fund improvements. Among the list of new sidewalks and better street crossings was this item:

Dearborn and Rainier is an absolutely terrible intersection, and a big problem spot for a major bike route into downtown. The city already has plans for a neighborhood greenway on Hiawatha, a low-traffic street that connects to the I-90 Trail.

The NSF project is not the high-budget remake of the intersection that is needed, but it’s a nudge in the right direction.

From the Bike Master Plan. Rainier is the blue line parallel to Hiawatha.

Dearborn has inadequate paint-only bike lanes for such a busy street with freeway ramps. The Bike Master Plan calls for protected bike lanes on the street, which will likely be a major project.

In fact, after downtown itself, protected bike lanes on the north end of Rainier (MLK to Jackson) and the Dearborn connection to downtown might be among the most important major projects in the entire master plan. It would open up a lot of Rainier Valley bike route options that do not exist today, and it would make a very dangerous and uncomfortable street safer for everyone.

The Neighborhood Street Fund improvement will not fix the problem, but it will make the northeast sidewalk much more comfortable and make it easier for people on bikes to trigger the light.

Here’s the project description from SDOT spokesperson Rick Sheridan: (more…)

tags: dearborn st, neighborhood street fund, rainier ave, sdot

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Balk: Seattle car ownership is down, but it’s up in places you’d least expect

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

July 16, 2014

K. Potts / The Seattle Times. Used with permission. Click for interactive graphic.

You almost cannot stand anywhere in the city center or Capitol Hill without seeing construction cranes. The number of residences in these walkable, bikeable and transit-rich areas is rising fast. It’s clear that people want to live where they have more transportation options.

But analysis by Gene Balk at The Seattle Times found something interesting: The population growth is outpacing car ownership growth in nearly all of King County, but not in the Seattle city center.

First, a note about the data. The map compares the percent change in the adult (18+) population to percent change in car ownership by zip code between 2010 and 2013. The city center zip codes had the lowest car ownership rates in the region. So while it would take a lot of new residents to grow the population percent change, it takes relatively little growth in car ownership to register as a big percent change.

But it’s still a little troubling to see such growth in car ownership in the exact areas of the city where living car-free is easiest. (more…)

tags: capitol hill, downtown, gene balk, gentrification, seattle times

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Was this item delivered by bike? The next step in product labeling

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

July 15, 2014

Image from Freewheel.

You’re just trying to pick up some coffee from the grocery store on your way home, but now you find yourself overwhelmed with options. This bag is organic, these are Fair Trade, the beans in this one are green (I don’t think my French press can handle those).

That’s when you notice a label next to a bag from Middle Fork Roasters: “This product was delivered by a bicycle.”

As we reported in April, Freewheel is a young company that makes deliveries using a cargo-hauling electric-assist box bike (technically, a tricycle). While making deliveries by bike is nothing new, Freewheel’s highly visible bike and big cargo space make it stand out and expand the number of things than can be effectively moved by bike. (more…)

tags: dan kohler, freewheel carbon free cargo

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With focus on safety and access, Neighborhood Street Fund projects inch closer to construction

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

July 15, 2014

The city has released an update on the Neighborhood Street Fund projects in the pipe for completion in 2014 and 2015, and the list is full of much-needed sidewalks and improved street crossings.

Funded by the Bridging the Gap levy, the NSF projects are community-driven ideas that go through an extensive vetting process both by the city and by neighborhood councils. SDOT outlined the process in a blog post: (more…)

tags: bridging the gap, neighborhood street fund, sdot

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How Seattle can build more and better bike parking

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

July 14, 2014

Bike parking is not the sexiest bike issue, but it’s important. As biking increases, the city must keep up by installing more bike racks. And with public sidewalk space at a premium in many areas, that means getting creative with where bike parking should go.

At the same time, private developers and property managers have few guidelines for what kinds of bike parking is best and how to properly place it to maximize usability. As the number of cranes in Seattle shows no sign of decreasing, it’s important that the new buildings install enough high-quality bike parking to meet the needs of all the bikes that will pull up to its businesses and residences.

That’s why Cascade Bicycle Club and Seattle Neighborhood Greenways hosted Rackathon, a two-hour summit focused on a wide range of bike parking issues.

Style

A staple rack with a cool Seattle flare.

There are tons of different bike rack styles, and many were on display at the event. While there is a time and place to non-conventional bike racks, the major takeaway for me was that it is really hard to beat the dependable and ubiquitous “staple” rack, at least for outdoor, public spaces.

The staple rack is versatile — works well on the sidewalk, in an on-street bike corral, and in a parking garage — and just about any kind of bike can be locked to it. Most bike rack makers have a version of the staple rack, so it also does not limit competition. Many bike rack alternatives — except for some truly awesome public art racks — feel a bit like trying to invent a better mouse trap. (more…)

tags: bike parking, cascade bicycle club, on-street bike parking, rackathon, seattle neighborhood greenways

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KUOW: Family bikes and better bike routes key to getting more Seattleites to bike

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

July 14, 2014

KUOW has a wonderful radio story asking a question at the core of the recently-approved Bike Master Plan: How can Seattle get more people biking?

The first answer is pretty straightforward: More connected and complete bike routes that are comfortable for people of all ages and abilities. The more places people can get to without feeling stressed or in danger, the more trips people will choose to bike.

The second answer is just as important, but perhaps less talked about: People need bikes versatile enough to accomplish all life tasks. For families, that means Seattle needs access to cargo bikes.

Two Seattle Bike Blog advertisers sell family bikes (Ride Bicycles and G&O Family Cyclery). KUOW chats with Davey Oil of G&O, who explains the need his shop is trying to meet. From KUOW: (more…)

tags: g&o family cyclerly, kuow

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