I’m trying something new for this month’s meeting of the Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board. I’m posting the agenda now in case you want to attend (they are open to the public). But and I will update this post during the meeting tonight to fill you all in on what is discussed.
The Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board is run by volunteers who are approved by the City Council to advise the city (especially SDOT) on matters relating to bicycling. SBAB meetings (first Wednesday of each month) are often interesting, but items discussed don’t always get turned into full stories here on the blog. I’m hoping this will be a way to get interesting stuff out there. So check this post later for updates.
Imagine a gondola from the waterfront to the convention center with a stop at Pike Place Market. Now imagine that you can bring your bike on board. Would you use it?
That’s the plan that Pier 57 and Waterfront Ferris Wheel owner Hal Griffith announced Tuesday. The privately-funded gondola is designed to increase access to the remade waterfront, and is scheduled to open shortly after the viaduct is torn down.
The gondola would run along Union Street, suspended well above the trolleybus wires. Ticket prices have not been set, but the Seattle PI reports they could end up around $5.
Remember that amazing Seattle-made, Seahawks-themed Rodriguez bike that Mayor Ed Murray put on the line in his Super Bowl bet with Denver Mayor Michael Hancock? Well, (spoiler alert) the Seahawks won and the bike stayed here. And there’s really only one obvious choice about what to do with it: Donate it to the Bike Works auction.
The organization’s annual auction is March 23, and today (Tuesday) is the last day to score early bird tickets ($90). So if you’ve been waiting for whatever reason, go buy ’em online now.
As with the past several years, yours truly will be a volunteer at the auction. Seattle Bike Blog has also donated an item to the silent auction (you’ll have to go to find out what it is). Bike Works is an amazing organization empowering youth and adults through bicycles, whether its riding or fixing them. It’s always great to hear from people whose lives have been impacted by the Columbia City-based organization.
If you have the cash, you can bid on some fantastic and often clever stuff. If not, well, it’s still a good time and a chance to give what you can. The auction has expanded this year, so there is a seat for you if you’ve never been before.
The Seahawks bike will likely be one of the top items, and proceeds for that auction will be shared between Bike Works and Food Lifeline. R+E Cycles posted the story behind how the bike came to be on their blog.
“This is a very special bike. It brought us luck in the Super Bowl and it will be auctioned to help two great charitable organizations,” said Mayor Murray in a press release. Here’s the full text of the release: (more…)
It’s time for the Bike News Roundup! Here’s a spattering of transportation news from around the region and the globe. As always, this is an open thread.
First up, classic Bill Nye demonstrating the distance between planets by riding his bike (Spoiler: They are really far apart):
The city has announced the route for its longest neighborhood greenway yet. The Central Area Neighborhood Greenway clocks in around three miles, connecting from the I-90 Trail to Interlaken Park and traveling through the heart of the Central District, the Colman neighborhood, Miller Park and the eastern edge of Capitol Hill.
The city will work on specific design for the greenway over the next couple months with plans to start construction in June. If all goes according to schedule, it should be finished by December. UPDATE: Only the Jackson to John segment will be constructed in 2014, with the rest of the project coming in later phases.
Planners refer to it as a “hybrid” route because they were originally looking for a route either on the west or east side of busy 23rd Ave, which will be repaved over the next couple years.
However, since the intention of the project is to serve 23rd Ave destinations, a route that crosses 23rd Ave at Columbia was determined to be best. South of Garfield High School, the route will be on the east side of 23rd. North of Garfield, it will be on the west side.
Once completed, it will be possible to bike all the way from Interlaken Park to Georgetown utilizing the Central Area and Beacon Hill neighborhood greenways, which are connected by the I-90 Trail. That’s pretty cool. Here’s the route: (more…)
Here’s an example of someone channeling their anger at bike thieves into something valuable. Local coder Chip attended a recent Code for Seattle hackathon and used his experience losing bikes to thieves to inspire a project: An interactive map of bike theft locations.
The map is not fully functional as is, but it’s a good proof of concept.
Upon arriving breakfast was served. After grabbing coffee and donuts and mingled for a little, we headed to the main room for Open Data Talks. It opened my eyes that there has been great progress — organizations and individuals are working to make the government’s data more transparent. When Neil whom represents The City of Seattle was giving his talk about metadata at https://data.seattle.gov, the word “stolen bicycle” suddenly flashed in my mind. I had this idea of working on the website about raising awareness about bike thieves after my bicycle get stolen for the third time.
