As increases in cycling among adults continues to grab attention in Seattle, school kids may actually be leading the way. Many Seattle schools saw bike-to-school rates that would make any major employer drool, and there’s no sign of things slowing down.
Not only is it dangerous to have so many parents drive their kids to and from school, but it’s simply not cool anymore.
So if you are a parent, teacher, school administrator or community leader, Cascade Bicycle Club and Washington Bikes have teamed up to hold a free workshop Saturday so you can learn how your school can join the bike-to-school revolution.
A lot of you biked to a Super Bowl party Sunday, and the Fremont Bridge bike counter captured the data to prove it. It also looks like a bunch of you hung around for a little post-game partying and high-fiving, too.
SDOT posted the graph above on their blog, which shows above-average bike trip rates in the hours before and after the game, but a big lull during it. I suppose there are no surprises here, but if there was any doubt that the 12th Man rides a bike, the answer is yes.
And the city is going to need a whole lot of you to do it again Wednesday. King County anticipates some seriously packed buses as fans swarm downtown for the victory parade. And obviously, driving to the parade will be hell. (more…)
EDITOR’S NOTE: After reading Seth Norman’s guest column in the Seattle Times, I noticed that the piece needed a little editing work. Specifically, it seemed the author forgot to mention that we have a tried and true way to improve traffic safety: Investments in safer street design. I have heavily edited his piece, though not at the request of the Times or Norman. He said he wanted to start a discussion about fear on the streets, but I think the version below is a much better starting point for that conversation than was presented in the rough draft posted in the Times. Enjoy
Fear: Yours really should run rampant, I think, but here I refer to the trepidation of drivers steering massive machines that — mishandled in one moment — will leave you crippled, maimed or dead.
I experience this whenever I drive on a highway or busy street. I won’t see another car coming, and can’t hear most other cars at all even as they pass just feet away. Even then I can’t know if there’s a tailgater behind it, or some Grand Prix wannabe slaloming up fast or a jerk to my left texting an emoticon.
I can’t know if there’s a pothole ahead of me, busted asphalt I’ll need to dodge or someone crossing the street about to step out behind a parked car right into my car’s grill.
All that’s certain is that for several seconds, many people’s lives are in my hands.
And people are so fragile, slow antelopes pacing an elephant herd (though I suppose antelopes are actually must faster than elephants, but you get my point). You trust that I’m not oblivious, distracted, half-tanked or a full-blown sociopath eager for sport. Your faith bewilders me, frankly. While I don’t challenge your legal or moral rights to drive, bike or otherwise live city life, sometimes I wonder about your sanity. Well, our sanity, I suppose. (more…)
In early March, bike trail connections will open that should make the intersection easier to navigate. In the meantime, state says to be cautious.
The Washington State Department of Transportation opened a new overpass at S Atlantic Street to help people bypass a sometimes frustrating railroad crossing near Alaskan Way S. But people on bikes were met with frustration and confusion when the overpass opened last week.
The biggest issue is that the northbound bike lane on Alaskan Way S currently ends abruptly at the entrance to the new overpass. A planned bike path on the east side of the new overpass does not yet exist, leaving people to figure out how to safely access the waterfront trail.
Seattle Bike Blog commenters documented some of this confusion, and WSDOT officials were reading. Genevieve Stokes, communications officer for the Alaskan Way Viaduct Project, said the state has made some changes to how people on bikes move through the area.
“After we opened the overpass, we got some feedback from a few different bicyclists on how we could make it clearer,” she said. “We’ve added some pylons, and more clearly indicate how bikers should cross the street.”
Basically, when you cross the intersection in the northbound bike lane, you are supposed to wait at the northeast corner and use the walk signal to access the trail.
“I know it’s not an idea situation for bicyclists to have to cross in a pedestrian crosswalk,” said Stokes, but “a much better solution is coming soon.” (more…)
Two weeks ago, people biking southbound on the new Broadway Bikeway were met with a surprise: Oncoming cars.
No, these were not scofflaws behind the wheel, they were following a new detour put in place by Sound Transit as part of the Capitol Hill Station construction. Unfortunately, there was little warning to people on bikes that the northernmost block of the brand new bikeway had been scrubbed out, leading to quite a few people having hair-raising experiences.
After several people took to Twitter to express their concerns, Sound Transit spokesperson Bruce Gray sent me an honest response: “Yes, this part of the project is not off to a great start.” The issues were also well documented by Capitol Hill Seattle.
A few weeks later, Sound Transit has installed signs pointing people on bikes to a detour around Broadway.
The opening of a short section of the Broadway Bikeway has certainly been a learning experience in many ways for the city. Many of the early issues surrounding parking confusion were solved quickly, which is a good sign for future projects.
With construction getting closer to reaching Yesler Way, the southern end of the bikeway is getting tantalizingly close to being finished. But the northern end will be facing construction headaches for most of 2014.
The Bike Master Plan update, which is still awaiting City Council approval, even suggests extending the bikeway all the way to 520 and Roanoke Park. How amazing would that be?
There is one big problem when a huge neighborhood only has a couple points of access for people on bikes: What happens when one of those points closes?
Well, that will happen tonight (Friday) when the lower West Seattle Bridge closes from 8 p.m. until midnight so the US Army Corps of Engineers can dredge the Duwamish River floor.
So if you need to bike to West Seattle tonight, better do it before 8. Unless, of course, you’re in the mood for a nice long bike ride all the way down to the 1st Avenue Bridge (or you can catch a bus, though the bike slots might be in high demand).
Details from SDOT:
The Spokane Street Bridge will be closed to motor vehicles on Friday night, Jan. 31, from 8 p.m. to midnight. The closure will allow a contractor working for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to dredge the channel where silt has accumulated. Drivers are advised to use the high-level West Seattle Bridge during this time. (more…)
