Seattle Bike Blog

FamilyRide: Kidical Mass swings by the under-construction Missing Link, Ballard Greenway bike counter

By

Madi Carlson

| Posted

January 8, 2014

Sunday’s Kidical Mass ride took us to Ballard for our first look at the new two-way bikeway for part of the Burke-Gilman Trail Missing Link. The paint isn’t down yet and I hope they’ll put more dividers in to make things clearer, but most of the signs are up. We only took it in the westerly direction, but I don’t think it’s marked yet from the other direction because we only saw bikes coming towards us on the car half (which is fine and in fact it’s still marked with sharrows…though those will probably be sandblasted off at some point).

Click my photo below for a larger version. Bikes approach from the Burke-Gilman Trail, next to a sidewalk, off frame to the left. I hope diagonal paint will make it easy to access the bikeway entrance.

Here’s the new all-way stop as The Missing Link crosses 14th. I don’t come through here at commute time so I’ve never seen it busy.

More cones. I don’t know if there are plans to paint the whole bike half green, but I hope so. (more…)

tags: ballard, ballard neighborhood greenways, familyride, kidical mass, missing link, nw 58th st

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People biked over the Fremont Bridge 926,025 times in 2013 + cycling rates up 17-20% year-over-year

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

January 7, 2014
This first bike to be counted by the Fremont Bridge counter carried two people.

On average, 106 people biked across the Fremont Bridge every hour in 2013, and so far the trend keeps climbing year-over-year.

We didn’t make it to 1 million trips in 2013, but we got close: 926,025. And at the current rate of growth in bike trips, it might not be too long before we get there.

The bike counter was installed in mid-October 2012, so we only have two full months of year-on-year data to draw from. But so far, the results are promising:
- Fremont Bridge bike trips in November 2013 were 17 percent higher than November 2012.
- December 2013 was 20 percent higher than December 2012.
The year’s bikiest day was June 4, which clocked 5,121 trips. June 4 also happens to be my birthday, so thanks for that awesome present, Seattle! If you are wondering what to get the bike blogger who has everything, try biking even more this year.

The Fremont Bridge counter is likely a good barometer for biking trends across the city because it is at a bike route pinch point next to a commercial area. There are several other bike counters going in now, so that data will help give an even better picture of bike usage in the city.

The raw numbers, while fun to track, say a bit less than the year-over-year bike use trends. We will be following closely to see if the trend holds up over time. If it does, we could be celebrating 1 million 2014 bike trips some time this fall… (more…)
tags: bike counter, fremont

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Minneapolis takes lessons from Seattle’s bike plan to guide their own

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

January 7, 2014
Screenshot from the Bikeways for Everyone website

Minneapolis and Hennepin County are reworking their bike plans, and Bikeways for Everyone has been following Seattle’s Bike Master Plan development for ways to “draw lessons from Seattle’s achievements.”

Their list of lessons?
- Get businesses on board: “after they built a protected bike lane in Manhattan, nearby stores saw sales increase by 49%, while the average growth across the borough was just 3%.”
- Talk to — and listen to — stakeholders: “The Seattle Department of Transportation collectively spent thousands of hours meeting with neighborhood organizations, businesses, residents, and other stakeholders all over the city, listening to their hopes and concerns for their neighborhoods.”
- Communicate clearly: “A well-organized public outreach campaign can be ruined by too much engineering jargon.”
- Don’t shame people — entice them: “Building world-class bike infrastructure is just as much about possibilities as it is about problems. Seattle Neighborhood Greenways won supporters in all the corners of the city by promoting improvements that make streets safer for all users. That’s something Minneapolis can get excited about, too.”
Of course, Seattle’s bike plan has not yet been approved by the City Council. Though it sailed through a public hearing with overwhelming support for all but a couple miles of planned bike lanes in December, there are still detractors. The Council will likely take up the plan soon. Stay tuned.
tags: 2013 bike master plan update, bikeways for everyone, minneapolis

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Andersen: Using plastic posts instead of curbs, Seattle plans to reduce the cost of protected bike lanes

By

Michael Andersen

| Posted

January 6, 2014

A crosswalk on the reworked Linden Ave

Which is better for bike lanes: concrete curbs or plastic posts?

In the small, fast-growing world of the protected bike lane, Seattle is the city of physical beauty.

I won’t lie to you: my organization, which helps U.S. cities build protected bike lanes, named Seattle’s rebuilt Linden Avenue as our No. 5 project of the year because I saw it in a video on the Internet and developed a crush on its little gray curbs.

New York uses parked cars. Chicago uses plastic posts. But with the neat, subtle concrete curbs and gutters of Linden and Broadway, Seattle has been bringing a European sense of permanence and durability to its protected bike lane projects.

Don’t get used to it. (more…)

tags: ADA, chicago, cycle tracks, green lane project, michael andersen, peopleforbikes, protected bike lanes

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What do you think of Cascade’s new logo?

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

January 3, 2014

Cascade Bicycle Club has unveiled a new logo for the new year.

Finally bidding farewell to the long-running, sans-serif-in-italics logo. The new logo has a more corporate and clean look featuring a “C” wrapped around half a chain link.

The logo change comes amid a string of changes at the club since Elizabeth Kiker took control of the organization in September.

Here’s how Cascade’s leaders see the new logo:

“This clean, clear and effective new logo will help us communicate with members, volunteers and partners in the Puget Sound region,” said Elizabeth Kiker, executive director. “When people see the bold C and chain link, they will immediately connect it to the Cascade Bicycle Club.”

“The designers captured our bold vision and our commitment to the community with the new logo,” said Anne-Marije Rook, Director of Communications.“Kotis has been a valuable partner for many years and they understand the Club and our mission. We’re proud and excited to start 2014 with a new look.”

Here are their past logos:

tags: anne-marije rook, cascade bicycle club, elizabeth kiker

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Man biking in Wallingford injured December 19, friend seeks information

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

January 3, 2014

A man in his 50s was biking near 36th and Pacific early December 19 when something happened, leaving him with serious injuries and no memory of how he got hurt.

The incident occurred between 4:30 and 5:30 a.m. and may have been visible from the Burke-Gilman Trail, though it was dark.

“His bicycle was found damaged, on the ground, and he was found seriously injured and on the ground,” his friend and colleague David said in an email. “He has no memory of the incident (or hours previous to the incident, for that matter).”

It’s unknown if a motor vehicle was involved. In fact, that’s a big question they are trying to answer.

“He could have been hit by a car/truck/bus, another bike, a pedestrian, or perhaps he hit an obstruction in the road — anything is possible,” David said. “We’re looking for people who might have seen something.”

If you did see something or have any information, contact David at 206-304-8500 or David (at) FlashingRedLight (dot) com. We have withheld the injured man’s name at the request of his colleague.

tags: injuries, n pacific street, wallingford

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