Seattle Bike Blog

The John Lewis Memorial Bridge to Northgate Station opens October 2

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

September 21, 2021

The Northgate bike/walk bridge finally has both a name and an opening date. Officially named the John Lewis Memorial Bridge, this biking and walking bridge connecting North Seattle College across I-5 to Northgate Station has a lot to live up to. It is shaping up to be a very useful and eye-catching bridge, and despite many lengthy delays construction will barely finish in time to open alongside Northgate Link light rail October 2.

The bridge took many years of advocacy and a partnership across many agencies, including the city, state and Sound Transit. The bridge was expensive because it crosses a stretch of I-5 that is slightly elevated compared to street level, requiring the bridge to climb extra high to get proper clearance over the freeway. But the difficult crossing was worth it because there are so few quality options for people walking and biking to get across the expansive freeway in this area. The bridge will dramatically expand the walkshed and bikeshed of Northgate Station, meaning far more households and destinations west of I-5 will be within a short walk or bike ride.

Maps from Cascade Bicycle Club visualizing the increase in easy walking and biking access.

So hey, you now have a fantastic excuse to ride the light rail on opening day of the Northgate Link extension. Take it to the end of the line, then walk across the new bridge to find the opening celebration in the North Lot of North Seattle College starting at 10 a.m. and going until noon. Or you can bike there and use the new 1st Ave NE bikeway to access the bridge.

Details about the opening celebration from SDOT: (more…)

tags: john lewis memorial bridge, northgate, northgate station, northgate station bridge

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Vashon and West Seattle Water Taxis can now take wide tire bikes (but still no long bikes)

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

September 20, 2021

Photo from King County Metro.

The King County Water Taxi bike racks can now take bikes with tires as wide as 4.6 inches, nearly double the size of the old bike racks. This should significantly expand compatibility, especially as many of today’s most popular bikes (such as the Rad Power e-bike featured in King County’s blog post) have wide tires. The number of bike spaces remains the same at 26 per sailing.

This news comes on the heels of another great Water Taxi announcement: SDOT is funding an effort to maintain the Water Taxi’s summer service schedule through the fall and winter. This means service will continue its mid-day and weekend sailings. Combined with the better bike racks, more people in West Seattle will be able to rely on the bike/Water Taxi combo year-round.

While the new racks can accept wider tires, long bikes (including many family cargo bikes) are still not allowed on board. That limit is imposed due to the space available on the deck and the need to maintain accessible walking space.

“While we are now allowing wide tire bicycles thanks to the newly modified onboard bike racks, we still cannot allow bikes longer than 73” or wider than 15”, because they impede access to: wheelchairs & other mobility devices, passenger boarding ramps, and emergency life raft loading stations,” said King County Metro.

More details from King County Metro: (more…)

tags: king county metro, king county water taxi, vashon, west seattle

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Publicola: What the e-bike boom means for Seattle

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

September 13, 2021

E-bike sales are outpacing electric car sales two-to-one in the United States, and e-bikes now make up 20% or more of bikes sold in Seattle bike shops. And as Josh Feit (with Maryam Noor) wrote for Publicola, all signs point to a continued increase in e-bike use.

Feit recently bought an e-bike after a friend offered him a chance to try his bike “like we were 14, and he was offering me my first hit of pot.” Like so many people, that’s all it took to be convinced. E-bikes can flatten the city in a way that makes many more trips in our hilly town both practical and convenient.

I was one of several people Feit spoke with for the story, and it was a great excuse to think about how much has changed in recent years. For many years in recent decades, people prognosticated that e-bikes were about to break into the mainstream. But it just never seemed to happen at scale. That has finally changed. The real question now is: When do we drop the “e” and start just calling them “bikes?” I already sometimes refer to non-e-bikes as “pedal bikes” or “pedal-only bikes,” and I often hear people call them “acoustic bikes.” The electric assist will someday be considered just another optional bike component, like having a multi-gear drivetrain instead of a single speed.

All those Lime and Jump electric bike share bikes probably also supercharged interest in e-bikes in Seattle. Everyone who rides one for the first time is also sort of test-riding the idea of e-bikes. We already noted (before the pandemic) that Fremont Bridge bike trips continued to grow even after bike share trips leveled out, and a promising hypothesis was that many people discovered (or rediscovered) city cycling through bike share and then went out and bought their own bikes. It makes sense that people have done the same with e-bikes.

But maybe the most interesting realization I had during our conversation was how far we’ve come from the days when you couldn’t have a conversation about e-bikes without someone calling them “cheating” or “lazy.” Resistance to e-bikes from people who already bike has really melted away in recent years, and now it’s at the point where hating on e-bikes sounds antiquated or pretentious. I like how Maya Ramakrishnan put it in a recent tweet: “You can’t cheat at transportation because it’s not a competition. It’s good that more people are able to use Not Cars to get around and do errands.”

Be sure to read the whole story on Publicola, which includes wonderful quotes like:

“When someone says, ‘Oh, you know, cycling is great for people who don’t have children,’” Davey Oil, owner of G & O Family Cyclery in Greenwood, quipped, “I’m just like, ‘Hold my juice box, I have three kids on this bike.’”

and

While $1,500 for a bike still might seem Team Bourgeois as opposed to Team Budweiser, “it’s also a lot less expensive than a car,” said Anna Zivarts, local bike advocate and Director of the Disability Mobility Initiative at Disability Rights Washington. “And,” she added, “it is my car.”

tags: anna zivarts, davey oil, josh feit, maryam noor, publicola

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Alert 9/10-12: Contrary to original plans, bike/walk access will be maintained during Montlake Bridge weekend closure

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

September 10, 2021
Photo from WSDOT.

We have a good news update about the ongoing Montlake Bridge rehabilitation work. The first of several weekend closures is still scheduled for this weekend (September 10–12). But despite original announcements, the west sidewalk will remain open for walking and biking after all.

Crews recently finished replacing the metal decking on the bridge, which required major car and bus detours. The next phase of work is focused on the mechanical elements that raise and lower the historic bascule bridge. Some of that work will likely require keeping the bridge in the up position, which will obviously mean no biking or walking. But not this first weekend, which is great news for people looking to bike to the Let’s Move Redmond open streets festival Sunday.

From WSDOT:
- Until further notice: Pedestrians and bicyclists should expect regular closures of one bridge sidewalk. Access will be provided on the opposite sidewalk during closures.
- 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 10 to 5 a.m. Monday, Sept. 13: The Montlake Bridge will close to vehicle traffic for the first of five scheduled weekend closures. Pedestrian and bicyclist access will be maintained on the west side of the bridge during this first weekend but may be restricted at times during the following closures.
So this means people walking and biking shouldn’t need to worry about big detours until the second weekend of October. And even then, some accommodation for walking and biking may be possible. Stay tuned. From the project page: (more…)
tags: Bike Route Alert, montlake bridge, wsdot

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Sunday: Let’s Move Redmond open street festival spans from Central Connector to Downtown Park

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

September 8, 2021

With a pop-up bike protected bike lane, a kids bike rodeo, a roller disco dance party and more, the streets of downtown Redmond are set to be the place to be Sunday. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. between the Central Connector trail and Downtown Park along 161st Ave NE.

And no, I’m not just saying this because my wonderful spouse Kelli is one of the organizers of the Let’s Move Redmond open streets festival (though she really is wonderful). Open streets events are the best, and it’s always very exciting to see a brand new effort get going.

More details from Move Redmond:

This Sunday, 161^st Avenue and Cleveland Street in Downtown Redmond will be open to people walking, biking, roller skating, scooting, and playing. The ‘Let’s Move Redmond’ open street festival will connect the Redmond Central Connector with Downtown Park along 161^st Ave and fill the streets with fun activities for the whole family. Open Streets events are celebrated around the world and focus on opening streets so people can move and play. This is the first Open Streets event in Redmond, WA.

“Opening up our streets to people biking, walking, and rolling is a great way for those who live or work in Redmond to connect, play, and reimagine our streets as safe places for people,” said Kirk Hovenkotter, Executive Director at Move Redmond.

‘Let’s Move Redmond’ celebrates movement, transportation, and play. Attendees will get the chance to move their bodies and get active in fun ways, with a group run, classes like yoga, Zumba, and Dance Fitness. There will also be a kid’s bike rodeo, where children can practice their bike handling skills. Be sure to grab your roller skates or rollerblades for a roller disco dance party at 1:30.

This event will also encourage people to try new ways of getting around. ‘Let’s Move Redmond’ will feature a pop-up protected bike lane so people can feel what it is like to ride bikes and scooters in a low-stress bike lane. Participants will also learn more about Move Redmond’s campaign to build a protected bike lane network that will link trails to key destinations to the places people need to go. Attendees of ‘Let’s Move Redmond’ can test out a Spin Scooter, practice putting their bike on the bus with a demonstration bus bike rack from Sportworks.

There will be booths showcasing community partners, local businesses, and organizations that are supporting ‘Let’s Move Redmond’ including: 425 Fitness, AKT Dance Fitness, Briora Ballroom Dancing, Cascade Bicycle Club, City of Redmond, Complete Streets Bellevue, Eastrail Partners, Evergreen Health, Edge & Spoke, Hopelink, Indian American Community Services, iCode, Mayuri, Kirkland Greenways, Kiwanis, Semilla Flamenca, Spin, Sportworks, WSP

Move Redmond would like to thank the sponsors who made this event possible: Microsoft, Amazon, Sound Transit, King County Metro, Mayuri, 425 Fitness, Eastrail Partners, One Redmond, Signarama, WSP, and ZICLA

More information about the event can be found at Moveredmond.org/letsmoveredmond. Bring you mask! We will share one with you if you need it.

tags: events, let’s move redmond, move redmond, open streets, redmond

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Help family of man killed while working on the Beverly rail-trail bridge

By

Tom Fucoloro

| Posted

September 2, 2021

Photo from Kittitas County.

Last month, Gabriel Zalaya was working on the state project to rehab the Beverly Bridge over the Columbia River when he fell and was killed. He was 39.

Our condolences to his friends and family.

A contractor for the State is rehabilitating the historic Beverly Railroad Bridge as part of the state-spanning Palouse-to-Cascades Trail. The bridge was heavily damaged by a wildfire in 2014, and is scheduled to reopen very soon. The opening celebration initially scheduled for September 13 has been postponed in part due to Zelaya’s tragic death.

A GoFundMe has been set up to support his three kids and their mother, according to her brother Manny:

Gabriel Zelaya had big dreams of buying a home for his kids, giving his kids a bright future, a life he never had as a kid, he had a rough life as he was growing up in California. He decided to move to Washington state 3yrs ago to give his family a better life. 3 weeks ago he decided to switch to a better job, working in bridge construction and maintenance, just to have a horrible accident, falling off a 70 foot bridge. He never made it home to his kids that tragic day. My sister is not receiving any pension due to not being legally married so its not a lot of help she is receiving.

The Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries are conducting independent investigations of the tragedy.

More details on the fatal fall, from Kittitas County: (more…)

tags: beverly bridge, gabriel zalaya, kittitas county, palouse to cascades state park trail

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