Archive for July, 2010

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Here’s your chance to ask Gov. Gregoire for more trails

Monday, July 19th, 2010 by Chris Rule

Would you like to see more and better trails completed around the state?

This month offers four opportunities to testify in person about the projects you want to see funded by the state.  The Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program provides funding for constructing and rehabilitating dozens of trails each year – in this challenging time for the budget, you can make a difference for trails by speaking out.  You can read a full list of the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Coalition’s proposed projects on their website.

The series of budget hearings kicks off TONIGHT in Tacoma. We suggest arriving an hour early to sign in, since Gov. Gregoire will be in attendance.  Here are the meeting details for four hearings around the state:

  • July 19 – Tacoma, 7-9 p.m., (UWT-William W. Phillip Hall, Milgard Assembly Room, 1900 Commerce Street)
  • July 21 – Everett, 7-9 p.m., (Everett Community College, Parks Building, Multi Purpose Room, 2000 Tower Street)
  • July 27—Vancouver, 7-9 p.m., (WSU-Vancouver, Administration Building Room 110, 14204 NE Salmon Creek Avenue, Vancouver)
  • July 29—Spokane, Time TBA, (Spokane City Hall, City Council Chambers, 808 W. Spokane Falls Boulevard)

We hope you can make it!  You can learn more about the budget process here.

Posted in Advocacy, Olympia | 1 Comment »

Upcoming SDOT open houses

Monday, July 19th, 2010 by M.J. Kelly

SDOT is hosting several open houses in the north and south ends to go over upcoming projects. You’re invited to attend and share your thoughts. Please spread the word to friends who live in or bike through these neighborhoods.

7/21: Ellis/Albro Open House 5 to 7 p.m., Old Georgetown City Hall, 6202 13th Ave S

7/26: NE 125th St Open House 4 to 7 p.m., Lake City Library

7/27: South Beacon Hill Projects Open House (15th Avenue S and S Columbian Way), Jefferson Community Center

Posted in Advocacy, Road & Trail News | No Comments »

The new (new!) route into Portland this year

Thursday, July 15th, 2010 by M.J. Kelly

Due to an unforeseeable construction impact, riders on the Group Health STP this year will not be able to ride across the St. John’s Bridge as planned but will take the Steel Bridge instead. The new route will be marked, with extra signage at key turns. The change will affect the last 10 miles of the route.

The Steel Bridge is a drawbridge, so you may have to stop for river traffic. People from Seattle and Portland will find this nothing new. It’s a chance to cool your heels for a moment and ask fellow cyclists how the event is going for them before you make those final pedal strokes to the finish line.

The Steel Bridge is a two-level bridge with a separated bicycle and pedestrian lane on the lower level. Event riders should take extra caution when crossing the bridge, and ride slowly and courteously around other users.

Download a REVISED route map (PDF) and a one-page cue sheet and map (PDF) of the altered route.

stp-newroute-1

P.S: This will subtract about a mile from the previous route. Yeehaw!

Posted in STP | No Comments »

When your work requires a car….

Monday, July 12th, 2010 by Stephanie Frans

Ambassadors and Robin…..it may not, actually.

Here at Cascade Bicycle Club, we stage a lot of outreach and encouragement events such as the commuter stations on F5 Bike to Work Day, Bridging with Bikes, or other random acts of bike love. Our little secret is that more often than not we stage these events using cars.

The irony of this is not lost on us either.

But the bulk and weight of a tent, tables, food and materials requires some serious cargo capacity. Fortunately, cargo bikes  are gaining momentum and several companies are jumping on the bike trailer bandwagon, as recently reported by the Sightline Institute.

It was with pride and pleasure that Cascade staged our most recent outreach gig entirely by bike. We used a 2’x5’ flat bed trailer generously loaned out to us by Haulin’ Colin from their magical Georgetown factory. The trailer (and the event) were a hit!

Cascade is not alone in substituting bike trailers for the company car. Local musician John Teske can now be seen hauling his 45-pound, 6’4″ double bassto performances on a custom-built bicycle crafted by Haulin’ Colin, as featured by the Seattle Times.

Momentum Magazine’s July/August 2010 issue features Designer Nedra Deadwyler, who uses an Xtracycle for her business travel, which includes carrying tool and landscaping supplies.

Do you use a bicycle as your company car? Or have a cool cargo setup that allows you to tow multiple kids, pets and/or a week’s worth of groceries? Please share in the Comments, including pictures if possible!

Posted in Commuting | No Comments »

I ♥ Bike Sundays

Friday, July 9th, 2010 by M.J. Kelly

Back in 1971, someone had the brilliant idea to start Bike Sundays on Lake Washington Blvd. If you haven’t ridden LWB on a quiet Sunday morning, get thee to the water!

Bike Sundays is peaceful and scenic and will make you want more road closures. Mingle among riders in racing kits and families out for a jaunt. It’s a great place to take newbie riders and people who aren’t confident about riding with traffic yet. Just remind them to stay right and ride in a straight line. And if you’re a super-fast rider, know that Bike Sundays is a place to slow down and ride with care around less experienced riders.

In particular, I love seeing kids riding joyfully in the street. Remember when you were a kid and your bike was your magical freedom machine? Last year at one Bike Sunday, my then four-year-old son, no doubt emboldened by watching the Tour de France (go Tyler!), pedalled his 16-inch wheels furiously to catch some guys when he shouted gleefully, “Wedgie power!” (Dav Pilkey would be so proud.)

This Sunday, Sightline is leading a Pedal to Picnic from Mount Baker Park to Seward Park. They’ll have veggie sausages, chips and fixings. Pack in any other favorite sunny day picnic supplies, frisbees or field games. No program, no policy, just pedaling, picnicking and plenty of fun!

So get out there, enjoy the sun, fun and smooth pavement at Bike Sundays through the end of September. And if a small boy on a tiny bike sprints past you, he just might be riding his freedom machine across the finish line on his own imaginary Champs-Élysées.

Bicycle along Lake Washington Boulevard south of Mount Baker Beach to S. Orcas St.

Lake Washington Boulevard will be closed to motorized traffic
from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Sponsored by Seattle Parks and Recreation and Cascade Bicycle Club.

    Dates:

  • May 2, 9, 23, 30
  • June 6, 13, 27
  • July 5 (Monday), 11, 18, 25
  • August 1, 22, 29
  • September 5, 12, 19, 26

Posted in Events, Road & Trail News | No Comments »

Bike to the Burke

Thursday, July 8th, 2010 by M.J. Kelly

Guest post alert! Special thanks to Julia Swan of the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture

Parking in Seattle can be a real pain, especially in the University District – it’s limited and expensive. But it gives me just one more reason to commute to my job at the Burke Museum on the University of Washington campus by bike!  Now through the end of the July, other cyclists also have good reason to ride over to the Burke. A new promotion at the museum called Bike to the Burke offers $2 off admission when you show your bike helmet at the front desk.

“Can he read?” Stromness Bay, South Georgia, Antarctica. Photo by Susanne Weissenberger (California), 2010.While you’re here, check out the new exhibit International Conservation Photography Awards and see some of the world’s best conservation photographs.  Several of the photos in this exhibit take a look at conservation issues in our own backyard, such as pollution of Puget Sound waterways. Others will take you to places you may not ever see yourself, such as a landfill in Guwahati, India where humans and storks ransack the piles of trash looking for food or salvageable items, a former whaling station in Antarctica contaminated with asbestos that is now inhabited by fur seals, or the site of reef restoration in the Indian Ocean where a 2004 tsunami suffocated coral reefs with sand.

It’s always fairly easy to get to the UW Seattle campus by bike, especially with the proximity of the Burke Gilman, and now that we’re in the midst of summer quarter, the campus is nice and quiet and conducive to some very pleasant wandering.  So make a trip over to the Burke Museum and spend some time exploring the university by bike!

The Burke Museum is open daily from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. For more information about the museum, click here.

Ed note: We can help you get started biking around the U-District area through our free bike commuting workshop being held on Sunday, July 11 at the U-Village Barnes & Noble. Join us!

Posted in Guest post | No Comments »

Life grinds to a halt, thanks to the 45th Street Viaduct closure

Thursday, July 8th, 2010 by M.J. Kelly

J/K!

Some might even say it’s been easier to get around the University District these days, especially those who have taken to two wheels instead of four. If you’re still pondering how to get started, what routes to take, and how to ride safely, we’ve got a handy workshop for you.

FREE Intro to Bike Commuting Workshop
Sunday, July 11
9 a.m. to noon
University Village Barnes & Noble

SDOT and Cascade Bicycle Club are offering this free workshop to encourage area residents to bicycle during the NE 45th Viaduct Project. Each workshop will be led by certified instructors from Cascade Bicycle Club and will consist of a two parts: 1) one-hour classroom presentation to review safety essentials and rules of the road ; 2) a two-hour bike skills clinic to hone the essential skills for safe riding. Please bring a bike and helmet, and a friend!

To RSVP, please email commute@cascadebicycleclub.org or call 206‐522‐9479.

Posted in Classes, Commuting, Road & Trail News | No Comments »

Bike touring, the old (old!) fashioned way

Thursday, July 8th, 2010 by M.J. Kelly
Lenzcover

Lenz in Calcutta, fall 1893

Some of you may remember when David Herlihy was in town promoting his book, “Bicycle, The History” at the Seattle Bicycle Expo several years ago. Alongside beautiful reproductions, “Bicycle” offers an authoritative account of how the bicycle developed and influenced culture over two centuries.

The book opens:

Think back to your first cycling experience, the moment you wobbled beyond the clutches of an anxious parent, without recourse to training wheels. Chances are, it rates as a highlight of childhood — your first real taste of freedom and even pride in ownership. It was your bike — and you were free to go where ever your spinning feet could take you, or so it seemed.

Mr. Herlihy is back in Seattle this month, with “The Lost Cyclist: The Epic Tale of an American Adventurer and His Mysterious Disappearance.” This is the story of Frank Lenz, who transformed that taste of freedom into a cyclist’s dream job come true: covering twenty thousand miles over three continents as a correspondent for Outing magazine.

Lenz in Washington, PA, ca. 1890

Lenz in Washington, PA, ca. 1890

That was back in 1892. Lenz rolled out from Pittsburgh (my hometown!) and traveled the world primarily by bike for two years before disappearing in Turkey. The book also tells the story of fellow early adopters of international bicycle travel, Thomas Allen and William Sachtleben, who set out to learn what happened to Lenz.

What a treat that Mr. Herlihy will be in Seattle, sharing a digital slideshow of photographs Lenz took before his world tour — on an old-fashioned “high-wheeler” no less — and during his travels across the United States, Japan, China, Burma, India and Persia. Maybe there will be a shot or two taken when Lenz spent a month in the Pacific Northwest.

David Herlihy reads from “The Lost Cyclist”
Seattle Central Library
Tuesday, July 20, 7 – 8:30 p.m.

Frank Lenz's map

Frank Lenz's map (©Casey Greene)

Posted in Events | No Comments »

How do you address an ambassador?

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010 by Erica Hann

“Your excellency,” it turns out.

Ahhh, we’re less formal — in address, attire and transportation mode — than your usual ambassador. Cascade Bicycle Ambassadors are friendly, knowledgeable cyclists who are armed with maps and safety brochures. They’re itching to talk to you about safe riding, commuting options, and the services and classes that Cascade offers.

You can catch a Bike Ambassador tabling at many farmers’ markets this summer, including Madrona, Columbia City, Wallingford, Georgetown, Ballard and Magnolia. You might run into the team when you’re grabbing groceries after work at Madison Market, Fremont PCC, and the Westlake Whole Foods.

Every Friday this summer, during evening rush hour, Cascade Bike Ambassadors will be stationed somewhere on a bike trail. Last month they were on the Burke-Gilman near University Village, and this month they will set up on the Elliott Bay Trail. Stop by and say hello on your way home! Chat about the latest developments in the bike world, grab a map, meet your fellow commuters.

That’s not all. Bicycle Ambassadors roll out at Bicycle Sundays at Seward Park, transportation and safety fairs, Summer Streets events, Friday Night Racing at the Velodrome, and more. You’re sure to run into one. Give them your two cents! Curtsys not required.

Ambassador Opalo at Georgetown Farmers' Market

Ambassador Opalo at Georgetown Farmers' Market

Posted in Bike ambassadors | No Comments »

Put your bike on the bus, Gus

Tuesday, July 6th, 2010 by M.J. Kelly

Guest post featuring King County Metro’s In Motion program:

inmotion1Have you noticed yellow posters around town featuring upbeat sayings like Walk for your heart, Bart and Drive less, Tess? Since 2004, King County Metro Transit’s In Motion program has promoted sustainable transportation – neighborhood by neighborhood. Cycling is a key solution – as well as walking, using transit, and sharing rides.

When In Motion comes to a community, households receive a mailing describing local travel options and the health, cost-savings and community benefits of driving less. Residents love the resource that comes in the mailing: an eye-catching neighborhood map with concentric circles showing places they can reach within a 5- and 10-minute walk or a 10-minute bike ride. The map also shows local bike and transit routes.

Residents can register online to receive information, including bike maps and tips for using your bike with transit. They also get free Metro and Sound Transit tickets. Then participants can pledge to drive less and earn rewards – including a shopping tote bag, pre-loaded ORCA transit cards, and gift cards from local businesses. Merchants benefit from the increased emphasis on shopping locally. Each program also partners with community organizations that provide translations, business coordination or health information.

inmotion2In summer and fall 2010, King County communities that will be In Motion are:

  • Kent East Hill,
  • Juanita (Kirkland),
  • Tukwila/SeaTac, near International Blvd, and
  • Highline Community College 

Since 2004, Metro’s grant-funded In Motion program has reached residents in more than 20 King County neighborhoods. Metro estimates the programs have

  • Reduced 1.3 million miles of driving,
  • Saved 66,000 gallons of gas, and
  • Prevented 674 tons of CO2 emissions.

Learn more at www.kingcounty.gov/inmotion or by calling the In Motion hotline at 206-296-3455.

Posted in Guest post, Health | 1 Comment »

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