Archive for November, 2010

Light up your ride

Tuesday, November 9th, 2010 by Robin Randels

Come one, come all to tonight’s Reflect-a-thon! Tonight at 7 p.m. we’re gathering at the Cascade office to test lights, reflectors and reflective gear.  Come on out and bring your bling.  See for yourself how your blinking and brightest gear reveals itself — and your cycling presence — in the beam of a car’s headlights. You’ll have an opportunity to sit in the car and see what a well-lit cyclist looks like.

We’ve got swag from our local bike shops, too. In addition to donating some super awesome Sigma Cuberider rear lights,  Bob’s Bike and Board offers Cascade members a 10% discount when you shop the store.  We’ve got a commuter kit and reflective strips from our friends at Recycled Cycles — also offering  the 10% discount to our members. The folks at Counter Balance set us up with spoke lights for side and movement visibility as well as various reflective tapes for clothing and helmets. Be sure to stop into any of our past and present supporters  prior to or after our event to lighten up.  And remember,  your membership gets you a discount at these shops.

We’ll meet at the office 7400 Sandpoint Way NE from 7 until 7:15 when we’ll ride out to the darkest back lot in Magnuson Park together so don’t be late!

“See” you there.

Ballard High students document the Bicycle Music Festival

Monday, November 8th, 2010 by Robin Randels

You might remember a post way back in September about the The Bicycle Music Festival–a traveling  musical extravaganza making  it’s way around Seattle parks completely transported by bike.  Once arrived, the trailer transformed into a pedal powered “biker bar” that ran the entire PA system for eight local bands. Very cool!  Did I mention that the whole thing was volunteer designed and run and funded in part by a grant from smART Ventures Seattle?

Equally cool is the promotional video of the event produced by 243 Productions.  Ballard  High School videographers, Louis Weissman and Chloe Warner-Moyer  were on the scene for the entire day, behind the camera and conducting interviews. The video project was funded through an SDOT- Safe Routes to School Mini-Grant in partnership with the Cascade Bicycle Club Education Foundation – creating  a better community through bicycling and bike awareness among the future cyclists.

We’re going on a Joyride

Friday, November 5th, 2010 by M.J. Kelly

The following post is by Mia Birk, who will be speaking in Seattle next week as part of the Cascade Presentation Series. Please join us!

A Note to Seattle:

I am thrilled to be joining you on Tuesday, Nov. 9 at REI to share my new book Joyride. From what I understand, exciting things are happening as Seattle continues implementation of the Bicycle Plan. My company, Alta Planning + Design, is thrilled to be a part of it with you. Our work includes helping develop more bicycle-friendly streetcar lines, drafting a bike plan for the Beacon Hill Neighborhood, and filling in the missing link in the Burke-Gilman Trail (finally!)

A few years ago, I spent several days biking around Seattle in preparation for Alta’s bid on the Seattle Bike Plan.  (Super sadly, we lost. I was planning on relocating a couple days a week in dedication to your lovely city. But oh well… C’est la vie. Gotta let it go…)  Research included one heck of a scary ride (accompanied by Cascade’s intrepid David Hiller) – on various congested streets lacking bikeways — that necessitated a couple shots of tequila at the end to calm my nerves.

That ride reminded me of my first ride in Portland back in 1993 with our lead traffic engineer, as described in Joyride, Chapter 1, Reality Check:

We roll out for North Portland, an annexed suburb characterized by wide, flat streets and an older, working-class population. The narrow but functional sidewalks of the Broadway Bridge take us to the east side, where we take two right turns onto Interstate Avenue heading north. That’s when things get interesting.

A couple miles of this gritty high speed road and my nerves are starting to fray. Then, Jeff and Rob stick out their left arms to indicate we’re turning onto a steeply ascending four-lane highway.

“Are you, kidding?” I think, as they make a break for it, quickly merging into the left lane. I nervously follow their lead.

(more…)

Tired of talk? Demand action!

Friday, November 5th, 2010 by David Hiller

We co-founded the Streets For All Seattle campaign because the people of Seattle want transportation choices that make sense for our city and vibrant neighborhoods, and that are safe and accessible for everyone. Seattle’s elected officials have spoken out for world-class pedestrian, bicycle and transit infrastructure, but so far, they have failed to match the talk with action.

Right now, Seattle City Council has a golden opportunity to align their words with their actions, and take the vital next step towards funding a transportation system that works for our future. The proposed 2011 – 2012 City budget includes a modest increase in funding for pedestrians, bicycling and transit. The City Council will decide this weekend whether or not to protect this critical funding.

Please email the City Council and voice your support
for funding for pedestrians, bicycles and transit!

The City Council says they share our goals. They have taken some positive steps in the right direction, but unless the Council approves the proposed new revenue, funding for pedestrian and bicycling improvements will decrease by 25% from last year’s already woefully inadequate amount. The Council is also poised to renege on a promise to replace funding for pedestrian and bicycling improvements that they stripped from the budget last year. They appear content to use Tim Eyman-style government and have voters decide whether or not we should fund our core priorities.

A ballot measure to fund pedestrian, bicycle and transit improvements is a great idea, and if crafted correctly, it would have our strong support. If, however, the Council is serious about aligning our transportation investments with the values and priorities of our citizens, then NOW is the time for action.

You stood with us at the budget hearings; now, help put us over the top: email the City Council and tell them you support funding for feet, bikes and transit in the budget!

Falling behind?

Friday, November 5th, 2010 by John Mauro

As if a mid-latitude hurricane wasn’t enough, we’re looking at another challenge to bike commuting: diminishing daylight. Today, the sun sets at 5:45. We’re losing about three minutes a day right now. But next Monday? 4:41, after you factor in that afternoon gift we got on March 14: daylight saving time.

As the office gets a little dimmer and I navigate my keyboard right now at 6 p.m., I consider the new navigation challenges I’ll have riding home at about 6 p.m. next week: total darkness.

Darkness and rain, particularly taken together, add safety concerns to my ride home. Basically, I can’t see as well, drivers can’t see as well, effective stopping distance is longer for bikes and cars due to wet rims (or discs…or drums) and there are water hazards in play. Not surprisingly, daylight saving time reduces traffic fatalities—including fatal pedestrian crashes.

So you’re just about ready to curse that New Zealand entomologist who invented daylight saving time. Not so fast. This is all about perspective. Just like we can tinker with our clocks, we can tinker with our attitude. Goodbye doom, hello opportunity. At the very least, we get an extra bonus hour of sleep Saturday night. And the morning commute next week will be amazing. For awhile anyway, the sun will rise at about 7 a.m. (instead of 8). It’ll give some of us the opportunity to take the long way to work, to go for a run before our ride, or just to be able to enjoy some daylight before the workday.

Goodbye evening, but hello morning. As you adjust, remember to ride safely (check out our classes on winter riding and lighting)—and drive safely. And enjoy Monday morning. It might not be sunny, but it’ll be much brighter.

Will dig dirt for pizza

Thursday, November 4th, 2010 by M.J. Kelly

Come dig in the dirt with the Trips for Kids volunteer crew and the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance at the Diggin-Pizza Party!

The party takes place this Sunday, Nov. 7 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Saint Edward State Park in Kenmore. We’ll be removing excess gravel from trails, raking leaves and fixing the trails up for winter. You will be rewarded with hot pizza and plenty of karma points. Please bring rain gear, sturdy shoes, work gloves, and water. If you have tools we could use shovels, rakes, and wheelbarrows.

We’ll meet in the upper north parking lot next to the ranger office. Thanks to Ranger Moe and Seattle Parks for letting us ride at the park and introduce kids to mountain biking who wouldn’t otherwise be able. Here’s the registration link. See you there!