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Commuter spotlight: practice bus bike racks

Thursday, November 10th, 2011 by Mary Collins

Here’s a nifty tool for commuters in North Seattle: a demo bus bike rack at North Seattle Community College. New and would-be bus-bike commuters can practice loading and unloading their bikes on this practice rack without the pressure of performing quickly and correctly on an in-service bus. A practice session can help avoid stress and grumbles for commuters and Metro operators alike.

“Metro wishes to thank the staff at North Seattle Community College and Cascade Bicycle Club for coordinating the placement of this practice rack and encouraging the combining of bikes and buses.” Eileen Kadish, King County Metro

Other demo racks are available in several locations around Seattle and Bellevue to encourage multi-modal transportation options around the region. In addition, this informative demonstration video from King County Metro teaches users how to properly load and unload bike on the bus. (Worth watching for the background music alone!)

Cascade Bicycle Club was pleased to help forge a successful collaboration between North Seattle Community College and King County Metro to support both biking and busing.  From left, Toni Bajado and David Bittenbender (NSCC), Kim Martin (King County Metro) and Stephanie Frans (Cascade Bicycle Club).


Even seasoned bicyclists like NSCC Director of HR David Bittenbender can benefit from a little practice. Here, Metro’s Kim Martin (an avid cyclist himself) shows David the ropes.


Posted in Around town, Commuting, Transit | 3 Comments »

A year of AmeriCorps at Cascade

Friday, September 30th, 2011 by Mary Collins

As the summer and my time as an AmeriCorps volunteer draws to a close, I find myself in a similar position to last year. Having recently graduated from a Midwestern college, I’d spent the summer working and hanging out – both with the knowledge of my looming unemployment and the uncertainty about what I would do next. But there is a key difference between fall 2010 and fall 2011, and this makes me much less apprehensive about the future. I was lucky to spend the last year working at the Cascade Bicycle Club, and working at such a fun, diverse and driven organization has taught me a lot.

Ten and a half months isn’t much time. The strength of the AmeriCorps program — that volunteers can do meaningful, exciting work without a long-term commitment — is also a weakness. As I settled into my position my time at the club was almost up. Cascade is constantly looking forward, and something exciting is always around the corner. That positive momentum, combined with great coworkers, makes it difficult to leave.

I was hired into the Commute Department as the Commute Programs Assistant. My job has evolved over the course of the term, changing to fit my strengths (and weaknesses) and the needs of the club. I’ve enjoyed being part of the development of some exciting programs, like the soon-to-be-debuted Bike Friendly Business Certification System and the accompanying Best Practices Guide. I fully experienced the stress and excitement that is Bike Month, along with the months of planning preceding it. I was also given room to pursue my other interests, from graphic design to teaching, and the adaptability of the position greatly contributed to the experience.

Cascade has set the bar high for future work. I’ll be hard pressed to find another job with equally warm and inspired coworkers and a similarly strong sense of purpose. Luckily another AmeriCorps volunteer gets the chance to have the same experience I did.

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Posted in Around town | 2 Comments »

Do most Seattle cyclists look like the two in this photo? (hint: no)

Tuesday, September 13th, 2011 by Mary Collins

The first two google image results for "cyclist"

The photos to the right are the two images that first appear when you type “cyclist” into Google. What do they tell us about the common perception of cyclists? These cyclists look sleek, fit and fast. Both have intensely focused expressions, as if they are staring fixedly at a podium or calorie-packed buffet table. And if cyclists have a “uniform,” these two are wearing it. Bike shorts, fitted jersey top, racing helmet and clipless shoes. It is this image that is broadcast around the world each summer through the Tour de France, and it is the same image that pops into the minds of many non-cyclists when they think about biking.

I get a sense for the popular image of cyclists by teaching classes and talking to people at transportation fairs and in the community. The other day a coworker said she showed up to a meeting on bike wearing looking professional in a dress, and one of the other people at the meeting said it totally “changed her perception of cyclists.”

So how accurate it this perception? To get a a general idea, I woke up early one Friday and observed cyclists crossing the Fremont Bridge between 6:30 and 9:00am, grouping them into loose categories based on appearance. Before anyone gets excited, I know this is not a very statistically rigorous process, and I’m not promoting one “outfit” over another. I was just curious; how many cyclists wear street clothes vs lycra, and just accurately does Google’s image search results reflect bicycling on the streets of Seattle.

Not accurately at all, it turns out. On one end of the spectrum I classified riders who would not look out of place on the Tour de France. These riders most closely matched those in the two photographs above. Their opposites – the cyclists who, without their bikes, still look complete – I placed in a group at the other of the scale. These cyclists wouldn’t warrant a second glance at any coffee shop or moderately-priced restaurant. Between the camps are two further categories, divided arbitrarily by the amount of bike specific gear I could see the from my perch at Peet’s Coffee.

So, onto the results:

Full Speed Racer Mostly bike specific gear Mostly casual, with some bike gear Street clothes Total
18 cyclists 83 cyclists 154 cyclists 365 cyclists 620 cyclists
3% 13% 25% 59% 100%

Almost 60% of cyclists bike to work (or wherever) in  street clothes and only 3% in a full lycra. I expected a much more even split, and I’m really surprised that the majority of cyclists ride around without any visible bike-specific gear at all. This is great, because when a prospective cyclist sees someone riding a bike in “normal” clothes, they think, “Hey, I could do that!” The more items added to the perceived uniform, the more barriers to bicycling for new riders. Since doing this count I’ve been paying attention to the cyclists I see, and the proportion holds up; the majority of cyclists are riding in street clothes.  I would bet that this percentage will rise as more and better bike infrastructure is built around Seattle and people can bike from point A to point B comfortably. Of course there will always be hills, 15 mile commutes and hard saddles, and bike gear will always have a place, just expect to see less of it in the future as Seattle continues to build out its bike infrastructure.

Posted in Commuting | 7 Comments »

Go, Dawg, go!

Thursday, September 8th, 2011 by Mary Collins

If you’re a college football fan you probably know this already – the UW Huskies defeated Eastern Washington Eagles 30-27 last Friday in the opening game of the season. As the scoreline shows, the game was close, much closer than it should have been, and the Huskies were lucky to escape with the win.

New bike parking at the Montlake Triangle before the game starts

But that’s not the whole story. The first game of the season also signaled a shift in how bike parking is handled at Huskies games. As many fans who biked to the game probably noticed, the bike parking is different this season. The most significant change is the placement of five new racks (with a capacity of 75 bikes) in the Montlake Triangle immediately adjacent to the Burke-Gilman. These racks accommodate cyclists who arrive at the game on the trail and who do not want to walk their bikes through the crowds of fans closer to the stadium. Since the racks might be difficult to find, wayfinding signs were placed along the trail directing cyclists to the new parking.

This change came about through a year-long conversation between Cascade and the University of Washington Athletics Department. It began last year when I went to a Huskies game in November to count bikes and track traffic flows. This led to a number of recommendations for how to better accommodate cyclists and place parking to reflect cyclists’ desire lines, thereby reducing congestion, improving the fan experience and encouraging bicycling to games. The Athletics Department was very receptive, and with their help, we refined the recommendations and identified some easy wins for the new season. As a number of fans I talked to last week said, the new parking and wayfinging is a huge improvement over last year, and everyone I talked to is planning on biking to the next game.

While great, these improvements are not the end of the process. A stadium renovation and improvement project will begin before the end of the 2011 season, and we hope that bike parking and the needs of cyclists will be included in the redesign.

If you haven’t biked to the stadium before, this Saturday’s game against the Hawaii Warriors is a great opportunity to try it for the first time. Biking to the game couldn’t be easier. Hop on Burke all the way to the stadium, enjoy the beautiful weather, avoid the terrible traffic, save money and check out the new bike parking.

Did you bike to a Huskies game? Tell us what you think in the comments.

Posted in Around town, Burke-Gilman Trail, Commuting | 3 Comments »

What goes well with chocolate?

Thursday, July 7th, 2011 by Mary Collins

Well, everything, of course. Maybe bikes weren’t the first thing that jumped to mind, but the two make a pretty great combination. Both make you feel good. Chocolate, like exercise, stimulates endorphin production and gives you a feeling of pleasure. Both are good for your health. Chocolate (dark chocolate especially) helps keep the heart running well, lowers blood pressure and lowers cholesterol. The health benefits of biking are obvious. Plus, nothing beats a chocolate bar after a long ride.

Theo Chocolate has just completed another great combination of bikes and chocolate. And no, you can’t eat it. Theo Chocolate has just put the final touches on a new covered bike parking structure for employees. The structure’s beauty lies in its simplicity. Metal poles create the support and a tarp from Grainger provides the cover on top. Racks from Sportworks Northwest complete the picture. Easy, right? Often, the price of covered bike parking is a barrier. But Theo was able to keep costs low through creative planning and by using materials lying around the factory.

Previously, employees’ bikes were left in the loading area inside the factory. While this arrangement had worked well for cyclists, the bikes blocked the loading dock and made it difficult for people to do their job. To address the issue, a group of bicyclists formed a committee and started hunting for a new parking solution. The hardest part of the whole process was finding a suitable location. There was no room inside the factory. They could not use the neighboring building’s spacious bike cage. The committee toyed with a couple of outdoor locations before deciding to place the racks near the employee entrance at the back of the building. Once installed, the racks sat uncovered for several months before the structure was completed.

When I visited on a cloudy day last week, 6 bikes were parked to the racks. The racks can hold 16 bikes, and more can be locked to the metal posts and remain covered. At capacity, the structure could accommodate roughly 40% of Theo’s 55 employees. Nathan Royston, a cyclist and one of the committee members, said that he expects the parking to fill up over the summer. “More people bike now that there is a place to park their bikes,” Nathan said. Hopefully more businesses that need bike parking on a budget can follow Theo Chocolate’s example!

Posted in Around town, Commuting | No Comments »

Group Health Commute Challenge Official Standings #ghcc

Wednesday, June 8th, 2011 by Mary Collins

There is a LOT to celebrate this year. For one, we debuted a brand new Commute Challenge website and heard from many of you that it was a vast improvement over last year’s. And then participation reached another all-time high.

More than 11,000 folks registered for the Challenge, with 82 percent of those logging trips over the course of the month. That’s fantastic. Collectively we rode 1,306,014 miles, smashing last year’s record by a whopping 222,000 miles. Congratulations everyone!

Now, on to the standings.

Workplaces are really important to the success of the Group Health Commute Challenge. From small companies like SvR Design to major institutions like UW and Microsoft, businesses understand that bike commuting makes great business sense. Larger organizations dominate the standings in overall trips, riders and miles, but when categories are divided on a per rider basis, small businesses enter the fray.

Team members at Pacific Science Center

Most Teams in an Organization
1st place: University of Washington (73 teams)
2nd place: Seattle Children’s (64 teams)
3rd place: The Boeing Company (53 teams)

Most Riders in an Organization
1st place: Seattle Children’s (458 riders)
2nd place: University of Washington (454 riders)
3rd place: The Boeing Company (420 riders)

Most Miles in an Oraganization
1st place: The Boeing Company (92,065.1 miles)
2nd place: Microsoft Corporation (60,051.8 miles)
3rd place: Seattle Children’s (56,513.2 miles)

Best Commute Rate in an Organization
1st place (tie): Montlake Bicycle Shop (100%)
1st place (tie): The Stratford Company (100%)
1st place (tie): Green Depot (100%)

Most Miles per Rider in an Organization (Average)
1st place: The Stratford Company (1,404 miles/rider)
2nd place: Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC (790 miles/rider)
3rd place: Columbia Bank (445 miles/rider)

Most Trips per Rider in an Organization (Average)
1st place: The Stratford Company (27 trips/rider)
2nd place: Montlake Bicycle Shop (24 trips/rider)
3rd place: Target (22.1 trips/rider)

Many riders join the Group Health Commute Challenge because of the camaraderie and competition of being part of a team. Below are some of the team results.

Team NMML Non-Essentials

Commute Rate for a Team
1st place: Montlake Bicycle Shop (100%)
2nd place: SCHARPer Cyclists (99.5%)
3rd place: On-Your-Leftists (97.4%)

Most Trips for a Team
1st place: Montlake Bicycle Shop (216 trips)
2nd place: SCHARPer Cyclists (203 trips)
3rd place: Sterna Paradisaea (198 trips)

Most Miles for a Team
1st place: Sterna Paradisaea (8,722 miles)
2nd place: Windows Phone Dark Theme (6,128 miles)
3rd place: Product Pedalers (4,825 miles)

Most Team Miles on a Per Rider Basis (Average)
1st place: Sterna Paradisaea (872 miles/rider)
2nd place: Windows Phone Dark Theme (613 miles)
3rd place: Product Pedalers (483 miles)

There were some incredible individual riders this year. Along with the folks below, a whopping 713 people rode 100 percent of their work days!

Most Trips Overall
1st place: Juan Valero (31 trips)
2nd place (tie): Jim Troy (30 trips)
2nd place (tie): Neil Wechsler (30 trips)
3rd place (tie): Redentor Balansay (29 trips)
3rd place (tie): Steven Case (29 trips)
3rd place (tie): Sanjay Hari (29 trips)

Most Miles Overall
1st place: Kristin Welch (1,800 miles)
2nd place: Izaak Kelly (1,650 miles)
3rd place: Roger Crawford (1,430 miles)

New riders are key to growing the bicycle community. The support and encouragement of current riders inspires new people to try bicycling everyday. Bring a friend on your next ride. This year, a record 2,200 brand new bike commuters participated in the Group Health Commute Challenge!

Most New Commuters in an Organization
1st place: Seattle Children’s (122 newbies)
2nd place: The Boeing Company (79 newbies)
3rd place: University of Washington (78 newbies)

Most Miles Among New Commuters
1st place: Anna Bershteyn (732 miles)
2nd place (tie): Greg Pepper (660 miles)
2nd place (tie): Kartik Murthy (660 miles)
3rd place: Bill Stauber (642 miles)

Most Trips Among New Commuters
1st place: Sanjay Hari (29 trips)
2nd place: Egor Trilisky (26 trips)
3rd place: Bob Rivet (25 trips)

Posted in Bike Month, Commuting | No Comments »

2011 Captains of the Year #ghcc

Tuesday, June 7th, 2011 by Mary Collins

The weight of the Group Health Commute Challenge is borne on the backs of the 1,402 team captains.  Team captains are the heart and soul of the Group Health Commute Challenge. Their desire to share their love of bicycling is the reason why the 2011 Challenge has been the most successful yet.

All captains dedicate time and energy to their teams. With our Captain of the Year and New Captain of the Year awards this year, we want to recognize those who have taken it to the next level . Thank you to everyone who submitted a nomination! We received many nominations with many inspiring stories, and it was difficult to select two winners.

The winner of the Captain of the Year award is Rich Trimble of team Naval Base Kitsap Building 467. We want to recognize Rich for his work recruiting new bike commuters at Naval Base Kitsap. He was nominated by a co-worker who said, “It was Rich’s nudging that turned me from bus rider to bike rider last June…He helped me by showing me a locker room in our building that even had showers and laying out that it really isn’t that big of a deal.  I still didn’t believe him… but what do you know?  He was right!”

Rich became a team captain after a colleague told him about the Challenge. He is a year-round bike commuter and a natural fit in the role. He based his team around a group of co-workers who got together last fall to remedy their building’s lack of bike parking. The previous rack was inadvertently removed, so Rich and seven to eight others banded together and carried the rack “like pallbearers” to a new site.

The team members are not planning on hanging up their bikes for the summer. Far from it. To help new riders continue biking, Rich and five others have committed to ride 600 miles over the summer! This is a great way to keep the support and motivation of the Challenge going year round.

The winner of the New Captain of the Year award is Troy Kasper. Troy is the captain of the Shred Betties team at Starbucks headquarters in Sodo. Troy’s teammates nominated him to take the place left empty by their previous captain’s departure. He was the obvious choice, having been the team cheerleader since he joined four years ago. Troy designed a “Shred Bettie” T-shirt for the team (see photo) and provided snacks and regular motivational emails throughout the month. Troy continues to inspire teammates and other Starbucks cyclists throughout the year.

“He provides many words of wisdom, support, inspiration and encouragement as we head out for our commutes,” a teammate said.

Troy commutes 22 miles to Bothell on a converted Giant mountain bike. He rides regularly during Bike Month and combines his bike commute with transit during the rest of the year. Troy takes the bus to work and bikes home two to three times a week.

Congratulations to both of our winners!


Posted in Bike Month, Commuting | No Comments »

Bagels and biking to work for the first time #ghcc

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011 by Mary Collins

Like many bike commuters, Stephanie Pure got her start riding during Bike Month. She commuted from Fremont to Downtown for the first time this Bike to Work Day.

“I thought I would be alone, but I definitely wasn’t!” she said afterward.

F5 Bike to Work Day may be the best day of the year to ride, but that didn’t stop Stephanie from riding regularly the next week. She did wonder, however, where all the people were the next time she biked over the Fremont Bridge.

Stephanie is External Relations Director at the Seattle chapter of the American Institute of Architects. After the company decided they wanted to participate in the Group Health Commute Challenge, a board member recruited Stephanie to his team. Luckily, her team captain was on a mission to turn the company into bike commuters. Architect Rick Browning, an avid cyclist, offered to fix everyone’s bikes and taught a self-devised “Biking 101″ class. Stephanie said the support of her team and the example set by the executive director got her on the bike for the first time since the 90s.

Visitors enjoy bagels at AIA Seattle "Bagels for Bikers" commute station

After deciding to ride on Bike to Work Day and picking a route, Stephanie had to choose what to wear. On her first few trips she cycled through a variety of options, the full four seasons of bike-wear. The first day she was decked out like “a kid going to the pool the first time, with those water wings.”  Sure, you can never be too visible, but Stephanie felt her outfit was overkill for her daylight commute.

Next she tried biking in street clothes. She wore a dress and regular shoes. She looked good while riding, but the balance wasn’t right. She didn’t feel comfortable.

After a couple trial runs, Stephanie decided that for her, the best option is to bike in comfortable clothes, like an athletic top, and bring a change in her bag. She found a dress that rolls up without wrinkling and matches it with a pair of boots. Simple and easy.

When Stephanie arrived at work after her first bike commute, all her co-workers cheered and clapped. Plus, her company had set up a “Bagels for Bikers” station at the office. Not a bad way to arrive to the office.

“The whole thing was fun,” Stephanie said. “Not only was the opportunity great for all the bikers who joined us, the effort brought out many of our very close neighbors, some of whom had never been into our place before, even though they are right next door!”

Here’s to Stephanie, and all new commuters, continuing to ride over the summer!

Posted in Bike Month, Commuting, Profiles | 3 Comments »

Cycling in Style #ghcc

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011 by Mary Collins

"For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone. And for a beautiful brain, fasten your helmet."

Style: A quality of imagination and individuality expressed in one’s actions and tastes.

How does one cycle in style? If you follow any of the variety of cycle chic blogs that have popped up around the internet, it seems a pretty pressing question. And it is important. When cyclists look stylish, cool or just plain comfortable, non-cyclists are able to see themselves on a bike. Abolishing a cycling uniform is key to breaking down the barriers between “cyclist” and “non-cyclist,” and broadening the bicycling movement.  So yeah, style is more than just clothes.

If you were to divide cyclists into camps, the lycra-clad racers would be on one side and cycle chic fashionistas on the other, with everyone else falling somewhere in the middle. The division is rooted in the amount of “bike-specific” clothing one wears when cycling, or rather, the degree to which an outfit screams “CYCLIST!” to the casual observer. An outfit made up of a racing jersey, bike shorts and a sleek helmet matches the common image of a bicyclist, and also creates a barrier to entry for the first time rider. Someone wearing street clothes while biking presents cycling as simple and hassle-free. On the road in Seattle I see a lot of commuters mixing bike-specific clothing with street clothes, like a brightly-colored raincoat and jeans or bike shorts and a T-shirt. Customize your outfit to what feels comfortable to you.

Who is your cycling style icon?

So what’s the golden mean between the two camps? First, the intensity and kind of riding affect what clothing is appropriate. For example, a century is probably much more comfortable with bike shorts, while a chamois is overkill for a short trip to the grocery store (if you need bike shorts for shopping, consult your doctor or change your saddle). Location, topography, weather and personal preference also influence clothing choice. For bike commuting, take these factors, along with your personal sense of style, into account when choosing an outfit.

The key to cycling in style is to just be yourself, but on a bike. There is no style guide to cycling, and I’m certainly not qualified to write one. Style is personal. You know what makes you feel comfortable and look good.

I get inspiration from people I see biking everyday. If I see someone wearing something I like, I ask them about it. They’re usually flattered.

Posted in Bike Month, Commuting | 11 Comments »

F5 Bike to Work Day – Bring a Friend #ghcc

Monday, May 16th, 2011 by Mary Collins

F5 Bike to Work Day is May 20—this Friday! If you’re reading this blog, we hope you’re planning on riding. If you live too far to bike the whole way, take the bus or drive for part of it and ride the rest, or bus into work and ride home. Even if you don’t bike to work for another 364 days, bike to work on May 20.

Here’s a schedule of what’s in store:

*Commute stations, 6 – 9 a.m.

*Mayor’s Ride, 7:15 – 7:45 a.m.

*F5 Bike to Work Day Rally at City Hall, 7:30 – 8:30 a.m.

*F5 Bike to Work Day After Party Party in Ballard, 4 – 7 p.m.

You know why you bike: for fun, for exercise, for the environment or because one day your car broke down and you’ve never looked back. But why bike on F5 Bike to Work Day?

(more…)

Posted in Bike Month, Bike to Work Day, Commuting, Events | 3 Comments »

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