Sometimes it rains. And you get wet. And you stop and wait for the rain to pass under a tree while you eat chocolate. And mom is kinda mad. Then you go home.
Looking forward to some better weather.
Please.
– Anne and Tim (not pictured but equally wet)
Posted in bikes, Burke-Gilman Trail, kids, weather
Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn unveiled a multi-year Walk, Bike, Ride campaign yesterday at the Beacon Hill light rail station. Initial reaction locally was mostly lukewarm, with many observers pointing to the plan’s lack of funding as a major obstacle to success.
Paul Andrews of Bike Intelligencer summed up the announcement and the campaign eloquently with his post Walk, Bike, Ride, yes. Spend? Um, err….”
Where’s the money, Lebowski?
The opening line from “The Big Lebowski” kept rolling through my mind as Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, King County Council member Larry Phillips and a supporting cast of street activists rolled out a new “Walk Bike Ride” campaign at the Beacon Hill light rail station this afternoon.
Andrews is a seasoned newspaperman and professional writer. And it shows. In contrast to many bloggers (yes, bike bloggers, too. This one included), Andrews can really write. In a, concise post, he covers both the good of the plan (The mayor, who biked to the press conference, wants to encourage a city-wide shift away from driving), as well as the bad (uh, how are we going to fund said shift)?
It’s worth popping over to Bike Intelligencer and getting the full poop. But while you are here, you might as well know that The Car Free Days’ take on the plan is a qualified “Bravo.”
Sure, presenting the plan in tandem with a big-ass bucket of money would have been nice, but we’re reasonably happy with the overall message. If we can instill the city’s collective mind with the idea that “bicycling is a normal option for normal people,” we’re on our way to change. Continue reading
Need a new bike for your kid? Then head on down to Genesee Playfield this Saturday, May 8th from 10:00 to 4:00.
Bike Works’ annual Kids Bike Swap event helps to facilitate the flow of affordable bicycles within the community while simultaneously preventing fully functional bikes from ending up in local landfills. This event provides families with a cost-effective opportunity that allows them to trade a child’s bike that has been outgrown for a larger bike that provides both a better fit and ride for their child’s next summer season of riding! Families looking to buy a bike, but do not have a bike to trade in, are welcome to come after 12 pm.
Get all of the details here
– Anne
Posted in bikes, Events, kids, kids' bikes, news
Tagged Bike swap, kids, kids' bikes, seattle
Now that our kids are getting older, they don’t always ride on the back of the Xtracycles. They are both confident road riders and are quite capable of riding their own bikes. But, sometimes they take a ride on the Snapdeck. Usually because it’s night or we’re traveling farther than they think they can ride or our destination requires pedaling on busy roads or they just feel like chilling on the back of the bike with a book.
When they choose to be a Snapdeck passenger, I usually tell them to wear running shoes. Cause even the most seasoned Snapdeck rider needs to get off, stretch his/her legs and take a little run from time to time:
– Anne
Posted in alternative transportation, bikes, kids, xtracycle
We heard from Val yesterday that the Easter Cargo Bike Ride is on. Click the link for details. The route is South end friendly, it starts at the Delridge Playfield and ends at Seward Park. Continue reading
Posted in bikes, cargo bikes, extravehicular activities
Tagged Cargo bike ride, Easter, group rides, seattle
Thought I’d pass along some information about 35 $1000 grants that are available from the National Center for Safe Routes to School. The application deadline is April 7, 2010.
Safe Routes to School $1,000 Mini-grant Call for Applications
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (February 26, 2010) — The National Center for Safe Routes to School is now accepting applications for up to 35 $1,000 mini-grants for creative, youth-focused ideas that support safe walking and/or bicycling to school. Eligible activities must occur at an elementary or middle school in Fall 2010 and support the overall goal of Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs — to enable and encourage children nationwide to safely walk and bicycle to school…. Continue reading
Posted in bigger than here, bikes, kids, neighborhoods, School
Tagged bike-to-school, kids, mini-grants, Safe Routes to School, School, SRTS, walk to school
If you think car-free schools aren’t possible in North America. Think again.
P.L. Robertson elementary in Milton, ON (a suburb of Toronto) just opened this month with a car-free drop off policy. And they didn’t just create a policy in their school operation manual, they also designed a car-free process to back it up.
How in the H E double hockey sticks did they do that? Don’t they know it’s the middle of winter? They live in Canada….it’s cold outside? Continue reading
Posted in alternative transportation, bigger than here, bikes, In other Cities, kids, neighborhoods
Tagged Canada, car-free school, everyday fitness, Milton, Ontario, walk to school
I spent two fantastic days in Marin, CA this week visiting with old friends and hanging out with their families. Just north of San Francisco, Marin is the epitome of car culture with traffic jams, packed parking lots and streets clogged with luxury cars.
At least they are doing something right with the kids: they get to school on bikes. Continue reading
Posted in alternative transportation, bikes, In other Cities, kids, neighborhoods, School
Tagged bike-to-school, kids, Marin, Safe Routes to School
Victory! Bikes Rule
Inspired by Streetfilms Bike Vs Car Vs Transit, the Car Free Days family took a challenge of their own: Bike Vs. Bus from our house in Ravenna to Westlake Park in downtown Seattle for a little holiday in the big city action.
The event:
A door-to-door speed test pitting Tim’s Xtracycle against Anne and 2 kids on foot to the bus stop, then on the bus to Westlake Park. Our departure times and routes were the same, but the outcome would be different Continue reading
Posted in bikes, extravehicular activities, seattle, streetsblog
Tagged Bike Vs Bus Challenge, bikes, bus, metro, Race, seattle
Adrienne has a great post about women and families and getting more of them on bikes. (Thanks for the tip, Val). This is a subject I love to talk about.
Stereotype or not, women, with their concerns about safety and protecting the children, need to feel safe if they are going to embrace cycling as their primary mode of transportation.
I do have hope. Continue reading
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Anne & Tim
Tim King
Anne
cfdgirl
Tim K
Car Free Days 