Category Archives: alternative transportation

My New Red Basket Rules

Posted on June 10, 2008 by Anne | 10 comments

Tim spent a couple of hours last weekend lovingly painting my new front basket cherry red. It looks great. Tim, you do good work– and you’re the best. Continue reading →

10 Comments

Posted in alternative transportation, bike lust, bikes, oma, shopping, sustainability

Tagged carrying stuff, oma, Red Basket, shopping

Bike-Ferry Commute Awesomeness

Posted on June 4, 2008 by Tim K | 2 comments

This is sweet. The volume of commuters is almost like something you’d see in Northern Europe. The video author says the state ferry system is thinking of bumping cars in favor of bikes because bikes generate more revenue per square foot of deck space. Makes sense to me—six or eight paying cyclists in the space of normally occupied by a lone driver is easy math.

Wasn’t it just last year they were saying passenger/bike ferries weren’t an economical option ? I guess they didn’t anticipate the impact of $125/barrel oil on the hearts and minds of SOV ferry commuters.

– Tim

via Greggscycles Plurk (-stream? -line? -uh…what is a plurk feed called?)

2 Comments

Posted in alternative transportation, bikes, Commute, mass transit, seattle

Tagged bikes, Commute, ferry, seattle, video

Pedaling for Food

Posted on June 4, 2008 by Anne | 3 comments

The question I get asked most often about our “biking lifestyle” is: How do you grocery shop on your bike? Do you shop every day? Can you really carry enough for a family of four? I think people can wrap their brains around getting from here to there, but dealing with the stuff is a whole ‘nother thing. It just seems too daunting. Continue reading →

3 Comments

Posted in alternative transportation, bikes, seattle

Tagged alternative transportation, bikes, grocery stores, seattle, shopping

Bike to School Month Wrap Up

Posted on May 30, 2008 by Anne | 5 comments

Bike to School month was a huge success at our local elementary. We averaged about 60 riders every day–the bike racks were full and fence and gate locking was overflowing every day this month. It was certainly a beautiful sight.

A big thanks to Leslie and Clint for leading the effort – you did a great job!

Many parents joined their kids and pedaled to and from school all month. I talked to a few who said they were hooked and plan to get to school on two wheels from now on. Right on. Others say “they’ll see” if they can keep it up. I tried to encourage any parent who would listen to keep on riding. It’s so great to see the kids excited about riding and the traffic reduction around school was definitely noticeable. Continue reading →

5 Comments

Posted in alternative transportation, bigger than here, bikes, kids, seattle

Tagged Bike to School Month, Family Cycling, kids, seattle

Are Women The Key To A Successful Bike Culture?

Posted on May 13, 2008 by Anne | 11 comments

This morning I was reading Copenhagen Cycle Chic’s report on the véloculture in Paris. It’s so wonderful to read about the success of the Vélib program. Since the program was introduced last summer, biking has exploded in the city of Paris.

When I lived in Paris many years ago, transportation options were limited to

Métro (efficient but underground so you can’t enjoy the scenery, also crowded and stinky at times)
Bus (also efficient but always crowded)
Walking (my preferred method of transport but took a long time to get anywhere)

Biking around Paris would have been so great!

Tim and I were there last July and we missed the installation of the Vélib bikes by one week. We saw the stations all over town, but they were all bikeless. We walked and took the Metro – but would have prefered cruising around Paris on bikes. I guess we’ll have to go back and give Vélib a try.

While Copenhagen Cycle Chic’s post was about biking culture in Paris – my key take away was this quote:

The key to any successful bike culture is to get women onto bikes. They are the group that is most likely to ride and yet least likely to actually do it, especially in urban settings. Continue reading →

11 Comments

Posted in alternative transportation, bigger than here, bikes, Human Powered Politics

Tagged bike culture, cycling, Paris, Velib, women

Dutch Bike Seattle: Good times, Good People

Posted on May 12, 2008 by Tim K | Leave a comment

Saturday saw big Mother’s Day eve doings for Anne and Tim. We got ourselves a babysitter and pedaled across town for the Ballard Second Saturday celebration at Dutch Bike Co. Seattle. We had some reservations about going. Not because we didn’t think it would be fun, but because the last time we toasted with those folks we enjoyed the best time ever. Bikes, beers, high heels. You can read all about it. Continue reading →

Getting casual on the Snapdeck

Posted on May 12, 2008 by Anne | Leave a comment

Our kids are so comfortable riding on the Snapdeck, they are getting a little um, casual. Sometimes I feel the weight shift a little and look back and discover them in a different position than when we started our ride. Continue reading →

Seattle Green Lanes: Laying it on Thick

Posted on May 10, 2008 by Tim K | 5 comments

A fine SDOT crew was hard at work this morning as I headed into work. Yep, it’s one of the green lanes we blogged about last February. I’m still thinking the green is a bit of “Emerald City” gimick, but it sure looks nifty on a sunny day. Overall, I’m on the fence about their effectiveness, but this individual spot is probably going to get the thumbs up from me.

This lane helps in an odd spot where cyclists are forced off the Fremont Bridge deck/sidewalk and onto the street right where motorists—often feeling rushed and frustrated because they just waited for the drawbridge—need to make an immediate right. Unlike the new Dexter and Green Lake locations, I can imagine this effectively warning motorists that they are crossing a bike lane.

I’m still waiting to hear if the city is going to bother doing anything with the deadly Fuhrman/Bryce Lewis intersection at the University Bridge. I’ve already speculated that fears of admitting liability will keep city officials from acting there. I still hope I’m wrong, because this one needs attention!

Have you ridden any of these “lanes” yet? Lemme know what you think.

edit: added Green Lane Flickr set here

5 Comments

Posted in alternative transportation, bikes, Commute, seattle

Tagged bikes, Commute, green lanes, SDOT, seattle, traffic

Seattle, Take the One Less Car Challenge, We’ll Give You Some Gas, a Car Wash, and Highway Map

Posted on May 7, 2008 by Anne | 5 comments

AAA Image As we’ve said, we took the One Less Car Challenge last fall. We sold our newish Saab, and got $600 in Zipcar benefits (among other things) in exchange.

It seemed like a pretty good trade. We didn’t drive very much, but wanted to keep the car around because, well, you know: “just in case.” The Zipcar benefits handled the just in case part and it was a lot easier to let go of the car, it’s sunk costs, and associated negative externalities.

We’ve yet to use the Zipcar benefits, as we drive even more rarely since giving up the Saab (funny how that works), but having the benefit made it easy to let it go. Continue reading →

5 Comments

Posted in alternative transportation, bikes, Human Powered Politics, seattle, sustainability

Tagged alternative transportation, One Less Car, seattle

Bike to School Month, Parents Who Ride Rule!

Posted on May 6, 2008 by Anne | 6 comments

I would like to applaud all of the parents who are taking their kids to school by bike this month. You are all doing a fantastic job. Way to go! Continue reading →