Car Free Days

Car Free Days Votes for Bikes

Posted on November 2, 2009 by Tim K | 2 comments

We miss election day. Most of you probably voted weeks ago and we’re just getting around to opening our ballots. It’s not the same since Washington went to an all-mail system.

So it’s probably not to going to help most of you that we’re putting in a last minute endorsement in our otherwise a apolitical blog for Mayoral Candidate Mike “bikes” McGinn.

As you expect, our pro-bike support of the pro-bike candidate is pretty obvious. Joe Mallahan also makes it an easy choice for a family who takes their voting seriously. Even if Mallahan didn’t promise to run the city like a phone company, he’d still fall short with us for his personal voting track record.

The fact that he’s missed 13 (thirteen!) elections since 2001 means we won’t be sending any hanging chads in his direction (Susan Hutchison, by the way has fared poorly, missing eight in the same time period).

You may have different hot-buttons and may make other election choices; that’s OK with us at Car Free Days.. Just whatever you do, don’t be like Joe and Susan. Vote. Make your voice heard.

-Tim

2 Comments

Posted in bigger than here, Human Powered Politics, seattle

Tagged bikes, elections, mayor, seattle, voting, xtracycle

And I’d like that delivered, please….

Posted on October 22, 2009 by Anne | 13 comments

carfreedays dry cleaning delivery service

our neighbor's dry cleaning delivery service

How does everyone feel about delivery?

In these new fangled modern times you can have just about anything delivered: Thai food, Indian food, groceries, pet food and even dry cleaning. The possibilities are endless. Continue reading →

13 Comments

Posted in shopping, traffic

Tagged delivery, neighborhoods, trucks

Joy-filled, kid-cam view of an Xtracycle commute

Posted on October 17, 2009 by Tim K | 12 comments

I’m a little behind on my blog / RSS reading (like 6-9 months, oops) so maybe this one has been all over the Inter-Webs. But even if it has, I don’t care. I love it and I’m posting it here anyway.

Nate Byerley, CEO of Xtracycle, spent some time filming his daughter Davis and their commute to school on a PeaPod (child seat) -equipped Xtracycle. The result is the perfect video to share with anyone who wonders why children should be transported by bike.

Watch and then answer me this: Have you ever seen such joy (“I see a kitty! … Scream with me!”) from ANY child strapped into a video screen-equipped mini van or SUV?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Bikes are better!

Thanks Nate!

-Tim

12 Comments

Posted in bigger than here, bikes, Commute, kids, xtracycle

Tagged car-free, Commute, happy, joy, kids, peapod, xtracycle

Everybody talks about the weather but no one…

Posted on October 15, 2009 by Tim K | 11 comments

It was raining so hard when I got up Wed. morning I didn’t ride my bike to work.

Don’t worry, I still got there on the Xtracycle, but like most days, I found it made more sense to take my time getting underway.

My morning (many mornings, in truth) went something like this: I got up. It was raining. Had my Grapenuts and coffee with the kids. Raining. Helped them get ready. Raining. Said goodbye to the kids. Still raining. Shower? Yep, still raining.

Yet 10 minutes later I was on my way to work dressed in my normal (non-bike) clothes, rain gear safely stowed in the Xtracycle Freeloader. Rain-gear optional is a a pretty usual way for me to roll (and maybe the reason I can still justify owning my hideously ugly purple/pink/black, 18 (!) year-old REI Turismo jacket/pants

I’m not saying all this to sound like a total time-challenged-douche-bag-schedule-slouching-weather-rock-star or something—though if you got soaked yesterday you might think I sound like one of those. Nah, I just want to share my two simple tools (well, three if you count the merino wool and four if you count fenders, but everyone knows that one, right?) for staying dry this winter. Continue reading →

11 Comments

Posted in bikes, Commute, seattle, weather

Tagged bikes, Commute, radar, rain, seattle, tips, weather

Walking or riding or skipping to school

Posted on October 5, 2009 by Anne | 10 comments

Walk&Wheel-brown-crop

October is International Walk to School Month. At our local elementary, we don’t discriminate. Walk, bike, hike, skip or even take the bus. Just don’t drive to school in October!

Our elementary school received a Seattle Department of Transportation Safe Routes to School grant last year. We’re using some of the funds from the grant to host a Walktober celebration this month. Kids keep track of their “active” trips to school and earn prizes if they make a minimum number of trips by foot, bike or scooter (any way other than a personal automobile).

Basically we’re bribing them.

We should really give prizes to the parents. What do you think would work? massages? coffee? gift certificates to the pub?

Cause it’s really up to the parents to make it happen.

– Anne

10 Comments

Posted in alternative transportation, bikes, kids, neighborhoods, School

Tagged bike, ride, Safe Routes to School, School, walk

Most American everyday cyclists are men. Why?

Posted on September 28, 2009 by Anne | 34 comments

I just read this article about women and everyday cycling that Xtracycle posted on their Facebook page. It’s a subject we love to talk about and one we’ve covered before.

The article (and some of the commenters) point to a lack of cycling infrastructure in most American cities as a reason women feel unsafe on the road. They also mention that household and child rearing responsibilities make it more difficult for women to go by bike.

What do you think? We’d love a lively discussion in the comments. Are safety concerns keeping women off bikes? Lack of showers at work? Too many kid juggling duties?

Tim and I talk about this a lot in our household. Unfortunately we don’t have any major new insights. All we can think to do about it is to keep encouraging people to ride and to raise our own kids who we hope will grow up thinking going by bike is normal.

What about you? Any thoughts on the not-enough-chicks-on-bikes issue? We’re all ears.

– Anne and Tim

34 Comments

Posted in bigger than here, bikes

Tagged cycling, cycling gender gap, everyday cycling, women

World Carfree Day is September 22

Posted on September 20, 2009 by Anne | 7 comments

Get ready to leave your car at home on Tuesday, September 22 in honor of World Carfree Day:

World Carfree Day is an annual celebration of cities and public life, free from the noise, stress and pollution of cars. Every September 22, people from around the world get together in the streets and neighbourhoods to celebrate World Carfree Day and to remind the world that we don’t have to accept our car-dominated societies.

Come on, it’s just one day, give it a try. Take your bike or the bus or your feet instead of your car.

I took a peek at the events page and it looks as if (for most of the country) World Carfree Day doesn’t have many organized events. If you live in Santa Cruz or San Francisco, Broomfield, Boulder, Louisville, Ashland, Galveston or Roanoke, by all means get out and celebrate.

Otherwise, just leave your car at home on Tuesday and go about your daily business.

– Anne

7 Comments

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

Tagged 2009, carfree, World Carfree Day

PARK(ing) Day 2009

Posted on September 19, 2009 by Anne | 3 comments

Among many other things lately, Parking Day completely snuck up on us this year.

Originally created by Rebar, San Francisco art and design collective, PARK(ing) Day is an annual, one-day, global event where artists, activists, and citizens independently but simultaneously temporarily transform metered parking spots into “PARK(ing)” spaces: temporary public parks.

We at carfreedays think subsidized on-street parking is a waste of public space. That makes it easy for us to get excited about PARK(ing) Day. Green space where a stinky car would have been waiting between trips? We’re all for it.

I had a few free hours yesterday, a lovely Seattle end-of-summer kind of day, so I took some time to ride around and check out some of the impromptu “parks” in South Lake Union and downtown Seattle. I enjoyed a mini-South Lake Union complete with picnic area, sailboat and kayak, tried my hand at a putting green, albeit badly, and enjoyed a delicious Michou sandwich at Pike Place Market (not a PARK(ing) day site but a prime location for car- freeness).

I intended to ride up to Capitol Hill where the bulk of Seattle’s “parks” were set up but I ran out of time.

What was your favorite PARK(ing) Day site?

How was PARK(ing) Day in your city?

more photos here

– Anne

3 Comments

Posted in bikes, Human Powered Politics, neighborhoods, seattle

Tagged open space, PARK(ing) Day, parks, seattle

Rack’em up and roll’em in: SDOT seeks corral input

Posted on August 25, 2009 by Anne | 5 comments

In addition to the weather, Tim and I love to talk about bike parking, bike racks and anything related to parking and racks. If you ride a bike, you need to have a secure parking spot for it upon arrival at your destination.

SDOT wants to know where on-street bike parking is needed around the city. So go ahead and send them your suggestions! Email requests to bikeracks@seattle.gov.

I already commented, telling SDOT to expect some from me. But unless you only want them in front of cafes, bars and restaurants (when I ride a bike, I get hungry, thirsty and I need a place to park my bike!) you better submit your spots, too.

– Anne

5 Comments

Posted in alternative transportation, bikes, Rack that Bike, seattle

Tagged bike parking, bike racks, on-street bike parking, seattle

An Every Day Adventure to the Bicycle Music Festival

Posted on August 23, 2009 by Tim K | 11 comments

An Every Day Adventure at the Bicycle Music Festival

We just returned from a day of family Xtracycling. If you’d asked where we were going when we left the house, we probably would have mentioned something about the Bicycle Music Festival. Sure that’s where we were headed, but in reality we were out for a dose of every day cycling adventure.

In the course of an hour or so on the bikes we picked up the youngest from a play date, helped a friend install a basketball hoop, took some photos, stopped at the library, saw a ton of boats and houseboats, took some more photos, and picked up some excellent free stuff on the road near said houseboats (some BRAND NEW Ikea LED lights plus some high-quality nickel-plated light fixtures with sconces that will go nicely in our bathroom. SCORE!)!

And that was just on the way to the music festival. Continue reading →