James W and kids on the Green Moose (photo courtesy of James)
Tim and I blather on and on about bikes and our adventures on the blog and we love to hear from people who find some of the info useful.
Posted in bikes, longbikes, xtracycle
Tagged community, Green Moose, local, seattle, Xtracycle Build, xtracyle
Columbia City station on Seattle's Link light rail from rutlo on Flickr
Sound Transit is launching it’s starter light-rail line from Westlake Center to Tukwila tomorrow.
Today’s Seattle Times reports that some would-be light rail riders are upset by the lack of parking around the light rail stations. According to Rick Sheridan, SDOT spokesman, this was done on purpose.
“Light rail was meant to be fed by people taking the bus, walking or biking,” said Rick Sheridan, spokesman for the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT). “It was not meant to be fed by cars.”
Sounds like a great opportunity to promote cycling. One mile is a doable bike ride for most people. Let’s hope people get inspired to give cycling a try since they won’t have any place to park their cars. Go ahead, buy a beater bike and ride it to the light rail station.
Does anyone know if they put in adequate bike parking?
I’d love to hear from some South end readers about what you think of this topic. The Times has 329 comments at this time, so it looks like a hot one.
– Anne
Posted in alternative transportation, bikes, Commute, neighborhoods
Tagged light-rail, parking, seattle
Heading Home from the Farmers Market
Summer in Seattle is in full swing. We’re taking advantage of a streak of near perfect weather by drinking a few of Tim’s Mojitos , swimming and kayaking in the lake, enjoying backyard BBQs, visits with out-of-town friends, staying up late, reading lots of books and neglecting our blog.
Here are a few photos of our summer adventures so far. I hope you’re enjoying your summer too!
– Anne
Tim's famous Mojitos, always worth waiting for
3rd of July Kayaking on Lake Washington
Jim Needs an Xtracycle
4th of July Neighborhood Bike Parade
17lbs of Backyard Raspberries
Posted in extravehicular activities, neighborhoods, summer
Tagged carfreedays, seattle, summer
I love our dentist, Dr. Russell. He’s the kind of guy I can exchange snippy banter with while he takes better care of my mouth then the words coming out of it often deserve.
As many of you know, Anne and I are turning into bike rack zealots. So its no surprise that during my cleaning last winter, I spent some time berating him for his shoddy bike parking. The rack at his office is old, rattly, rusty, and not even secured to the ground!
To his credit, Dr. Russell didn’t jab me with one of those evil dental picks. Instead, he listened respectfully, asked a couple questions, and gave me a little hope he’d do something about it.
Last Thursday I was back for my summer cleaning. Approaching the still-in-place ratty old rack my initial disappointment quickly turned to admiration for the way he had spiffed it up and secured it with the tools of his trade:
Posted in bicycle neglect, Ha, Rack that Bike
It’s so great to watch the number of cycling families grow during Bike to School Month.
I have noticed a pattern since we started organizing Bike to School Month last year. At the beginning of the month, the number of cycling parents and kids isn’t that impressive. This year a dozen or so families biked to school on a daily basis the first week. But as the month progresses, (and the weather improves) more and more families join the fun and start riding bikes to school.
Is it momentum? Is it peer pressure? Does it just look like fun?
Kids see their friends riding to school and it looks like so much fun, they want to do it too. Those kids convince their parents to give it a try. As more and more families join in, the bike racks fill up. And pretty soon bikes are spilling into the garden and being locked to any available stationary object. Sometimes they aren’t locked at all (who is going to steal a kid’s bike from a school playground anyway).
I’m not sure how the momentum builds. What I do know is: I’m still seeing new faces at the bike racks every day(and they’re all smiling faces).
Thanks to all of the parents who have given biking a try. You’re doing your kids a huge favor, and hopefully you’re having some fun too!
Does anyone have Bike to School stories to share?
– Anne
Posted in alternative transportation, bigger than here, bikes, neighborhoods, School
Tagged Bike to School Month, kids, School, seattle
Heading out with a small group on the 2009 Ride of Silence
As I mentioned, Wednesday was the 2009 Ride of Silence. Having been impressed by last year’s numbers and the diversity of participants, I was really looking forward to paying my respects by riding with an even larger group this year.
Upon arriving at Gas Works Park, it was quickly apparent that I was a bit optimistic. In fact, riders were so sparse, my first thought was that I missed the roll out and had showed up at a Cascade evening group ride. Last year’s rider count was in the mid-hundreds (Wednesday’s ride leader mentioned “600” in past years), this year I counted 43 or 44 riders TOTAL.
I’m just going to come right out and say I’m really disappointed by Seattle cyclists. While other cities had growing numbers of riders, Seattle fell flat (Portland drew about 75 for their 2009 ride). Continue reading
Posted in bicycle neglect, bigger than here, bikes, Human Powered Politics, traffic
Tagged community, politics, ride of silence, rides, seattle
The Seattle 2009 Ride of Silence quietly rolls out from Gas Works Park at 6:30 this evening. The ride, if you aren’t familiar, is an international event intended to honor those killed or injured cycling on roadways.
I participated last year and was marked by the ride. It’s a rather eery experience when a few hundred normally chattery cyclists string out along the road for a completely silent, solemn parade. Other than the whir of tires, ratcheting of freehubs, or squeals of wet, longbike disc brakes (sorry about that), it really is a ride of silence.
Posted in alternative transportation, bigger than here, bikes, Human Powered Politics
Tagged advocacy, bicycle, bikes, Commute, respect, ride of silence, seattle
I love commuting with my wife
Friday is a big day.
We kick off Bike to Work month (Tim) and Bike to School month (Anne and the kids). I’m pretty sure we’ll be blessed with clear (or at least dry) skies, so don’t delay the start of your commute season. Remember, this is Seattle—the weather can only get worse as we get closer to June.
If you find yourself downtown with a spare hour around lunch time, I’d recommend checking out the Forum, TOWN HALL: Visioning the Puget Sound Region’s Transportation Future. It’s part of their ongoing Friday Forums series:
Transit demand continues to skyrocket while operating revenues are plummeting. How do car sharing, walkable and bike-friendly communities, and transit work together to form a new vision for transportation?
You’re even bring your lunch so if your schedule can swing it—unfortunately, mine can’t— please share any good takeaways. From over here in the cheap seats, it looks like an interesting collection of speakers will be covering some major ground.
WHEN:Friday, May 1st, 12:00 – 1:30 PM
WHERE: Bertha Landes Knight Room, Seattle City Hall (on 5th Ave.between Cherry and James St.)
More info at the Transportation Choices Coalition website.
-Tim
Posted in alternative transportation, bigger than here, Commute
Tagged bike-to-school, bike-to-work, bikes, bluesky, Commute, oma, seattle, transportation, weather
It’s hard to believe a whole year has passed since we planned our first ever Bike to School Month at our local elementary school . I feel so much older and wiser this year : ) Continue reading
Posted in alternative transportation, bigger than here, bikes, kids, neighborhoods, School
Tagged Bike to School Month, bike-to-school, kids, School, seattle
The Cherry Blossoms in full bloom at the UW are a sure sign of spring in Seattle.
I hope Spring has sprung where ever you are!
It’s a beautiful day in Seattle. Cheers!
– Anne
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