The Delridge Greenways let us ride from the Alki Trail to White Center on safe, quiet, beautiful streets. We have more Greenway routes waiting to be built! Seattle Neighborhood Greenways connects groups like ours, coordinating and supporting our efforts for bike routes that work for all ages and abilities, with equity.
Please consider a gift to Seattle Neighborhood Greenways on May 6, Give Big Day
We rode today from Occidental Plaza to the Schooner Exact with Cascade Bicycle Club on a Policy Ride and Bike Happy Hour! And some of us going to DIY Bikes wheel truing workshop.
Thank you to Dongho Chang, Seattle Chief Traffic Engineer for riding with us,
and Brock Howell, Emily Kathrein, Robin Randels, Thomas Goldstein, and Jeff Aken from Cascade for doing this, and to Bob Anderton, David Geoffrion, Bob Winship, Kathy Dunn, Lars Halstrom, and others from WSBC, AJ Verdugo from WS, and Michael Hirschenhorn from Queen Anne and Seattle Neighborhood Greenways for participating. We enjoyed meeting new people from West Seattle and beyond. Don Brubeck
ALMOST in West Seattle – let’s celebrate a year of safe riding and steady progress on East Marginal Way, raise a glass to Lance David’s memory, and talk about what is to come. Schooner Exact is at 3901 First Avenue South. Ride co-led by Cascade Bicycle Club and West Seattle Bike Connections
Until the Washington State legislature, King County or Seattle government figure out what to do to provide the bus service we need, some of us can ride bikes to get places and free up seats on the buses that are still running, and free up space on the roads for those who must drive. Bicycle transportation increases roadway bandwidth without increasing roadway width. Kind of like energy conservation by increasing efficiency — getting more out of the existing capacity.
We are here to help that happen, and to make it safe, attractive and convenient for as many people as possible.
Here’s a great north-south route in West Seattle: 21st Ave SW on Puget Ridge and Pigeon Point, connecting us to White Center at the south via Myrtle/16th, and connecting to West Duwamish Trail, Alki Trail and the low level bridge to SODO and downtown at the north, via Andover/22nd. No traffic jams, low traffic, peaceful and easy grades. Croft Place here connects to the 26th Ave SW Greenway.
Who’s street is it? Are bike riders just freeloaders on roads paid for by car drivers? What about parking? Are bike riders either elitists or DUIclists?
Some of us are buying and passing around Elly Blue’s new book — preaching to the choir, but she has good stories and lots of good data to back it up. Talking points for bike advocates, based on values of community, social justice, public health, economics, and fun. Kathy read it on the bus coming back from meeting the author in Tacoma. I read it on a five hour plane ride. Elly inscribed it, “Dedicated to the good work and great energy of West Seattle Bike Connections. Keep on pedaling, we are winning!” Recommended! e-book or paperback from Microcosm Publishing
Don
But not to West Seattle. Boo! Here’s another example of how West Seattle is treated like the ugly red-headed step-child of Seattle – no “viable” bike share station locations. Of course they’re going to be sprinkled all over central and northern Seattle. But southern and western Seattle? We just get no love.
So here’s your chance to let them know we want a bike share station. Wouldn’t it be awesome to have one right at the Water Taxi? And how about at Alki Beach? Alki Trail is flat and segregated from automobiles. Of course, there’s plenty of other possible “viable” locations around the southwest area of Seattle…but they need to know where!
Go to this website and enter your inputs. No registration required. We’d love your help and we’d love to see West Seattle included as a “viable” part of this city.
Please join us at Home Street Bank, 4022 SW Alaska St
Lots on the agenda, with Bike Month coming up; grant applications; projects at schools; Greenways; intersections; bike corrals; Alki Summer Streets and summer events to plan. Open meeting. You are invited.
See the Calendar for map, details
Meeting agenda and notes can be found here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qj4O-vYmK_tZi9g5Mv5yme4bwQK7834afbf4zILBoNU/edit?usp=sharing
We mea
n bikes are good for business!
Talking bike parking at the Junction with business owners and Kyle Rowe from SDOT tonight.
We’ve been riding in the rain!
In the city.. and in the country. You can haul your own ark if you are worried about flooding.
Lots of ways to do it comfortably and arrive dry in our mild, moist, maritime climate. Cascade posted some good tips a while back. What are your tips?
Some of ours:
For safety: lights and light colors in daytime, more lights and reflectivity at night.
For comfort riding around town: Venting rain gear, WP mitts if it’s cold, no gloves if it’s warm; consider a rain cape if a jacket is too sweaty, or if it’s warm just wear quick-drying clothes. Waterproof work boots or dress boots or sandals can be easier than bike-specific shoes and booties. Finding the rain gear that works for you allows riding in normal clothes without the need to change when you get where you are going, if you adjust your layers, venting and pace to avoid overheating.
For less maintenance: Consider wider, sturdier tires to take water-filled potholes; disk or drum brakes; long fenders; single speed or internal gears.
We talked to a middle school student and a high school student who expressed the interest in riding but have bikes that need attention, we told them about Stu and the DYI bikes. We also talked to Cascade Middle School teacher who is interested in getting a bike rodeo day or session in their PE program. It was a great day with great food and fun entertainment.