Month: May 2014

Joe, Marlo and Isabel ride to work and daycare

Joe and his family are what we are all about. Here’s Joe’s introduction to our group:
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My family lives in Highpoint. I got back into riding about a year ago when I discovered how much fun it is to ride with my daughter on the back of my bike. We’ve done a lot of family rides and we just started bike commuting this month. I work for a transportation company on Harbor Island and my wife works on East Marginal so it works out quite well. Our daughter is in daycare also on East Marginal so it’s been a family bike commute for the past couple weeks!

I actually do the commute to her office each day because I’m carrying the kiddo. So we ride from West Seattle to her office on East Marginal, drop off the child, and then I turn around and go back to Harbor Island.

The bike commute along East Marginal south from Harbor Island is rough. [ed. note: this is the “other” East Marginal Way S, south of S Spokane St.] Bikes have to be very careful. The first danger area is the concrete plant. Trucks are constantly coming and going in the morning. Then there are exposed railroad tracks all over the place. If you don’t take them at close to 90 degrees you’re going down for sure. The next hazard is watching for trucks at each cross-street. You practically have to come to a stop and look behind you to make sure no trucks are getting off East Marginal and turning right into you. The only good news is you don’t have to actually ride on the street (which would be suicide.) There is either a sidewalk or gravel path or frontage road all the way from Harbor Island to my wife’s office (Federal Center South) on East Marginal. I suspect those gravel/dirt paths get pretty muddy in the rain. Even several days after rain the puddles in the “path” still have water. The frontage roads are in terrible condition – beat to heck by trucks.

If any area is begging for improved biking infrastructure it is East Marginal Way south of Harbor Island. That would be money well spent. There are lots of employees in Federal Center South coming from West Seattle. In the meantime, it is bikable. But you have to be very careful and I’d only recommend it for a moderately experienced cyclist.

I’ve gotten to know Jeff and Stu through DIY Bikes and I’m really enjoying learning some great bike repair and maintenance skills at the DIY workshops.

School Road Safety

West Seattle Blog reported on the School Road Safety Meeting last night at the Southwest Library. Besides their reporter, only  four citizens attended. Three are members of West Seattle Bike Connections: Jay Guettler,  Theresa Beaulieu, and  Craig Rankin.  Theresa and Craig are parents actively involved with safe routes to Denny MS and the K-5 STEM program at Boren.

from Theresa’s notes:

I would like to see more parents, teachers and community members/groups involved. These improvements around schools are going to be great opportunity for change around our culture and how kids get to school. If schools are safe to get to via walking or biking and it is challenging to drive close to schools, then more parents will feel it is safe to allow their kids to ride a bike, scooter, skateboard or walk to school.

One thing that resonated with me that the West Seattle Blog did not cover is that the posted signs and cameras that are going up around schools are for 20 mph, and actually have a leeway before a ticket is issued, even though studies show that at 20 miles per hour, 9 out of 10 pedestrians who are hit by a car will survive,  but the death rate increases dramatically at greater speed.  That study only counts deaths, not major  injuries. 1 fatality for every 10 collisions is too high. All of us at the meeting agreed the cameras should be set to 15, NOT 20 mph, Note was taken.

Two more opportunities to learn and give input:

Tuesday, May 27 at 6 PM to 7:30 PM Northeast Branch Seattle Public Library, 6801 35th Ave NE
Thursday, May 29 at 6 PM to 7:30 PM Garfield Community Center, 2323 E Cherry St

Bike Rodeo – in the Sunshine!

We had a fun bike rodeo today at Alki Summer Streets – the rain held off and the kids kept coming!  Along with some SPD officers on bikes and Segways, and adult on a crutch scooter. Lots of West Seattleites out playing in the street using all kinds of locomotion without gas motors. Everything from dogs pulling skateboards to big long cargo bike to tall bikes and bare feet.

Thanks to Jay, Theresa, Bob Wi., Madi, Al J, Kathy, Don for a successful car-free event, including hauling to/from, and to all the parents and kids!

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Super hero rider makes it through the course with flying colors!

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SPD Parking Officer doing tight tight turns with extreme focus and concentration, showing how it’s done

and, getting his Certificate of Achievement!

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Al J adjusted every one’s helmet to really fit before riding this challenging and dangerous course, and gave the parents tips

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Visitors from afar! Davey Oil and family riding from Capitol Hill on the way to Vashon Island, getting some well deserved attention for that new electric assist cargo bike from Davey’s own G & O Family Cyclery in Greenwood.

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Madi helped kids decorate their bikes for the Alki Beach Creeps’ bike parade, and created our rodeo poster

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One of our best costumed riders

 

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Later on, at Skid Row, a tall bike starting a run in the skid contest.  Some amazing rain-assisted skids!

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Don and Jay ask, how geeky can you get?  But we did not have to find a car parking space at the beach!

Alki Summer Streets Bike Rodeo

This Sunday, May 18 from 11 to 4, rain or shine: 

Bring the young kids and their bikes!  Balance bikes, too.  West Seattle Bike Connections will be at Summer Streets again on Alki Avenue, probably somewhere near the bathhouse,

The bike rodeo is a fun skills and safety course for kids, with prizes for all, and bike decorating for the bike parade that Alki Beach Creeps will lead.

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West Seattle Bikes to Work

668 riders from 6 to 9 am at our Commute Station, up 10% from last year!

Sadly, no unicyles this year, but there were tandems to help confuse the counters. Cookies lasted exactly till the last rider at 9,

Thank you to all of you who rode today, and to all of our cookie bakers, to Alki Starbucks for coffee, Nuun for drinks, Cascade Bicycle Club for Bike Month, and once again to Alki Bike and Board and DIY Bikes for mechanical checks and adjustments, to our volunteers Bob Winship, Theresa and Jason Bealieu, Kathy Dunn, Jody Connolly, Sakaru Tuschiya, Jay Guettler, Al Jackson, Don Brubeck for  hauling and hosting, and last but not least, to Council Member Tom Rasmussen, with a WSBC sticker on his helmet, heading for a group ride from the Fremont Bridge.DSC01692   DSC01701 DSC01718 DSC01706DSC01707

Traffic at a Standstill

It was a car and bus parking lot this morning on the high bridge due to a minor collision. Bikes and trucks had to wait for the Alaska Marine Lines train barge to go through, but that was just 5 minutes enjoying the beautiful morning and a little socializing and phone checking. 1,752 bikes counted yesterday, 2nd highest ever. Can we break 2,000 for Bike to Work Day?

DSC01676WS Blog reports lots of hand wringing over the bridge traffic jams at West Seattle Transportation Coalition’s meeting last night. Can we convince enough people that there is a viable alternative that does not cost hundreds of millions of dollars for one new overpass, or billions for new light rail transit?  If 3,000 of us commuted by bike over the low bridge instead of in vehicles over the high bridge, traffic would flow easier, our taxes would be lower, the air would be less polluted, and we would be healthier and happier.

Bike to Work Day Friday 5/16 – Meet at the Bridge!

Friday, May 16 is Bike to Work Day.  West Seattle Bike Connections is hosting West Seattle’s only full Commute Station. Alki Bike and Board and DIY Bikes will be there for bike quick checks and advice ,  from 6 to 9 AM under the High Bridge, west of the Spokane Street low bridge where the Alki, East Marginal and West Duwamish trails meet. 

Please join us for bicycling information, simple repairs, coffee, home made cookies and other goodies.  Enter a drawing for prizes from Cascade Bicycle Club, and help us beat last year’s record number of cycling commuters!  Bring some cookies, or just ride for the cookies. No requirement to continue on to work!

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Saturday May 10 – Bike to Game Day

Bike to Game Day at Safeco
Saturday, May 10 Mariners v. Kansas City at 6:10 PM.  Purchase tickets on Friday for a discount.

Quickest, most fun way to get to the stadium from West Seattle and back home. Secure bike parking in the Safeco garage. Can combine with Water Taxi.
Sponsored by Cascade Bicycle Club and Puget Sound Starts Here – discounted tickets and gifts for bike riders

bike & trailer at Safeco Feild parking garage

Al J rides this rig to 30 games a season!


Lots of secure bike rack space waiting for fair or foul weather fans

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Bikes & Trains – to School!

Fabulous Bike to School Day!

Thank you to Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Jose Banda and Alki Elementary teacher Terry Kegel for leading giant bike trains to Alki!  More kids at Schmitz Park. Reports from your school?  Lots of nice coverage in the West Seattle Blog.  Here’s a photo from WSBC’s Kathy Dunn, who met the south train at Mee-Kwa-Mooks and promoted the Bike Rodeo that we’ll be doing for kids at Alki Summer Streets on May 18.   With with safe routes and good bike parking, we can make every school day Bike and Walk to School Day. Better for young students’ health, fitness, safety, attention span in the classroom, and for our neighborhoods. Alki Bike To School Day 2014