Month: December 2014

West Seattle Bike Connections is unappealing

Only two hours left to NOT donate to us! We don’t want your money!

We just want you to ride your bike!

And maybe, if you have some time in 2015, to spend a little of it with us. Or ask us to spend some time with you on a project or activity to make it easier and more fun to go places by bike in and from West Seattle.

If you get involved just a little, we’ll be able to do more of what we did in 2014:

  • Social rides with friends and families, like the mini STP
  • Hosting the West Seattle Bike to Work Day commute station.
  • Getting bike corrals and bike racks at shopping areas and schools
  • Starting and funding after school bike club at Denny Middle School
  • Engaging SDOT and City Council on bike routes in South Park, on Fauntleroy, on 35th Ave SW, at the Chelan 5-way intersection, on East Marginal Way S, and for the Delridge/Highland Park Greenway planning.
  • Our Bike Rodeo at Alki Summer Streets, and participation in Fiestas Patrias in South Park. the White Center Community Summit and Morgan Junction festival.
  • Grant applications with Admiral, Alki, Highland Park, and Morgan Junction neighborhood associations for traffic safety improvements.
  • Night Out with the Junction Neighborhood Association.
  • Lobbying at City Council and in Olympia for bike/pedestrian transportation funding.
  • Lending support to DIY Bikes of West Seattle.
  • Participation in SDOT School Road Safety workshop, Cascade Bicycle Club Policy Ride and Bike Happy Hour in SODO, and another in West Seattle, and memorial and vigil walks and rides.
  • Meeting and working with our allies at Seattle Neighborhood Greenways, Cascade Bicycle Club, and Sustainable West Seattle.

We are a volunteer community group, so what WE need are more of us!

If you do have money to give, you could give it to Seattle Neighborhood Greenways,  Cascade Bicycle Club Education Foundation, Washington Bikes, Feet First, BikeWorks, Alliance for Walking and Biking, World Bicycle Relief, …DSC04126

Unblocking Bike Lanes and Detours

Today another vehicle driver decided that the bike/ped detour lane under the Alaska Way Viaduct near S Main St was a handy place to park and leave a truck. There has to be use of this area for loading for some of the businesses, but this van was obviously there for construction work, probably tunnel construction work.
Reporting to SPD Parking Enforcement didn’t work – non-emergency line was too booked up and the recorded message said call back later in the day. Worth a try,  but would have been too late.
2014-12-19 AK-Main truck2

2014-12-19 AK-Main truck3

So, in addition to email to Cascade Concrete & Drilling directly to request better behavior, an email to SDOT’s “Construction Hub” program and WSDOT SR99 Viaduct Project got a quick response back from Melody Berry, SDOT Construction Hub Coordination Program Supervisor, promising enforcement. If you see a problem that has to do with construction detours or construction project use of streets in the downtown core area or the WS Junction, give them a try!

Denny MS + Major Taylor = Cyclocross Fun

Back in February, Denny International Middle School parent and PTA member Theresa Beaulieu, launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to purchase bikes for students of the school. She was able to raise $1,500 in donations, enough to buy 10 KHS mountain bikes from West Seattle’s Alki Bike and Board, owned by Stu Hennesey.

The bikes came in boxes, so Theresa coordinated a bike assembly day (back in July) with Will King, Denny’s Out of School Program Director, who was able to get kids to help put the bikes together. The students rotated through assembly stations during a 3 hour period to help Theresa and two additional volunteers, Jason Beaulieu and Jeff Hallman. Saddles, wheels, pedals, handlebars and reflectors were installed and brakes were checked and adjustments made. The kids had fun learning how to work on bikes and even more fun test-riding them once they were done (a vital step that all mechanics use to ensure that the bike is safe).

Denny Major Taylor Assembly (03) 07-31-2014 Denny Major Taylor Assembly (02) 07-31-2014 Denny Major Taylor Assembly (01) 07-31-2014

These bikes are being used for Denny’s inaugural Major Taylor Program, which was held after school on Thursdays this fall. Cascade’s Major Taylor Program administers the program, which is co-lead by Miles Schulman of Americorps. According to Miles,

“Every Thursday a group of six kids and two instructors hit the roads around Denny, riding everywhere from Fauntleroy Park to High Point Pond, stopping on our rides to enjoy views, play football, and get some hot chocolate and snacks. We taught the kids hand signals, road safety techniques, emergency stops, and shifting. Students got to practice mountain biking techniques in the parks around their neighborhood. We climbed big hills and loved flying down them.”

Two of the club riders, Abdi and Kai, even participated in this year’s Subaru Woodland Park Cyclocross Series #6 race, held on November 9, 2014 at Woodland Park. Both students did exceptionally well, completing two laps covered in mud!

Woodland Cyclocross #6 11.09.14-6107
Photo courtesy of Dennis Crane
Woodland Cyclocross #6 11.09.14-5973
Photo courtesy of Dennis Crane

We will be having another Spring Bike Club at Denny and look forward to the fun rides ahead.   Thank you to all who have donated, supported and helped Theresa’s dream come true, and that is to have an after school bike club at Denny to help get more kids comfortable on bikes.

Alki Elementary – bike racks

 

The start of new bike racks today at Alki Elementary School. We helped parents, who met us at our Alki Summer Streets bike rodeo, scope out locations and connect with Brian Dougherty at SDOT.  Principal Shannon Stanton and teacher Mr. Leeper really are supportive of kids walking and biking to school.  A few parents, the Principal and a teacher or two. That’s what it takes! The kids are willing.2014-12-17 08.10.08

Another Hair Salon Crash

Yesterday, yet another hair salon was the victim of a collision with a vehicle, this time Salon 08 in West Seattle.

First question asked by media after the crash:  “Was she wearing a helmet?”

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Driver’s first statement:  “I don’t know what happened. That salon just came out of nowhere!”

Talk radio chat:  “Those salons should not be allowed on the road.”

Citizen comments:  “Getting your hair done is too dangerous. I don’t know why people think they should do that.”

Advocacy groups: “We demand protected hair salons lanes”

Columbia City, August 2014, 6 people in hair salon and adjacent restaurant were injured, and the historic building suffered serious damage.

Compton, California, September 2013, building red-tagged

Hockley, England, May 2011 , severe damage

Ride to Alki – Christmas Ships

Beautiful evening for a ride, bonfire, hot drinks and Christmas ship caroling at Alki. with a few of us and others from Seattle Family Biking FB group. Thanks to Charity McCollum for getting us going!DSC05917DSC05903DSC05912DSC05916

Party4OurStreets – Thursday Dec 11

We are part of Seattle Neighborhood Greenways, and it has been a great year for the Greenways movement. Let’s celebrate!

Join our friends from around the City at for a party this Thursday.  5:00-8:00, 7:00 award ceremony

at Washington Hall,  153 14th Avenue just north of Yesler.  If you ride your bike, we can do a group ride back to West Seattle.

More details here

In West Seattle, Seattle Neighborhood Greenways has supported our efforts to create the North Delridge Greenway on 26th (completed); the Delridge/Highland Park Greenway (construction in 2015); vigil walks for traffic collision victims; the 35th Avenue SW Corridor Safety Project; and alliances with other groups.

This event is free. That’s because volunteers are doing the work. If you can help with set up (starting at 3:30), running the event (from 5-8), or teardown (after 8:00), contact Gordon Padelford at SNG: info (at) sng (dot) org.

Party4OurStreets

 

slow down – save lives

Driving 3.3 miles on 35th Ave SW from Fauntleroy to SW Roxbury takes 5 minutes at 40 mph, or 6.6 minutes at 30 mph, if you could make all the lights and no traffic slows you down. Assuming that was possible, how important is it to get there 100 seconds faster? It is worth risking lives?

10676235_10152987780520676_4470665608934634978_ngraphic from SvR Design

WSBC Meeting Tues Dec 2

Monthly meeting, Tuesday December 2

6:30 to 8:00 pm

Homestreet Bank,  SW Alaska St at 41st Ave SW

Open meeting – you are invited and welcome to plan activities and meet others who are working to make it easy and safe to use a bike to get around West Seattle and beyond.

We need volunteers for:

  • advocacy to city agencies
  • participation and presentations for neighborhood associations;
  • writing stories;
  • taking pictures;
  • making maps;
  • graphic design;
  • grant applications for street and trail improvements;
  • representing us with our partners at Seattle Neighborhood Greenways and Sustainable West Seattle;
  • setting organizational tools and accounts,
  • leading or volunteering at events like Alki Summer Streets and Fiestas Patrias;
  • baking cookies for Bike to Work day;
  • working with businesses and schools on bike parking and safe routes to school and Bike Month;
  • helping organize new Greenways groups;
  • welcoming and following up with people who “join us” or “like” us online;
  • organizing or leading social rides around West Seattle;
  • organizing or working at DIY trail maintenance projects;

All these are potential meeting topics, but even if you can’t make an evening meeting, you can offer to volunteer in something that interests you, by email to us directly at westseattlebikeconnections@gmail.com