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Bike Share is Coming!

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 we don't have a "viable" bike share station location in all of West Seattle?
So we don’t have a “viable” bike share station location in all of West Seattle?

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.

Hope Springs Eternal – Ride to the Mariners’ Game

When Al is not driving kids around West Seattle in a big yellow bus, you might find him riding his bike to a Mariner’s game. About 20 games a season by bike. Why ride? It’s fast, easy, fun and free. Nice bike cage at Safeco Field’s T-Mobile Park’s garage for 150 bikes, right by the staffed booth. Quick getaway after the game. Here’s his ride at the “road opener” celebration this week, and the big glove sculpture all set for cool spring evening games.

bike & trailer at Safeco Feild parking garageKnitted ball glove

 

 

 

Here are the Mariners’ directions on getting to the ballpark by bike, walking, water taxi, …

WSBC meeting Tuesday 4/1 @ 6:30

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

 

Riding in the Rain

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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.

March 4 WSBC Meeting

Tuesday 6:30 to 8:00 PM   You are invited! We need you! Agenda will include progress reports, planning for projects and events and sharing news and ideas.  This month at Don’s house –  see events

Meeting agenda and notes are posted here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DmfbkVcaHHHyXiTZQWUXzIgngUh2FHRZYSpm3zdXuLY/edit?usp=sharing

Tweed Ride Report

We ride in the rain! It dampened our tweed outfits, but not our spirits! A few intrepid West Seattle Bike Connections members dressed up and rode to Bike Expo at Pier 91, all arriving warm, dry and looking good.  We enjoyed the amazing German bike acrobats, the food, the new bikes, the classic bikes, the presentations by Greenways advocates and by Willie Weir,  all the latest gear, and meeting bike riding friends from all over the city. Lots more emphasis on making bikes a practical way to get around, with bikes and carrying devices for hauling kids and groceries year round.  But plenty to keep weekend club riders and racers happy, too.

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White Center Community Summit

Yesterday, Kathy, Lyanne, Theresa, and Brian Bothomley (a Cascade Bicycle Ambassador) hosted a table at the White Center Community Summit. We were representing alternative ways to travel. We saw many people who came by to see what we were all about. We gave out coloring books to the kids and safe riding tips for kids to the parents. We talked to a couple seniors that want to ride but are wary of riding so we gave them Merlin Rainwater’s name to get them started with her S.L.O.W. rides.White Center Community Summit 001 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.
— Theresa

Seattle Bike Expo 2014 – Tweed Ride

Join us this Sunday, March 2nd, at 10:00 AM for a bike ride to the Seattle Bike Expo.  Meet us under the West Seattle Bridge, at the intersection of the Duwamish and Alki Trails.

We’ll have several veteran riders to help lead you.  It will be a casual ride…we won’t be in any rush!  Our plan is to leave the Expo around 2:00 PM, in case you would like to plan your return trip with someone.

More info is posted in our events calendar.  Hope to see you riding with us!

 

Seattle Bike Expo 2014

West Seattle 5-Way Intersection Workshop

DSC00632DSC00635 This morning, City Council Transportation Committee Chair Tom Rasmussen opened a workshop with about 25 people invited by SDOT to brainstorm design input for the redesign of our #1 priority intersection: the 5-way at Chelan, Delridge, Spokane and West Marginal Way SW.

Thank you Council Member Rasmussen for securing funding for design of this challenging project, and SDOT and SvR for getting this diverse group together!

This intersection, and East Marginal Way S are currently the “deal breakers” that prevent willing but wary individuals and families from riding the final 20 minutes to downtown from West Seattle, or making the connection between the Duwamish Trail and the Alki Trail. Changing this will make a huge change for using bikes in West Seattle.

All the ideas we have brought up before were considered, and some really ambitious and creative long term solutions were proposed.  Short term and long term solutions will be planned, with initial design proposals back for stakeholder review in about 6 months.

Short term changes could happen fairly soon. The ultimate project will take years for full development, because, as Council Member Rasmussen noted, every mode of transportation uses this spot, including pedestrians, bike riders, cars, buses, freight trucks, fire engines, trains and ships. Well, maybe not airplanes, but most everything else.

The group included representatives from SvR Design, Port of Seattle, shipping companies, Seattle Fire Department, METRO Transit, Heffron transportation consultants, North Delridge Community Association, Seattle Bike Advisory Board, Feet First, UW, Cascade Bicycle Club, and West Seattle Bike Connections,  and SDOT’s traffic, bike/ped, signalization, and freight mobility groups. SDOT staff include a number who live in West Seattle and bike through this intersection regularly.

Don Brubeck and Bob Winship represented WSBC