Streetfilms has a new video focusing on women who are new to cycling in New York.
Check it out!
Women In Motion: New Lady Riders Reflect on NYC Cycling from Streetfilms on Vimeo.
Hat Tip to BikeHugger for this one.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Bike Boxes come to Seattle!
Do you remember this http://www.streetfilms.org/how-to-use-a-bike-box/? How about this: http://www.streetfilms.org/portland-green-bike-box/?
Well Seattle Cyclists, prepare to move to the front of the queue (well at three intersections) at stop lights in the near future. Seattle will be creating bike boxes at three intersections coming up. One will be in the International district (7th & Dearborn) and two will be on Capitol Hill (E Pine & 12th and where E Madison intersects 12th Ave and Union St).
Hat tip to the Seattle PI Transportation Watch
Well Seattle Cyclists, prepare to move to the front of the queue (well at three intersections) at stop lights in the near future. Seattle will be creating bike boxes at three intersections coming up. One will be in the International district (7th & Dearborn) and two will be on Capitol Hill (E Pine & 12th and where E Madison intersects 12th Ave and Union St).
Hat tip to the Seattle PI Transportation Watch
Thursday, June 10, 2010
"If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention!"
In the summer of 2000, I took a month-long vacation. On the first day, I stopped off in Eugene, OR to meet up with a gal I met online for lunch at the Saturday Market and a bike ride. She had a sticker on her bike's rear rack with the quote in the title.
Last night, my wife had the video below show up on her Facebook feed:
The video's ending statement got me thinking. When it comes to our environment; the effects of our dependence on oil and our problems with pollution, we focus on cars (or our use of them) as the cause of the problem. Simply stopping driving is not going to solve the problem. It will not magically plug the well that's shooting oil into the Gulf of Mexico. It won't heal or bring back all the marine and avian life destroyed by the spill. It will help lessen the need for the gas and motor oil and tar for roadways that comes from this oil. What of commercial farming that depends so much on petroleum and its by-products for fertilizers (not to mention to fuel tractors for working the farms and trucks to get the goods to market)? What of fishing industries that need to fuel their fleets of boats to bring in their catches? What of our use of plastics and other products made from that same petroleum that we use and dispose without a second thought.
Are we really paying attention?
Are we outraged yet?
More importantly, what are we going to do?
Being aware is good and being moved is better, but without action, they are pretty impotent.
Last night, my wife had the video below show up on her Facebook feed:
The video's ending statement got me thinking. When it comes to our environment; the effects of our dependence on oil and our problems with pollution, we focus on cars (or our use of them) as the cause of the problem. Simply stopping driving is not going to solve the problem. It will not magically plug the well that's shooting oil into the Gulf of Mexico. It won't heal or bring back all the marine and avian life destroyed by the spill. It will help lessen the need for the gas and motor oil and tar for roadways that comes from this oil. What of commercial farming that depends so much on petroleum and its by-products for fertilizers (not to mention to fuel tractors for working the farms and trucks to get the goods to market)? What of fishing industries that need to fuel their fleets of boats to bring in their catches? What of our use of plastics and other products made from that same petroleum that we use and dispose without a second thought.
Are we really paying attention?
Are we outraged yet?
More importantly, what are we going to do?
Being aware is good and being moved is better, but without action, they are pretty impotent.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
(Word) Portraits of bus riders
When I get on the bus, I'll often pull out my computer and write while listening to music, or I'll pull out a book and get lost in it. One morning, though, I didn't feel like pulling out my book. I read a few pages in Boneshaker and put it away (I want to stretch it out!). And I wasn't feeling motivated to write (yet). So I sat back and started just observing the ride. I watched the people board, and some caught my eye. Below is a written "portrait" of those who caught my eye in just a glance, or have stood out over time to me.
There's the man across the aisle from me. He's wearing patent leather square toe oxfords with blue jeans (which have the beginning of some holes above one knee). His shirt is white with cuff links securing the french cuffs. He has on a black velvet dinner jacket, trimmed with satin at the collar. The stubble of his light hair is just slightly longer than the two or three day-old beard on his face. He sits and taps away at his iPhone.
There's the woman who boards at the same stop as me. She frequently wears denim jacket with scarf wrapped multiple times about her neck. She always seems to be wearing a skirt, often with funky stockings and a pair of Mary Janes or flat soled boots. Her hair is moderately long and dark, streaked with grey. It's pulled back and bound with a purple hair band. She sits with her cup of coffee, pulls out her cell phone and checks something, puts it away and sits and looks ahead for the rest of the ride in.
The woman in all black. She is a periodic rider. What I noticed about her first was her black, knee-high, lace up, lug soled, black leather boots. Not many women even try to pull that off. She wears all black: jeans, shirt, jacket and baseball cap. Today, she has a splash of color (indeterminate dark one) in the form of the scarf she is wearing. She carries a black canvas handbag with a Tim Burton-esque character on the flap. It looks like the face of a character from The Nightmare Before Christmas. She has narrow black rimmed glasses and wears black eye and lip makeup. Her lip liner making her face look to be in a permanent frown. It makes her look old, perhaps older than she really is. She walks to the back of the bus, and disappears among the other riders
A man gets on with dreadlocks and goatee. His ears are pierced and he wears a do-rag holding his dreads back. The temple piece of his glasses has kind of a vertical ribbing on it. He's in dark denim work pants, boots and a dark red fleece jacket. I can see a dark stiped scarf inside of his jacket. He carries a messenger bag and a ballistic plastic case. He'd drinking from a small, insulated plastic Starbucks cup with what looks to be a child's design on it. He sits quietly drinking from his cup, looking ahead across the aisle to the south. Is he impressed with the view of Mt. Rainier today?
There's the woman in the high-heels. Every day she wears high-heeled boots (thin heels at that) with either tight-legged pants or a skirt with some sort of funky stockings. She also always wears a long wool coat over top of everything. She's traded out her large yellow handbag for something smaller and of a color I can't identify. Her facial features and long, straight dark hair remind me of an early '80's woman rocker before big hair became the fashion; Joan Jett maybe...or Pat Benetar? She is often running to catch the bus before it pulls away from the stop. She sits in the front of the bus plugged into her iPod, nodding to the music and staring blankly off into space ahead as the driver drives.
A man who loads his bike half way up the hill. He leaves his panniers and trunk on the bike's rack. He is wearing rain gear, despite the clear skies. His nylon pants swish as he walks down the aisle of the bus to his seat with a bulky backpack and carrying his sporty yellow helmet.
There is the business woman who boards in front of Starbucks. She wears a long, black wool coat. The belt is tied rather than bucked. Her hair is a moderately short, casual style. She's wearing ear muffs today with a loose band that won't press down on her hairdo. She has a large black leather bag, as well as a Nieman Marcus canvas bag. Under her arm she carries a folded up newspaper. Once she sits down, she pulls out her paper and starts to read. She doesn't hold it right up in front of her face like many people do on the bus, hiding from everyone else. No, she holds it at a fair distance, as if she were sitting in an easy chair at home.
There is the gentleman who reminds me of a rumpled professor or an attorney who is not in it for the money. He's probably in his late 40's to early 50's. He's a little on the heavy side. He wears cotton casual pants with worn leather shoes. Usually a green fleece jacket. He carries a fairly well worn old Eddie Bauer briefcase. His hair is thinning slightly and he has a mottled gray and brown beard. A couple of months ago, he was writing a comedy act in preparation for some event he was going to. He will often sit and jot things in a notebook, or talk with another passenger during the ride.
There's the man across the aisle from me. He's wearing patent leather square toe oxfords with blue jeans (which have the beginning of some holes above one knee). His shirt is white with cuff links securing the french cuffs. He has on a black velvet dinner jacket, trimmed with satin at the collar. The stubble of his light hair is just slightly longer than the two or three day-old beard on his face. He sits and taps away at his iPhone.
There's the woman who boards at the same stop as me. She frequently wears denim jacket with scarf wrapped multiple times about her neck. She always seems to be wearing a skirt, often with funky stockings and a pair of Mary Janes or flat soled boots. Her hair is moderately long and dark, streaked with grey. It's pulled back and bound with a purple hair band. She sits with her cup of coffee, pulls out her cell phone and checks something, puts it away and sits and looks ahead for the rest of the ride in.
The woman in all black. She is a periodic rider. What I noticed about her first was her black, knee-high, lace up, lug soled, black leather boots. Not many women even try to pull that off. She wears all black: jeans, shirt, jacket and baseball cap. Today, she has a splash of color (indeterminate dark one) in the form of the scarf she is wearing. She carries a black canvas handbag with a Tim Burton-esque character on the flap. It looks like the face of a character from The Nightmare Before Christmas. She has narrow black rimmed glasses and wears black eye and lip makeup. Her lip liner making her face look to be in a permanent frown. It makes her look old, perhaps older than she really is. She walks to the back of the bus, and disappears among the other riders
A man gets on with dreadlocks and goatee. His ears are pierced and he wears a do-rag holding his dreads back. The temple piece of his glasses has kind of a vertical ribbing on it. He's in dark denim work pants, boots and a dark red fleece jacket. I can see a dark stiped scarf inside of his jacket. He carries a messenger bag and a ballistic plastic case. He'd drinking from a small, insulated plastic Starbucks cup with what looks to be a child's design on it. He sits quietly drinking from his cup, looking ahead across the aisle to the south. Is he impressed with the view of Mt. Rainier today?
There's the woman in the high-heels. Every day she wears high-heeled boots (thin heels at that) with either tight-legged pants or a skirt with some sort of funky stockings. She also always wears a long wool coat over top of everything. She's traded out her large yellow handbag for something smaller and of a color I can't identify. Her facial features and long, straight dark hair remind me of an early '80's woman rocker before big hair became the fashion; Joan Jett maybe...or Pat Benetar? She is often running to catch the bus before it pulls away from the stop. She sits in the front of the bus plugged into her iPod, nodding to the music and staring blankly off into space ahead as the driver drives.
A man who loads his bike half way up the hill. He leaves his panniers and trunk on the bike's rack. He is wearing rain gear, despite the clear skies. His nylon pants swish as he walks down the aisle of the bus to his seat with a bulky backpack and carrying his sporty yellow helmet.
There is the business woman who boards in front of Starbucks. She wears a long, black wool coat. The belt is tied rather than bucked. Her hair is a moderately short, casual style. She's wearing ear muffs today with a loose band that won't press down on her hairdo. She has a large black leather bag, as well as a Nieman Marcus canvas bag. Under her arm she carries a folded up newspaper. Once she sits down, she pulls out her paper and starts to read. She doesn't hold it right up in front of her face like many people do on the bus, hiding from everyone else. No, she holds it at a fair distance, as if she were sitting in an easy chair at home.
There is the gentleman who reminds me of a rumpled professor or an attorney who is not in it for the money. He's probably in his late 40's to early 50's. He's a little on the heavy side. He wears cotton casual pants with worn leather shoes. Usually a green fleece jacket. He carries a fairly well worn old Eddie Bauer briefcase. His hair is thinning slightly and he has a mottled gray and brown beard. A couple of months ago, he was writing a comedy act in preparation for some event he was going to. He will often sit and jot things in a notebook, or talk with another passenger during the ride.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Bikes for Books!
Saw this post yesterday on Publicola. The Fremont branch of the Seattle Public Library (sponsored by the Fremont Doric Masonic Lodge #2) is running a contest to get kids to read more. For every three books a child (grades 1 - 3) reads, his or her name is entered in a drawing for a free bike, lock and helmet. The drawing will be held on June 5, with one boy and one girl winning.
I think that this is an awesome encouragement to get kids reading, and what better way to start off the summer than with a new bike!
I think that this is an awesome encouragement to get kids reading, and what better way to start off the summer than with a new bike!
Friday, March 26, 2010
A girl. A bike. A love.
It started out with tears. When I stepped over my red and silver Jamis Aurora the other day and realized that where there used to be over an inch of space between my tender girl parts and the top tube there was now some negative space - enough to hurt. WTF!? Legs don't shrink. Bikes don't grow. Again - WTF?! The next moment I felt like a traitor as the thought of possibly having to get a different bike rushed through my head. I looked at my trusty little fire engine of a bike (she thinks she's a fire engine- really) and out poured the tears. And I'm not a crier. Not usually anyway - but this whole new bike thing - it's doing me in. I get attached to my bikes. Especially the good ones - the ones who have taken me places I didn't know I could go and let me sing my crazy up hill songs to them as we crawled along at a snails pace - never judging me along the way. The Aurora has been that kind of bike. A good bike. But...
I got sick, had some crazy life shit flung at me and in the process gained 35 pounds that have stuck to me like glue no matter what I do and I am limited in what I can do - that illness again. All this happened since I bought the Aurora. And my feet grew. That's where the shrinkage came about, come to find out. My feet flattened out a size to a size and a half worth and down I went to where my bike's top tube no longer plays nice. Add to that that I still can't go longer than about 20 miles without my wrists screaming in protest. The fit just isn't there anymore. I looked at my bike that fateful day last weekend and cried. Mark came out of the store to see me crying when just before I was all "happy go lucky we're running errands by bike happy". I told him about the top tube and my girl parts having a meeting when they shouldn't have. All those plans I had been dreaming up to try and get the handle bars further back towards me and higher to help the wrists - they seemed pointless now. I covered the outside of the handlebars of my bike as if covering a child's ears and mouthed to Mark, "I might have to look for a different bike." Then I cried some more.
What started out as a simple errand run in our own neighborhood turned out to be a day of riding to one bike shop after another around Seattle. This has continued into the week as well. It took me all day and then some to stop waffling and trying to convince myself I could make the Aurora work. And I had tears stinging my eyes more than not throughout the day.
I experienced a wide range of service too. There was the not listening to me at all type service while rattling off lots of terms that might have been meant to impress me with their lofty knowledge, but didn't. My husband is a bike geek. I can handle all the bike terminology and if it goes to far I start threatening to rattle off all the plants animals and minerals in Latin. I'm a nature geek. I can play ball. I'm also not afraid to call someone on this sort of thing and I can be very blunt while doing so. I whipped that particular salesperson into shape rather quickly when I started asking him to explain terms in detail - and he couldn't, so he shut up and did what I asked and stopped arguing with me.
Then there was the incredible service from a couple shops that deserve mention. Our first stop along the rout last weekend was at Elliot Bay Bicycles - home of the Davidson Hand Built Bicycles and a good stock of various other bikes. Bill Davidson was the one to help me and help me he did. I was still in emotional turmoil and rolling back and forth between trying to make the Aurora work and getting a different bike. The first thing he did after I told him my troubles was look at me and ask me, "Where are your gloves?", and in an almost scolding fatherly voice, at that. I looked at him and told him I wasn't cold, in fact I was sweating! He looked at me a moment doing a damn good job at not shaking his head, rolling his eyes or snorting at me. Then he made me follow him and pointed out the gloves he can't live with out. The kind of gloves that help with wrist pain - the kind of gloves I had up to this point ignored because of my tiny little hands and how uncomfortable they are. Not the kind of gloves meant to keep your hands warm, by the way, but Spenco Ironman gloves that actually were comfortable even two sizes too big.
Bill proceeded to give me my options. He wrote down everything I could do with my current bike to make it better in the mean time and even fixed a couple things right then and there to make the rest of that days ride a little easier. He showed me what to look for in a bike for a better fit and had me test a sporty little Bianchi Brava to get a feel for a shorter top tube length and different handlebars and brakes - and oh those brakes - I was in brake heaven! He put my more comfortable seat on the Bianchi for my test ride too. He did all this without belittling me in any way. Take note, bike shop peoples, THAT is service. If ever I have the funds to pour into a custom bike build - Bill Davidson is my guy.
We were off for an organic lunch at the Fremont PCC before I had my second awesome service experience of the day at Free Range Cycles. I've always liked this bike shop and most often when I have gone in to get something or to look at options or just peruse the latest bikes and gear I've been greeted by some rockin' ladies who know their bike stuff. Those ladies must have stuck the guys on bike shop duty that day and were off riding in the glorious weather, no doubt. But the guys were great too. At this shop I tried out a newer and smaller framed version of the Aurora and then for something completely different, I tried a Soma Buena Vista mixte. This is where the service went from good to great. The Soma had a very long stem on it and the guy helping me went and put a shorter one on it for me so I could get a better feel for the fit of the bike. See? Awesome service. The Soma was a fun ride and it helped me finally rule out the kind of handlebars that I was hoping might make the Aurora more comfortable. I knew I wouldn't want to do longer rides with those handle bars it felt all whacked out in my shoulders. They would be great for the sub 15 miler errand and farmers market runs - but not for the long rolling hill countryside rides that I long for more of. Not for me anyway.
I left Free Range with time to hit one more shop and test a couple more bikes before places were closing up for the day and it was time to make our way back home to West Seattle. One evening this last week I picked up Mark from work and headed to yet another shop where I tested a couple more bikes bringing my total test rides to 7 so far. The best fit up to this point was with a Marin Portofino. I'm keeping it in mind but after a lot of soul searching I'm going to spend some time this weekend looking for a more classic style frame that I could customize just the way I want it and give an old bike new life.
As I finish up this post I am still waiting to hear back about a 80's Peugeot mixtie on Craigslist that caught my fancy. Oh the things I've dreamed up for that bike and I don't even know if it is still available or if it will be a good fit. But somewhere out there the universe has the perfect bike waiting for me and a good home for my trusty fire engine "Bike-Bike" Jamis Aurora.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Bicyclists: Leading our "dance" with traffic
Following up yesterday's post on commuting by bike, I thought I'd put this up for you all. Keri at Commute Orlando has put together this great 5 minute video on cycling in traffic. It's a great, positive spin on the topic.
Enjoy!
Bicycling in traffic is a dance you lead from Keri Caffrey on Vimeo.
Hat tip to Seattle Likes Bikes for this one!
Enjoy!
Bicycling in traffic is a dance you lead from Keri Caffrey on Vimeo.
Hat tip to Seattle Likes Bikes for this one!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Bicycle commuting: Getting Started Riding
Last year, I wrote two posts about getting started commuting by bicycle. The first post looked at it purely from the equipment end of things -- your bike and accessories. The second post looked at the issue more in terms of logistics and practicality. Since then, I've not re-visited the topic of bicycle commuting. With spring around the corner, gas prices creeping past the $3 per gallon mark in Seattle, and the bicycle commuter challenge in Seattle coming up in just a couple of months, it is high time I did.
This post will move from the major planning considerations into actually riding that commute.
First, a note about safety. Reading blogs and news stories (and their comments) online, one common theme is that people feel unsafe riding in traffic. It is true that we mix it up out there with masses of steel weighing many times more than we do on our bikes, but that does not mean it is unsafe. Safe, predictable riding behavior, as well as intelligent route selection helps to reduce the risk a cyclist faces when riding amongst motorists. In 2007, the most recent year in which I could find data, there were 7 cyclist fatalities (reference) in Washington state, as opposed to 567 general traffic deaths, which includes both those in car as well as those not traveling in cars (reference).
Get educated. Find a group that will teach you the ins and outs of riding in traffic. Learn how traffic laws apply to cyclists (take a good deal of time on this, few people, police included, really know this stuff). In Seattle, for instance, the Cascade Bicycle Club offers commuting classes during leading up to and during bike month as a way to help people make the shift to bike commuting. Also in Seattle, Spokespeople meets once a month for a leisurely ride on routes linking various neighborhoods in the city. The goal of these rides is to help riders learn how to move through our streets safely and in a way that allows you to coexist safely with motorists. Look up a local cycling club and see what they offer in the way of training or pointers. Very often clubs will have rides geared for new cyclists which will focus on riding the roads, mixed in with the car traffic.
Use smart route planning. Chances are, the route you take to get to work, whether you drive or bus, is not the best route to bike. In fact, in some places, it may be illegal.
- Look to resources that are available through your city or county transportation departments. They often provide cycling route maps.
- Use online resources such as MapMyRide or discussion forums from local bike groups to find routes that others have scouted that take you to work. Google has just added a bike layer to their popular Google Maps service. This latest addition, announced yesterday, has the bike blogging community abuzz with excitement (seriously, I've seen no less than a dozen different posts about it in my news reader since Tuesday night!).
- Look for bike paths, multi-use paths or bike lanes that take you where you need to go.
- Look for parallel side streets along your usual route that provide lower speed or traffic-calmed roadways. In many areas, just one or two blocks off of high-traffic arterial streets there are streets with lower speed limits and lower traffic counts. These streets can be much more of a joy to ride than the arterials. In fact, some communities are creating "Bike Boulevards" out of these roadways to encourage safer cycling and walking.
Now, pick an enjoyable route, dust off your bike, and take a ride. When you're ready, tackle that ride to work!
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Community Transit cuts service, raises fares
So, if we wanted to take the bus to see, say my sister and her family on a sunny summer Sunday this year, we'd be out of luck.
Community Transit, the transit system that serves Snohomish County, is implementing service changes that will cut routes and services beginning in June. Some key points of the plan:
To me, the cuts will not help the overall health of the transit system. It will impact many who can least afford the impact. There are people out there who use the bus to get to work on the weekends. In fact, many in service jobs (which are traditionally are not very high paying jobs) work on weekends. Not all of these people have a car or can afford one.
They are also forcing more cars onto the roads at a time when our roadways are becoming more and more choked with traffic. An early morning run to Boeing is being cut. What are the workers who ride that bus going to do? They'll have to either form vanpools (not always an easy thing to coordinate) or drive themselves.
A quote from another news item about these changes:
Community Transit, the transit system that serves Snohomish County, is implementing service changes that will cut routes and services beginning in June. Some key points of the plan:
- Increase fares 25 cents across the board
- Suspend Sunday and holiday service on all routes
- Reduce frequency of many routes, including reducing some routes to two round-trips daily!
- Start and end many routes at park & ride lots, rather than on city streets
- Cut routes, including many that have alternative transit options, or duplicate existing service
- Provide $50,000 to local agencies to provide transportation assistance to those in need.
To me, the cuts will not help the overall health of the transit system. It will impact many who can least afford the impact. There are people out there who use the bus to get to work on the weekends. In fact, many in service jobs (which are traditionally are not very high paying jobs) work on weekends. Not all of these people have a car or can afford one.
They are also forcing more cars onto the roads at a time when our roadways are becoming more and more choked with traffic. An early morning run to Boeing is being cut. What are the workers who ride that bus going to do? They'll have to either form vanpools (not always an easy thing to coordinate) or drive themselves.
A quote from another news item about these changes:
“In my 18 years as an elected official, this is the hardest vote I’ve ever had to take,” said board member and Lynnwood City Council President Ted Hikel. “I don’t know anyone on this board or this staff who likes this, but there are realities out there – there just isn’t any money.”As much as I dislike this news, and think it will only serve to hurt lower-income users of the system, as well as force more people back into their cars, the Frequently Asked Questions make it clear that the board looked hard at alternatives before settling on this as a means to reduce their operating losses. With much of the funding for transit coming out of taxes, the options available are limited without legislative action, and in the current economic climate, anything to eek out more funding through taxes and fees is a hard sell.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
ACTION NEEDED - Vulnerable User-friendly language in bill before the Senate
I received this from Dave Hiller at the Cascade Bicycle Club today:
Please call the legislative hotline at the number above and encourage your legislators to support the bill AND amendment. It is important to encourage both the Senate and the House to support this bill. If the bill passes in an amended state, it will go back to the House for approval, and the House members need to know how you feel.
Dear Mark,
Two weeks ago, we watched as the Vulnerable Roadway User Bill died on the Senate calendar. Today, however, hope is alive. SB 5838 may be officially dead, but the law's language is being kept alive as an amendment to HB 3001.
Lawmakers from every corner of the state need to know you care about this issue.
Tomorrow at 5pm is the final cutoff in Olympia in this year's short legislative session. It's our last chance to pass HB 3001. Developed by the Bicycle Alliance of Washington, the bill expands bike and pedestrian safety education in traffic schools for bad drivers. It also includes our Vulnerable User Bill in an amendment.
Please call 1-800-562-6000 today. Ask your senator to vote for House Bill 3001. The bill passed overwhelmingly in the house - let's not let it die, too.
It's too late for an email. Please take a minute to call the legislative hotline and leave this message: "Senator, please support House Bill 3001 and the leadership amendment."
Cascade Bicycle Club is in Olympia, working hard to build support for the HB 3001. We need your help today to get it passed.
Thank you,
Monday, March 1, 2010
The Ups and Downs of Alternative Errand Running
While on foot one lovely day this weekend, Mark and I had pleasant walk up the hill to run errands. We stopped and smelled (and photographed) the flowers.
Admired the garden sculptures.
Said hello to a crow or two.
And had an other wise happy time.
We went to the library, grocery store and pet store. Very productive with heavy packs to show for it. On the way down we enjoyed the view of Puget Sound and The Olympic Mountains and took a short cut. A quieter little side street, that was significantly steeper. With wet washed aggregate sidewalks. This is where the "Downs" came into play and literally at that. One minute I was looking around with a smile on my face listening the happy chirps of birds and watching plum blossoms float through the air and the next I was attempting the half splits with a loaded backpack. All of my weight and that I was carrying came down on one knee. All the while my other leg tried to continue its impatient journey down the hill. The results?
I was not very happy. Wasn't I too old for scraped knees and severely bruised (thank goodness it wasn't shattered) knee caps?! I sat a while to contemplate this and to get a more even breath back.
Then came the fun part of making my way the rest of the way down the hill - in the road where there was no washed aggregate. (WHO thought this slippery material would be a good choice for steep sloped sidewalks in the very wet pacific northwest?!)
My gaping wounds and pouring blood got me plenty of attention. One young child and his toddler little sister were standing next to the sidewalk a little further along waiting for their dad to finish getting things out of the car. When the little boy saw me coming, maybe 20 feet away or a little more, his face went pale, eyes got big and he yelled out "WHY?" very loudly - he was mortified! The father was trying to get there attention and hadn't seen me yet, as I walked up along side them I mentioned that the boy was a bit preoccupied by my scraped knee. When the dad saw it, he smiled. "Oh, yeah, he just got one of those, himself, recently." Poor kid. The sight of my knee brought the whole experience tearing back into his mind. Maybe a first lesson in empathy? A little further along some other neighbors looked over the fence and offered me band aides. But we were close to home now and I was looking so forward to getting gravel out of my knee and pouring witch hazel over it. Oh, yeah.
Admired the garden sculptures.
Said hello to a crow or two.
And had an other wise happy time.
We went to the library, grocery store and pet store. Very productive with heavy packs to show for it. On the way down we enjoyed the view of Puget Sound and The Olympic Mountains and took a short cut. A quieter little side street, that was significantly steeper. With wet washed aggregate sidewalks. This is where the "Downs" came into play and literally at that. One minute I was looking around with a smile on my face listening the happy chirps of birds and watching plum blossoms float through the air and the next I was attempting the half splits with a loaded backpack. All of my weight and that I was carrying came down on one knee. All the while my other leg tried to continue its impatient journey down the hill. The results?
I was not very happy. Wasn't I too old for scraped knees and severely bruised (thank goodness it wasn't shattered) knee caps?! I sat a while to contemplate this and to get a more even breath back.
Then came the fun part of making my way the rest of the way down the hill - in the road where there was no washed aggregate. (WHO thought this slippery material would be a good choice for steep sloped sidewalks in the very wet pacific northwest?!)
My gaping wounds and pouring blood got me plenty of attention. One young child and his toddler little sister were standing next to the sidewalk a little further along waiting for their dad to finish getting things out of the car. When the little boy saw me coming, maybe 20 feet away or a little more, his face went pale, eyes got big and he yelled out "WHY?" very loudly - he was mortified! The father was trying to get there attention and hadn't seen me yet, as I walked up along side them I mentioned that the boy was a bit preoccupied by my scraped knee. When the dad saw it, he smiled. "Oh, yeah, he just got one of those, himself, recently." Poor kid. The sight of my knee brought the whole experience tearing back into his mind. Maybe a first lesson in empathy? A little further along some other neighbors looked over the fence and offered me band aides. But we were close to home now and I was looking so forward to getting gravel out of my knee and pouring witch hazel over it. Oh, yeah.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Car-free weekend out and about
Last weekend, Maurie and I had our first car-free weekend since before we moved to West Seattle that involved more than just staying home and knocking about our neighborhood all weekend.
This being the first ever Seattle Tweed Ride, and the weather was looking promising, we decided that we'd join in the fun on Sunday. After exploding our closet all over the bedroom, and several plastic storage bins as well, we discovered we had little appropriate for the event. Time to visit some thrift & second hand stores. We'd decided that we really didn't want to get in the car this weekend at all, so we caught a bus into town. We spent Saturday busing and walkning through town, hitting thrift shops, and a second hand shop on Capitol Hill (ironically, a couple blocks away from where we'd meet for the ride on Sunday).
After a fairly exhausting day "off the island", as we tend to view our trips into downtown, we returned home and more or less crashed. Shortening my pants to knickers length will have to wait until morning, as will pulling together food and making the rest of the preparations for the ride.
Sunday morning, we dragged ourselves out of bed shortly before the alarm and began preparations for the ride. I brought the bikes out of the basement, got the picknick blanket and basket. We prepared food and Maurie shortened my pants. We got into costume and wheeled our bikes to the bus stop, arriving with less than five minutes to spare before the bus arrived. We had a good transfer downtown (less than five minutes to wait) and arrived at Cal Anderson Park for the ride half an hour early. People finally started to arrive right around noon, and continued to gather, drinking tea (and other libations), eating snacks and playing games. Among those who showed up were Julian from Totcycle, Tim & Anne from CarFree Days, and Eric from Tubulocity.
Shortly after 1 when we headed out for the ride itself. North up the length of Capitol Hill and across the University Bridge, then on to Gasworks park where we took a break.
We left the ride here, opting out of the pub stop, to make our way home, via the Seattle waterfront. We made a quick stop at the Fremont PCC to refill water and get some iced tea. While waiting outside, I was noticed by two gals who I worked with in at the state legislature. I must have been quite the sight!
We made our way by bike along Lake Union, and then up through Belltown to the Olympic Sculpture Park, where we rested for a bit looking out across the Puget Sound at the boats and the Olympic Mountains beyond. A deisre for coffee finally rousted us from our chairs and we made our way down the crowded waterfront to a Starbucks. So we didn't have to undo the half mile (hey, it seemed like that) of rope securing the picknick basket to my rear rack, we went in singly to get our drinks. The barista (technically, in this case since we're talking about a make here, shouldn't it be baristo?) had been at the ride until he had to go to work.
We made our way to the bus stop, only to discover that we had a 40 minute wait until the next bus home (really, one hour headways on Sundays for a route that goes to Alki, Metro? What's up with that!). Since it was getting chilly out, we decided to ride home. It was a pleasant ride home, mostly on milti-use path. As we rode along the Elliott Bay shoreline, we really were reminded why we love living here in Seattle so much. The Seattle skyline, the sunset over the Olympics with the ferries crossing the sound in the foreground, the smell of beach fires.
Seven and a half hours, and a nineteen mile bike ride later, we were home...and ready to crash!
You can read Maurie's writeup on the Tweed Ride here.
This being the first ever Seattle Tweed Ride, and the weather was looking promising, we decided that we'd join in the fun on Sunday. After exploding our closet all over the bedroom, and several plastic storage bins as well, we discovered we had little appropriate for the event. Time to visit some thrift & second hand stores. We'd decided that we really didn't want to get in the car this weekend at all, so we caught a bus into town. We spent Saturday busing and walkning through town, hitting thrift shops, and a second hand shop on Capitol Hill (ironically, a couple blocks away from where we'd meet for the ride on Sunday).
After a fairly exhausting day "off the island", as we tend to view our trips into downtown, we returned home and more or less crashed. Shortening my pants to knickers length will have to wait until morning, as will pulling together food and making the rest of the preparations for the ride.
Sunday morning, we dragged ourselves out of bed shortly before the alarm and began preparations for the ride. I brought the bikes out of the basement, got the picknick blanket and basket. We prepared food and Maurie shortened my pants. We got into costume and wheeled our bikes to the bus stop, arriving with less than five minutes to spare before the bus arrived. We had a good transfer downtown (less than five minutes to wait) and arrived at Cal Anderson Park for the ride half an hour early. People finally started to arrive right around noon, and continued to gather, drinking tea (and other libations), eating snacks and playing games. Among those who showed up were Julian from Totcycle, Tim & Anne from CarFree Days, and Eric from Tubulocity.
Me, "tweeded-up" testing my stability with that huge picnic basket on my rear rack
My dapper bride, posing with her bike
Shortly after 1 when we headed out for the ride itself. North up the length of Capitol Hill and across the University Bridge, then on to Gasworks park where we took a break.
We left the ride here, opting out of the pub stop, to make our way home, via the Seattle waterfront. We made a quick stop at the Fremont PCC to refill water and get some iced tea. While waiting outside, I was noticed by two gals who I worked with in at the state legislature. I must have been quite the sight!
We made our way by bike along Lake Union, and then up through Belltown to the Olympic Sculpture Park, where we rested for a bit looking out across the Puget Sound at the boats and the Olympic Mountains beyond. A deisre for coffee finally rousted us from our chairs and we made our way down the crowded waterfront to a Starbucks. So we didn't have to undo the half mile (hey, it seemed like that) of rope securing the picknick basket to my rear rack, we went in singly to get our drinks. The barista (technically, in this case since we're talking about a make here, shouldn't it be baristo?) had been at the ride until he had to go to work.
We made our way to the bus stop, only to discover that we had a 40 minute wait until the next bus home (really, one hour headways on Sundays for a route that goes to Alki, Metro? What's up with that!). Since it was getting chilly out, we decided to ride home. It was a pleasant ride home, mostly on milti-use path. As we rode along the Elliott Bay shoreline, we really were reminded why we love living here in Seattle so much. The Seattle skyline, the sunset over the Olympics with the ferries crossing the sound in the foreground, the smell of beach fires.
Seattle evening skyline from West Seattle
Seven and a half hours, and a nineteen mile bike ride later, we were home...and ready to crash!
You can read Maurie's writeup on the Tweed Ride here.
Friday, February 19, 2010
New Seattle love on Streetfilms
Seattle's gotten a bit more love from Streetfilms lately, adding two more videos to the site.
Take a ride to City Hall with Mayor Mike "Bikes" McGinn:
How the city is addressing a particularly troublesome rail crossing in the "missing link" section of the Burke Gillman Trail:
Take a ride to City Hall with Mayor Mike "Bikes" McGinn:
How the city is addressing a particularly troublesome rail crossing in the "missing link" section of the Burke Gillman Trail:
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Vulnerable user bill dies without Senate vote
Tuesday, February 16, was the cutoff for bills to be passed out of their house of origin. SB 5838 never made it to a vote of the full Senate. It looks like next year Cascade Bicycle Club, the Bicycle Alliance of Washington and concerned roadway users will have to take it up again.
On a better note, SB 6302, a bill that would have violated federal funding for the I-90 floating bridge by prohibiting light or other fixed rail transit across it, died in committee this year.
On a better note, SB 6302, a bill that would have violated federal funding for the I-90 floating bridge by prohibiting light or other fixed rail transit across it, died in committee this year.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Thought-provoking picture
I love photos of cyclists going about every day life by bike. This photo from Kabul shows a different side to the city than we hear about in the media. I look at the picture and wonder about the man on the bike. Is he going to or from work? Is he visiting family or his sweetheart. You'd expect to see a photo like this in a park or country-side setting, not in front of a bombed out capitol building in what is still a war-torn area.
What thoughts does the photo bring to your mind?
(Hat tip to Yakota Fritz @ Cyclelicio.us for posting the pic)
Friday, February 5, 2010
Update on the Vulnerable Users' bill
Yesterday we received a response from Senator Joe McDermott, the sponsor of SB 5838, to our letter of support for the bill. It appears that the bill is on the fringe of moving from committee to the Senate floor for action.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Pedaling Revolution
I just finished reading Jeff Mapes’ book Pedaling Revolution. The book is a look at how cities are adapting to accommodate cyclists in urban and street planning by looking at selected cities throughout the United States, as well as a few foreign cities such as Amsterdam and Copenhagen.
Since I’ve started to pay attention to transportation issues, and how cities are accommodating cycling in particular, I’ve been impressed with the strides Portland has made in becoming a cycling city. Mapes takes a hard look at the changes that have been made in Portland, as well as how far the city has yet to go.
His chapter Bringing Kids Back to Bikes was especially poignant. In the chapter he looks at the Safe Routes to Schools program and efforts in Portland schools to gets kids active and riding bikes. He talks of programs to teach kids to ride bikes safely that culminates with a group bike ride in the community surrounding a school. This uplifting section ends back at the school with children being picked up by lines of waiting SUVs.
This chapter hit me because I really believe that to change our transportation systems to embrace more active means of transportation, we need to reach out to and encourage the children. How can we do that when parents look at the bike as a toy and not a “real” means of transportation? I can understand the desire to protect children. After all, that should be a parent’s number one goal. But at what expense? Increasing rates of obesity due to inactivity? Fostering dependence on cars? Undoing the efforts of community minded folks pushing for livable streets?
I grew up in the suburbs with the nearest school I attended (an elementary school) just over a mile away, at the base of a large hill (we lived about 600-700 feet in elevation above the school). Walking and riding my bike to school was not really feasible for me. It wasn’t until I was in the sixth grade that I was allowed to ride my bike to school a couple of times in the spring. It is something that I would have like to have been able to do more frequently. My middle school was farther from my home, along a very busy road, and cycling to school wasn’t an option any longer. By the middle of my sophomore year in high school, I was enamored with driving, and didn’t consider my bike more than a recreational tool. It took me until I was in my 30s to reconsider my view. What will it take to get parents to reconsider their views on bicycles as transportation as opposed to toys?
Friday, January 22, 2010
Police officer confronts driver harrassing cyclists
This is from Florida, so the rule may not apply here in WA, but I love this. Props to Cycleicious for the link.
Who are you honking at? from Keri Caffrey on Vimeo.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Vulnerable user bill in committee January 26
The 2010 Legislative session is underway and Senate Bill 5838 (the Vulnerable User's bill) has been reintroduced by resolution and referred to the Senate Judicial Committee. The bill is scheduled to be heard by the committee on Tuesday, January 26. I've not been able to find details from the Legislature's web site the time when they will be meeting on Tuesday. It will be in one of the hearing rooms in the John A. Cherberg building on the Capitol Campus in Olympia.
From Dave Hiller's quote in this Publicola post, it looks like there's a chance at a majority yes vote on this bill this time around.
If you want to see this bill advance and possibly get heard on the floor, contact the members of the committee soon!
Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee are:
Adam Kline
Debbie Regala
Bob McCaslin
Mike Carrell
Randy Gordon
James Hargrove
Jeanne Kohl-Welles
Pam Roach
The web page for each member liked above has a link with which you can send e-mail to the member, or you can look up their e-mail addresses here and send an e-mail to them directly.
From Dave Hiller's quote in this Publicola post, it looks like there's a chance at a majority yes vote on this bill this time around.
If you want to see this bill advance and possibly get heard on the floor, contact the members of the committee soon!
Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee are:
Adam Kline
Debbie Regala
Bob McCaslin
Mike Carrell
Randy Gordon
James Hargrove
Jeanne Kohl-Welles
Pam Roach
The web page for each member liked above has a link with which you can send e-mail to the member, or you can look up their e-mail addresses here and send an e-mail to them directly.
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