Cool little video about transforming a small fleet of bikes.
making of Orto Bikes from Multipraktik on Vimeo.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Water Taxi saves the Commute during Alaskan Way Viaduct demolition
Since August, King County, the City of Seattle and the State Department of Transportation have been pushing us to look to alternate commute options. Well, since April I've been taking the West Seattle Water Taxi in the mornings, and just added it in the evenings to avoid sitting on a bus on the West Seattle Bridge.
Well, Monday morning, I was joined by 149 other eager riders. The numbers have dropped off somewhat since Monday, likely as people shift commute hours, or find other means, but the numbers are still good. I'm hoping that they stay somewhat high so that the King County Ferry District can add more runs and routes.
Let's face it, taking a boat across the sound is a great way to commute!
Here are the ridership numbers for this week.
Morning commute addendum: After three days of the media crawling all over Seacrest park in the morning, it looks like they've decided we're old news. Not a camera or reporter in sight.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Seattle gets nation's first all-electric Vanpool vehicles
OK, so I'm late in posting this up. You know how life goes. I received this in my e-mail on August 30 and have been meaning to take the, oh, three minutes to actually post it, but have been a slacker.
Nation’s first all-electric-vehicle commuting program kicks off in Seattle
Metro’s electric-vehicle Metropool program debuts at Seattle Children’s Hospital
The nation’s first electric-vehicle vanpools quietly fired up their engines at Seattle Children’s Hospital today, as four Nissan LEAF cars were added to the commute options for Children’s employees as part of King County’s new “Metropool.”
These electric vehicles are joining King County Metro Transit’s vanpool fleet – the largest public vanpool program in the United States.
“Sharing a ride to work is an environmentally healthy way to commute, and Seattle Children’s employees just got greener by signing up for Metro new electric-vehicle vanpools,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “King County is adding alternative fuel vehicles to its fleet, specifically electric vehicles, to cut fuel consumption and carbon emissions.”
Constantine said Metro’s purchase of these cars will enhance what is already one of the cleanest and greenest transit systems in North America. Metro’s Rideshare Operations has committed to purchasing 20 Nissan LEAF vehicles to pilot electric-vehicle technology in a commuter application called “Metropool.” The agency will coordinate the installation of charging stations at major employer sites and multi-modal transportation hubs such as park-and-rides and ferry terminals.
The first phase of the initiative involves Children’s employees using four of the program’s zero-emission cars. ECOtality’s Blink charging stations have been installed on the Children’s campus to support the program.
“Everyday 60 percent of Seattle Children’s staff take alternative commutes to work, many of them in vanpools. Alternative commutes taken by our employees since September of 2009 have kept almost nine million pounds of carbon emissions out of the air,” said Lisa Brandenburg, Chief Administrative Officer at Seattle Children’s. “By adding these zero emission all-electric Nissan LEAF Metropool vehicles to our vanpool program, we will be able to reduce Seattle Children’s carbon footprint even further.”
The LEAF is a 100-percent electric, no gas, no tailpipe, no emissions vehicle with an estimated driving range of 100 miles on a single charge. It seats five people.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Saddle up, Ladies!
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.
Check it out!
Women In Motion: New Lady Riders Reflect on NYC Cycling from Streetfilms on Vimeo.
Hat Tip to BikeHugger for this one.
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.
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