Seattle Bike Blog

I spent yesterday at Cascade Bicycle Club’s office for a work party to get everything ready for Seattle’s 13th Annual Cranksgiving food drive bike ride. Y’all, it’s gonna be so fun. It’s by far the best-organized event yet, but it … Continue reading →

You can now find Seattle Bike Blog on Mastodon. We aren’t leaving Twitter, though. We’ll try using both and see how things go. There’s been a sizeable migration to Mastodon in the past week as people seek an alternative to … Continue reading →

You can now find Seattle Bike Blog on Mastodon. We aren’t leaving Twitter, though. We’ll try using both and see how things go. There’s been a sizeable migration to Mastodon in the past week as people seek an alternative to … Continue reading →

Seattle just built a bike lane on Aurora, and it’s amazing. Even though I knew in my head that a complete Green Lake Outer Loop bike lane would be great, riding it was even better than I expected. For decades, … Continue reading →

Seattle’s City Council needs to be very careful with its proposed new taxes on scooter and bike share services, which Councilmember Andrew Lewis has proposed as part of the 2023-24 budget. It is expected to cost $540,000 in 2023 to … Continue reading →

SDOT has released updated design work for the Beacon Hill bike lane project, which includes two options for 15th Ave S as well as different options for handling bus stops. As Ryan Packer reported for the Urbanist last month, the … Continue reading →

Ryan Packer at the Urbanist has written a very detailed breakdown of the City Council’s proposed changes to the 2023-24 city budget as they relate to transportation. The proposals include both new expenses and new ideas for additional revenue. The … Continue reading →

I’m just gonna play this on a loop for the next 2 months. Did I notice that SDOT’s tweet accompanying this video shortened the democratically-elected name “OK Broomer” to just “Broomer?” Yes I did. But so long as they keep … Continue reading →

Happy Halloween, everyone! Treat yourself to this video by Best Side Cycling:

It’s been three years since the last proper Cranksgiving. Thanks to everyone who participated in our dramatically scaled-back pandemic versions in 2020 and 2021. But I think it’s time to get together again and do it right. Or better yet, … Continue reading →

Five months after SDOT removed an illegal anonymously-painted crosswalk at 83rd and Greenwood, the department has opened a new signalized and official crosswalk at the same location. The crossing had been a missing link in the N 83rd Street neighborhood … Continue reading →

Work to repair the deck of the Fremont Bridge requires one more overnight closure, according to SDOT. The bridge will close very early Saturday morning from midnight until 6 a.m. Just like the previous closure, the bridge will allow walking … Continue reading →

Ballots should have arrived by mail or should be arriving very soon, which means it’s time to fight your procrastinating tendencies and vote now. If you haven’t received your ballot, check to make sure your voter information is updated. If … Continue reading →

Two different bike safety projects in Seattle started development in 2020: A concept to complete the bike lane loop around Green Lake and a project to connect Beacon Hill to the downtown bike network. But even though the City Council … Continue reading →

UPDATE 10/23 8pm: The trail has reopened. The 520 Trail across Lake Washington will be closed starting at 11 p.m. tonight (Friday) until 5 a.m. Monday morning. I suppose the silver lining here is that this time the closure is … Continue reading →

Rain is finally here. Time to joyfully dig out your rain gear and go for a beautiful wet bike ride. Seattle comes to life in a totally different way when it rains. So if you are new to town, don’t … Continue reading →

Heads up to anyone out late Friday or working early on Saturday: SDOT is repairing the metal bridge decking on the Fremont Bridge from midnight to 6 a.m. Saturday morning. The bridge, including the sidewalks, will be closed except for … Continue reading →

Two years after Sound Transit construction closed a short walking and biking connection to the 1st Ave NE/N 117th Street bridge over I-5, the agency has opened its replacement. The new trail connection is short, but it is a significant … Continue reading →

I noticed an improvement to 9th Ave this morning. I will admit that I was hoping for more, such as some physical bike lane protection or implementation of this $0 fix to help improve crosswalk and bike lane safety and … Continue reading →

SDOT has gained permit approval to build the Ballard Missing Link of the Burke-Gilman Trail, though the project is not out of the woods yet. Litigation is ongoing and will continue into 2023. But the Shoreline Permit brings the trail … Continue reading →

With traffic deaths rising to horrific levels, Mayor Bruce Harrell has signaled his support for prioritizing and taking ownership of Vision Zero. Harrell spoke before a memorial ride Seattle Neighborhood Greenways organized in honor of Robb Mason last week, and … Continue reading →

A short section of the Green Lake Inner Loop Path near the Aqua Theater will be rerouted to the Outer Loop path for about a year starting today. Seattle Parks is replacing the existing boathouse with a new 10,800 square-foot … Continue reading →

The Seattle Parks Department has decided to go back to the lakeside path’s pre-pandemic rules, which allowed people on “wheels” to travel counterclockwise on the path. The decision, approved by the Board of Park Commissioners, follows a series of public … Continue reading →

The Seattle Park District Board approved funding a path on Lake Washington Boulevard, voting 7–1 to include $404,000 to the 2023-24 budget plan. The historic boulevard is one of the city’s original Olmsted Boulevards, which were constructed in the early … Continue reading →

UPDATE: It passed by a vote of 7-1 (Nelson no, Pedersen abstain). After a series of successful and popular experiments with extended car-free days on Lake Washington Boulevard in recent years, District 2 City Councilmember Tammy Morales has proposed $404,000 … Continue reading →

Family and friends of Robb Mason as well as advocates for safer streets will hold a memorial bike ride Friday from Seattle City Hall to the crosswalk near the Spokane Street Bridge where he was killed. The ride starts at … Continue reading →

The Cheasty Mountain Bike and Pedestrian Trails project first won grant funding to clear out invasive greenery to create a recreation area between Rainier Valley and Beacon Hill in 2013, and supporters have been bushwhacking through the Seattle Process ever … Continue reading →

I took this photo the other day, and I’m fairly happy with how it turned out. I’ve been really enjoying photography in recent months, so I figured I’d share any bike-related experiments with you all. Also, biking downtown is so … Continue reading →

The I-90 Bridge will remain open this weekend during expansion joint work on the Homer Hadley Bridge that will close all westbound lanes. We reported last week on a series of tough planned trail closures on the larger of the … Continue reading →

A Week Without Driving is fairly straightforward: It’s a challenge that asks people who typically drive to go a week without using their car. It can be a powerful experience for individuals who take it on. But the Disability Mobility … Continue reading →

Can a Washington State plan centered around walking, biking and accessibility defeat a bunch of highway and bridge projects to win the 2022 America’s Transportation Award? Well, it can with your help. Remember those annoying “people’s choice” competitions that were … Continue reading →

UPDATE 9-21: The trail will remain open during the September 23–26 work. WSDOT sent out an alert today that the trail across the I-90 Bridge will be closed most of Friday and all weekend as crews work on an expansion … Continue reading →

It’s happening. Work to complete the Green Lake Outer Loop will begin “this month” and should be open by December. The community-generated concept would repurpose a non-continuous lane along the east side of Aurora Avenue, turning it into a walking … Continue reading →

Whatever you are doing, stop and fill out this quick survey to support safer bike lanes on Eastlake as part of the RapidRide J project. You can also attend one of two virtual community design sessions Wednesday from 12–1:30 p.m. or … Continue reading →

As always, you can find more bike events on the Seattle Bike Blog Events Calendar as well as the Everyday Rides Calendar. Some highlights for this weekend: World Naked Bike Ride harvest moon ride. Meet 8PM Friday at 2nd Ave … Continue reading →

Labor Day weekend was supposed to be the penultimate Bicycle Weekend on Lake Washington Boulevard for the year, a chance to experience the storied lakeside street without cars. Bicycle Weekend is an expansion of Seattle Parks’ Bicycle Sunday program, which … Continue reading →

Seattle Parks and Recreation banned all bicycling, skateboarding, roller skating and scootering from the inner loop trail around Green Lake in March despite there being no viable alternative along the west side of the lake. The decision to restrict wheel … Continue reading →

Biking to light rail is often the fastest way to get around Seattle. For riders who live beyond a short walk to the station, biking is a great way to skip the slower local bus connection (if there even is … Continue reading →

The Eastlake bike lane plans are still moving forward with the RapidRide J bus improvements project, but bike advocates in town are not taking their eye off the project until those bike lanes are on the ground. City Councilmember and … Continue reading →

SDOT released the 90% design plans for the Green Lake Outer Loop, and they show that the bikeway is still on track to finally complete a biking and walking route 112 years in the making. The advanced design document shows … Continue reading →

Cascade Bicycle Club recently posted their top 5 Seattle bike improvement priorities, though it’s really more like like 4 projects and a citywide plan. They go into more detail about each in their blog post, so go check it out. … Continue reading →

Like so many adventuring plans, this wasn’t how we originally saw it going. But somehow I ended up biking myself and our kid on a gravel path up mountain using a folding bike. And it was great. The Palouse to … Continue reading →

I stumbled on this photo today in the Washington State archives and, well, I have no idea what the hell is going on here. Let see if the archive’s description can shine any light on it: “Shows 16 men standing … Continue reading →

Claudia Mason is incredible. In the midst of heartache I cannot imagine, Claudia has bravely shared her story of loss in hopes that others might be spared the pain she has felt since her husband Robb was killed while biking … Continue reading →

The new and improved 15th Avenue NE bike lanes opened last month, and much of the project is excellent. But the opening celebrations have been a bit dampened due to the city’s decision to ignore people’s requests to help them … Continue reading →

The volunteer-powered Bikery has long provided resources for people to obtain and learn how to repair bikes. Their 30 or so regular volunteers share their bicycle mechanic knowledge with the community through the shop on Hiawatha Place S near S … Continue reading →

The UW Press faculty committee has unanimously approved Pedaling Uphill In The Rain for publication. If all goes according to plan, it should be available in spring or summer of 2023. Big thank you to everyone who has supported my … Continue reading →

Friday (July 29) is the last day to comment on a key phase in the development of the extremely important Seattle Transportation Plan. Comments on the scope of the plan will help guide the environmental review process. We need to … Continue reading →

Greg Spotts will be the next SDOT Director, taking over the department in September. Mayor Bruce Harrell announced the decision on Beacon Hill today, describing Spotts as “a champion for innovative thinking, sustainable solutions, collaborative partnership building and transparent public … Continue reading →

Michael Weilert stopped, pushed the button to make the crosswalk lights start blinking, waited to see that cars were stopping, then rode his bike across busy Pacific Avenue S in Parkland last Tuesday. But even though other people had stopped … Continue reading →