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by Tom Fucoloro on (#6X7TW)
We are so back. Seattle set an all-time record for the most bike trips across the Fremont Bridge during the month of April with 95,742, a remarkable 17% above the pre-2020 average. 2025 is also the first year since 2020 to record more than a quarter million trips across the bridge by the end of [...]
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Seattle Bike Blog
| Link | https://www.seattlebikeblog.com/ |
| Feed | http://seattlebikeblog.com/feed/ |
| Updated | 2025-05-12 21:15 |
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by Tom Fucoloro on (#6X68F)
Bike Everywhere Day (formerly Bike to Work Day) is May 14, which puts it on a Wednesday this year rather than Friday as it had been for a long time. This is a response to trends toward more people working from home on Fridays or working four 10-hour days and taking Fridays off (or working [...]
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by Tom Fucoloro on (#6X5EE)
New trail connections around the soon-to-open Redmond light rail stations have dramatically improved bike access into the eastside city center, shaving as much as ten minutes off many bike trips. Sure, the train stations opening Saturday will get most the attention, but I rode the new trail connections and am here to report that they [...]
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by Tom Fucoloro on (#6X4HA)
It's the most joyful school drop off of the year! Seattle kids are celebrating Bike to School Day today, and the bike cage at my kid's school was packed even more than usual. Biking to school for us requires two blocks of climbing that is steep enough to give the kiddo trouble. Or at least, [...]
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by Tom Fucoloro on (#6X3KH)
I'll be taking my bike on the train Thursday (May 8) to give a talk at Olympia Timberland Library. Join me! The event starts at 6:30, and I'm bringing a presentation full of historic images and stories that didn't make the final text. I'll also have copies and stickers available for sale and will happily [...]
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by Tom Fucoloro on (#6X2XZ)
People biking in S Dearborn Street's protected bike lanes were surprised last week to see the concrete barriers missing as the street passes under the Dr. Jose Rizal Bridge. Some riders even reported the bike lanes fully closed, requiring them to bike in mixed traffic on the wide and fast street. Workers are not there [...]
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by Tom Fucoloro on (#6X1DH)
Seattle has a new bike bridge across Lake Union Park's Missing Path Bog to kick off Bike Month. Well, bridge" is perhaps a generous term, but the mysteriously-installed wood planks do provide a bikeable way to cross the sunken and muddy gap between two paved paths along a popular biking and walking route that connects [...]
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by Tom Fucoloro on (#6X0CN)
Seattle Parks will again host 10 car-free Bicycle Weekends on Lake Washington Boulevard this summer. The schedule and route are very similar to recent years, and the first event is May 17-18. One difference is that Labor Day weekend is not included in the 2025 schedule. In 2024, the Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day [...]
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by Tom Fucoloro on (#6WZMH)
UPDATE: More than a dozen people showed up to form a human-protected" bike lane on Pine Street at 4th Avenue to demonstrate the need to physical protection for the bike lane at the intersection. SDOT's Interim Director Adiam Emery and City Councilmember Dan Strauss attended as well to learn about the issues at the intersection [...]
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by Tom Fucoloro on (#6WZ05)
Defend Seattle's car-horn-free culture in the most passive-aggressive way possible: A sticker that says, Real Seattleites Don't Honk." Now available only from the Seattle Bike Blog shop. If you for any reason want to make a bulk order, email me to discuss a bulk discount. This is just one of several new additions to the [...]
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Construction underway on Foothills Trail Bridge over Spiketon Ditch, expected to open ‘early summer’
by Tom Fucoloro on (#6WYWH)
The Foothill Trail is on schedule to reopen across Spiketon Ditch in early summer, about one and a half years after Pierce County declared it an emergency closed it following a very concerning inspection. Inspectors determined that the bridge was barely holding its own weight and was at risk of collapse. Pierce County Parks said [...]
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by Tom Fucoloro on (#6WXYC)
Last week was spring break for Seattle Public Schools, so we went on a family trip to south Whidbey Island. This was our first time traveling there since the Lynnwood light rail station opened, so my spouse Kelli, our first grader, and I decided to test out the new and improved transit connection from Seattle [...]
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by Tom Fucoloro on (#6WVNG)
Well, it was once again worth a try, but the Washington House Transportation Committee has removed SEPA exemption for the Ballard Missing Link of the Burke-Gilman Trail from their transportation funding bill. The bill initially passed the House before failing to get a committee vote in the Senate. At that point, we declared it dead. [...]
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by Tom Fucoloro on (#6WTNG)
Katie Wilson is running for Seattle mayor. She is almost certain to raise less campaign money than incumbent Bruce Harrell, who is hoping to be the first Seattle mayor to win a second term since Greg Nickels won reelection 20 years ago. The previous two more lefty challengers for mayor got creamed with Cary Moon [...]
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by Tom Fucoloro on (#6WSP3)
The Washington State House of Representatives is debating their response to the Senate's transportation funding bill this week, and the latest version (PDF) not only removes the e-bike tax but also exempts the Ballard Missing Link of the Burke-Gilman Trail from environmental review. The House still needs to pass their modified version of the Senate [...]
by Tom Fucoloro on (#6WRZ2)
After the Washington State Senate approved a transportation funding bill that includes a 10% sales tax surcharge on many e-bikes, Sara Morimoto and Harrison Jerome concocted an idea: They would ride e-bikes from Seattle to Olympia to urge the House to reject the Senate's bike tax. The bike tax would need approval from both chambers [...]
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by Tom Fucoloro on (#6WMYJ)
Well, I hope you enjoyed the recently redesigned access to the Bill Dawson Trail while it lasted because the trail connection from Montlake Blvd to Montlake Playfield is closing May 12 and will not reopen until 2030. Intermittent closures have already begun and will continue until the full closure. The official signed biking detour goes [...]
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by Tom Fucoloro on (#6WM6Q)
Hanoch from Best Side Cycling recently published a quick tour of the remade section of Eastlake Avenue E that runs next to I-5 from the REI flagship store to the Lakeview Boulevard bridge. Work on the project, a partnership between King County Metro and SDOT, wrapped up over the winter and includes protected bike lanes, [...]
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by Tom Fucoloro on (#6WHVY)
For years, the WAVE (Women Against Violence Everywhere") Foundation asked men to sit out their annual Cycle the Wave ride and instead help with fundraising and volunteer support for the event's women and nonbinary riders. The ride appealed to the women and nonbinary population that might show up at Flying Wheels and feel intimidated by [...]
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by Tom Fucoloro on (#6WGXA)
Tern, a Taiwan-based bike maker that specializes in e-bikes like the popular HSD and GSD cargo bikes, said they would pause shipments to the U.S. because the Trump administration's recently announced (and then abruptly rescinded) tariffs were beyond the point they can work around. Companies importing products from China are likely still in a holding [...]
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by Tom Fucoloro on (#6WG4M)
Well, it was worth a try. The WA Senate's Environment, Energy and Technology (ENET") Committee decided not to vote on the House bill to exempt the Ballard Missing Link (and maybe a small subset of other Seattle trail sections) from the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA"), the basis for the neverending court cases holding up [...]
by Tom Fucoloro on (#6WF99)
The WSDOT e-bike rebate program is nearly ready to accept applications. The pilot program, which the department has named WE-Bike," will take applications starting April 9 and ending at noon April 23. Recipients of these instant rebates" will be selected using a lottery system after the end of the application window, so there should be [...]
by Tom Fucoloro on (#6WDJH)
WSDOT will fix an extremely bumpy section of the 520 Trail in Redmond just in time for the light rail openings in May, so be prepared for detours April 16-18 and 22-24. Caused by tree roots and years of neglect, some of these sections are so bumpy they are almost comical. But especially for a [...]
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by Tom Fucoloro on (#6WCR5)
Bike Works has once again stepped up as an anti-racist guide star for bike organizations. As the Trump Administration bullies agencies, companies and non-profits across the nation into dropping (or at least concealing) their commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion, Bike Works refuses to cower and hide its values. Instead, they are celebrating them. Bike [...]
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by Tom Fucoloro on (#6WB6Z)
I was invited on KUOW's noontime show Soundside today to talk about the Washington Senate's e-bike tax, and I found myself focusing heavily on making the case for protecting our state's bike shops. Give it a listen. At one point, Libby Denkmann cut through all the noise and asked this question: Would money raised from, [...]
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by Tom Fucoloro on (#6WAC1)
A 10% tax on the sale of all Class 3 e-bikes as well as e-bikes lacking certain certifications will be on the table when the Washington State House and Senate work to reconcile differences between their transportation budget bills. The state Senate passed the supposedly bi-partisan SB 5801 by a vote of 31-18 with only [...]
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by Tom Fucoloro on (#6W8FN)
Inspired by the guy in our alley the other night who was honking maybe 20 feet from where my kid was sleeping, I created this informative decision tree flow chart that is fully comprehensive and covers all potential car horn usage scenarios. This should forever solve the question: Should I honk my car horn? Car [...]
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by Tom Fucoloro on (#6W7K6)
My face has turned into a sneezing, itchy, bloodshot sponge, which only mean one thing: Spring is here! If you are looking for a way to scratch that bike-riding itch this weekend, Bike Works has got you covered. The fourth Tour de Fleurs meets starting 11 a.m. Sunday at Genesee Park in Columbia City. Ride [...]
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by Tom Fucoloro on (#6W6R3)
Just a couple weeks ago, we wrote about how the Trump Administration is attacking walking, biking and transit projects that are due to receive federal funding. These cuts will put our local, regional and state governments and agencies under great strain as they try to keep people moving safely. Compounding these problems for local bike [...]
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by Tom Fucoloro on (#6W520)
Construction is underway on a long-sought update to add accessible and beginner-friendly features to the I-5 Colonnade mountain bike park in Eastlake, and Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance hopes the new paved pump tracks will be open by the end of May. The I-5 Colonnade mountain bike park was like nothing else when it first opened [...]
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by Tom Fucoloro on (#6W3HT)
Washington legislators must be doing something right because the Missing Link obstructionists seemed a bit panicked during a public hearing on HB 1814 in front of the Senate Environment, Energy and Technology Committee Friday (watch via TVW starting at 20:00 and 1:05:00). The hearing itself didn't add anything to the Missing Link debate because that [...]
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by Tom Fucoloro on (#6W2P9)
Seattle is a Tesla town. Or, rather, it was a Tesla town (more Tesla showroom protests are planned March 29). There are a lot of Tesla owners out there regretting their purchases and looking to get out. But what model of car should they replace them with? None! Take this frustrating experience and turn it [...]
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Bill to exempt the Ballard Missing Link from state environmental laws will get Senate hearing Friday
by Tom Fucoloro on (#6W1TJ)
The state legislature may step in and finally end the Ballard Missing Link's legal rats nest by exempting the city's trail plan from the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA"). The House has already passed HB 1814, and now the Senate is scheduled to hold a hearing about it Friday morning. Cascade sent out an action [...]
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by Tom Fucoloro on (#6VYD3)
About 74,000 households in Seattle are car-free, making up more than 20% of all Seattle households. A modern high point for the city's car-free household rate, Seattle now ranks 9th among large U.S. cities by car-free household rate and 2nd for large U.S. cities west of the Mississippi behind only San Francisco, the Seattle Times' [...]
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by Tom Fucoloro on (#6VWKT)
We all knew it was coming, but now it's in writing. The Trump Administration has started its attempts to claw back Biden-era USDOT grants for a slew of projects to address gender and racial equity, climate change, and bicycling, according to an email from Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy to the heads of agency offices [...]
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by Tom Fucoloro on (#6VVQ1)
Community advocacy group Eastside Urbanism is running an online survey right now to help them identify the top community priorities they should push for in their advocacy for a stronger Vision Zero Action Plan in Bellevue. A majority of Bellevue's City Council shamefully bent the knee to demonstrate loyalty to their true boss the landowner [...]
by Tom Fucoloro on (#6VTSH)
Seattle officially opened the long-awaited downtown waterfront bikeway as far north as Pier 62 beyond the aquarium Saturday. Much of the path has been open for weeks, but the final curving piece underneath the Overlook Walk to Pike Place Market has finally completed the connections to Belltown via Elliott Way and to Pier 62. It [...]
by Tom Fucoloro on (#6VR8Z)
I almost cried when I saw this chart during SDOT's Vision Zero presentation to the City Council's Transportation Committee Tuesday. Preliminary traffic safety data for Seattle from 2024 shows half as many pedestrian deaths as the modern high point in 2021 and zero traffic deaths of people riding a bicycle. Ten deaths of people walking [...]
by Tom Fucoloro on (#6VNHN)
The Seattle City Council's Transportation and Budget Committees will hear about SDOT's plan for the first year of transportation levy expenditures and will decide whether to lift their legislative hold on about half of the levy funds budgeted for 2025 work. First, SDOT's new Interim Director Adiam Emery will present the 2025 Transportation Levy Delivery [...]
by Tom Fucoloro on (#6VKV3)
The main section of the waterfront bikeway will officially open with a March 8 celebration and bike ride. The ribbon cutting is 10:30 a.m. near Pier 62, then the celebration goes from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the pier and up and down the bikeway. Best Side Cycling is also hosting a 5-mile group [...]
by Tom Fucoloro on (#6VJZB)
The under-construction infill Link light rail station at N 130th Street recently got its official name: Pinehurst Station. Sound Transit anticipates that 90% of station users will get there by walking, biking or taking the bus. Recognizing that the streets leading to the station do not currently support that level of walking and biking, Seattle [...]
by Tom Fucoloro on (#6VHBE)
A few weeks ago, my spouse Kelli and I were talking about how to bring together the desire for large old trees in our city and our need to better calm traffic and improve biking and school walk routes. Watching the story unfold this week about folks protesting to stop the removal of a western [...]
by Tom Fucoloro on (#6VG9M)
Despite the threat of an atmospheric river (or perhaps thanks to it for some of you wonderful sickos), 2,034 people registered for Cascade Bicycle Club's Chilly Hilly 2025. The annual winter ride around Bainbridge Island is the club's longest-running tradition, dating back more than half a century. People who sign up for a ride the [...]
by Tom Fucoloro on (#6VCZJ)
If you want to share the joy and empowerment of bicycling with the next generation, Bike Works is currently seeking volunteers to help out with their after school and weekend programs. Our needs include biking with youth, helping in our youth mechanics programs, bike fleet maintenance, assisting in various youth events and administrative tasks," said [...]
by Tom Fucoloro on (#6VBE7)
Construction work on a busy block of Fremont Ave N between N 34th and 35th Streets is scheduled to start this month and last for much of 2025. The work just north of the Fremont Bridge is part of the Route 40 transit and multimodal project, and Seattle Public Utilities will also use it as [...]
by Tom Fucoloro on (#6V8ZP)
For more than a century, Washington State has funded portions of its transportation work using gas taxes. But due to inflation, politics and the rise of electric vehicles, gas tax revenue nationally and in Washington State has continually fallen in recent decades. The state's current gas tax rate is at or near it's lowest point [...]
by Tom Fucoloro on (#6V7G2)
A proposed bill in the State House would resolve confusion by establishing a new set of rules for a shared street." No existing streets would become shared streets by default. Instead, a local authority (such as SDOT in Seattle) can choose to designate certain nonarterial" streets as shared streets. On these streets: The proposed bill [...]
by Tom Fucoloro on (#6V5X5)
Pacific NW Magazine, the glossy magazine inside the Sunday Seattle Times, includes two excerpts this week from my book Biking Uphill in the Rain: The Story of Seattle from behind the Handlebars - Out now in paperback. Go buy a copy while they are still on newsstands. Or you can check out the piece online [...]
by Tom Fucoloro on (#6V4SQ)
Want a good deal on a used bike or want to find some unusual parts? Then get to the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall Saturday (February 8) for Cascade Bicycle Club's annual Seattle Bike Swap. There will be a bunch of bikes for sale on consignment and a wide variety of vendors selling all kinds of [...]
by Tom Fucoloro on (#6V3YZ)
An upcoming paving project on Pinehurst and Roosevelt Ways NE is a chance for the city to upgrade the existing mishmash of bike lanes and sharrows to a complete set of protected bike lanes from NE 92nd Street to NE 117th Street/15th Ave NE. Potential upgrades may include new crosswalks, upgraded bike lanes, and improved [...]