Seattle Bike Blog

Congratulations to Mayor-Elect Bruce Harrell on a convincing win. If past voting patterns hold true as the rest of the ballots are counted, Harrell is positioned to win the Mayoral race by a wider margin than Jenny Durkan did in … Continue reading →

The Missing Link appellants have won! But not really. The Seattle Department of Transportation announced today that they are prepared to submit a significantly scaled-back version of their plans to complete the Missing Link of the Burke-Gilman Trail through Ballard. … Continue reading →

Seattle voters have the chance to elect transformational leaders, but only if voter turnout increases dramatically before 8 p.m. Tuesday. So tell all your friends. If you have your vote-by-mail ballot, return it to a King County ballot drop box. … Continue reading →

The Seattle City Council is currently considering some significant budget additions to combat the terrible increase in traffic deaths and injuries in 2021. Seattle’s increase is part of a horrible nationwide trend, and the city should be a leader in … Continue reading →

Beginning at 9 p.m. tonight (Friday), crews are scheduled to close the 520 Bridge, including the trail across Lake Washington. Montlake Boulevard and the underpass trail to the Arboretum will remain open. More details from WSDOT: Heads up, travelers: Crews … Continue reading →

With very little warning, Seattle Public Schools announced Friday that 142 school bus routes would be cancelled as of today (Monday). So many families in our city had to scramble to find a way to get their kids to school. … Continue reading →

Ballots are in the mail and the drop boxes are open. If you don’t receive your ballot or forgot to update your address, go the King County elections website to update your info or request a replacement. If you are … Continue reading →

In 2024, voters will likely be asked to fund Seattle’s renewed vision for transportation. The 2015 Move Seattle Levy will be set to expire, and it will need to be replaced by a new measure. Ballots are in the mail, … Continue reading →

I am briefly emerging from my work on my Seattle bike history book to post this map I found buried deep in the archives of The Argus, a weekly Seattle newspaper co-owned by an early Seattle bicycle booster. It’s a … Continue reading →

Hello, dear readers. I am currently working hard on the second draft of the book I’m writing for UW Press about bicycle history and culture in Seattle. I was initially hoping to be able to keep the blog going through … Continue reading →

The Northgate bike/walk bridge finally has both a name and an opening date. Officially named the John Lewis Memorial Bridge, this biking and walking bridge connecting North Seattle College across I-5 to Northgate Station has a lot to live up … Continue reading →

The King County Water Taxi bike racks can now take bikes with tires as wide as 4.6 inches, nearly double the size of the old bike racks. This should significantly expand compatibility, especially as many of today’s most popular bikes … Continue reading →

E-bike sales are outpacing electric car sales two-to-one in the United States, and e-bikes now make up 20% or more of bikes sold in Seattle bike shops. And as Josh Feit (with Maryam Noor) wrote for Publicola, all signs point … Continue reading →

We have a good news update about the ongoing Montlake Bridge rehabilitation work. The first of several weekend closures is still scheduled for this weekend (September 10–12). But despite original announcements, the west sidewalk will remain open for walking and … Continue reading →

With a pop-up bike protected bike lane, a kids bike rodeo, a roller disco dance party and more, the streets of downtown Redmond are set to be the place to be Sunday. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 … Continue reading →

Last month, Gabriel Zalaya was working on the state project to rehab the Beverly Bridge over the Columbia River when he fell and was killed. He was 39. Our condolences to his friends and family. A contractor for the State … Continue reading →

Disability Rights Washington released a report this week that is so good it should be considered mandatory reading for everyone working in transportation in our state. The word “report” doesn’t really do it justice because “Transportation Access for Everyone: Washington … Continue reading →

For decades, a small public space along the Burke-Gilman Trail just north of the Seattle city limit has been hidden behind a private fence. But no more. It took a remarkable amount of work to open this small space. Volunteers … Continue reading →

Expert bike builder Max Kullaway passed away earlier this month after a long battle with cancer. Kullaway was the force behind 333fab bicycles. For years Max made bicycles in a Fremont shop alongside Bill Davidson before he and his spouse Tarrell … Continue reading →

The Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board is seeking three new members to start two-year terms in the fall. This term will cover some very important decisions for Seattle’s transportation future, including development of the next big Seattle transportation levy likely headed … Continue reading →

WSDOT has started four new U.S. Bicycle Routes in southeast Washington, establishing Clarkston along the Snake River and Tekoa along the Palouse to Cascades Trail as long-distance bike route nexuses. The US Bike Route system is a vision for a … Continue reading →

In 1896, Seattle city crews and a group of volunteers worked together to build a bike path from downtown to Lake Washington. They made it quickly, following the terrain around the north end of Capitol Hill to find the easiest … Continue reading →

Seattle’s November election for Mayor and City Council Position 9 are going to be very close. King County Elections will drop more ballot results around 4:30 p.m. every weekday until they are all counted. Because later votes in Seattle tend … Continue reading →

The primary election is tomorrow (August 3), and turnout in King County was sitting at a mere 13% as of Friday evening. That’s too low. But you are a Seattle Bike Blog reader, so you are engaged and vote in … Continue reading →

The state is starting work on a significant Montlake Bridge repair project, which includes replacing all the metal roadway decking and maintaining the moving mechanism. This will lead to major closures for cars and buses. But because crews will keep … Continue reading →

Join local safe streets groups and SDOT Saturday for a community bike ride celebrating the opening of the Green Lake bike lanes. Meet up 10:30 a.m. at the Flamingo parking lot of the Woodland Park Zoo to ride with the … Continue reading →

After more than a year since their last Executive Director resigned, Cascade Bicycle Club and its sister organization Washington Bikes have selected their new leader. Lee Lambert will take the reigns of one of the largest statewide bicycling organizations in … Continue reading →

Seattle is a better city because of Dongho Chang. There may not be another public servant working in our city in the past decade who has had a greater impact on so many people’s everyday lives. Since 2012, Chang has … Continue reading →

Construction work is wrapping up on the new Fairview Ave N Bridge, finally bringing an end to a long closure of a major bike route between South Lake Union and Eastlake. The bridge opens to all traffic Sunday, but people … Continue reading →

Leaders like Lorena González don’t come along often. She has been a stable, very progressive compass during a very tumultuous time in Seattle history, and the Council has shifted around her as voters continue to elect people who stand for … Continue reading →

NOTE: The 2021 primary election is August 3. The deadline to register or change your address online in King County is July 26, but you can register and vote in-person through Election Day. Don’t procrastinate! It’s summer, and August 3 … Continue reading →

The Snoqualmie Valley Trail will be closed for two weeks just south of Duvall Park starting today, King County Parks announced. There is seemingly no alternative other than SR-203 (AKA Carnation-Duvall Rd NE), which has fairly skinny shoulders. And though … Continue reading →

The Georgetown to South Park Connection, a walking and biking trail concept promoted for years by the community-led group Duwamish Valley Safe Streets, is on schedule to begin construction in 2022 and open in 2023. Final design should be complete … Continue reading →

Yes, the new bikeway around (half of) Green Lake is a big improvement. We made a whole video about it. But it is only one part of a major series of paving projects all grouped together into one very big … Continue reading →

BoltBus was wonderful for three reasons: It was cheap. It ran multiple times a day. And they would let you shove your bike in the baggage compartment for free. The bus service, owned by Greyhound, is apparently shutting down all … Continue reading →

Transit is back. Over the next couple days, agencies around the region will relax many of their COVID precautions as the bulk of Washington State’s restrictions end. Like many of you, I’ve still been treating transit as an essential-trips-only service. … Continue reading →

Crews are nearly finished upgrading one of the most important bike routes in Seattle. East Green Lake Way N may have a terribly confusing name, but it forms a hub of sorts for north end bike routes. The Interurban North … Continue reading →

Candidates for the open City Council Position 9 seat debated safe streets and other walking, biking and transit issues yesterday during a Move All Seattle Sustainably forum. Nikkita Oliver, Brianna Thomas and Sara Nelson attended. As with the recent mayoral … Continue reading →

Washington State is reinstating about 100,000 people’s driver’s licenses after Thurston County Superior Court found it unconstitutional to revoke a license due to failure to pay a fine or appear in court for a non-criminal moving violation. The state’s Department … Continue reading →

With iconic images of dozens of people biking off the ferry together, Cascade Bicycle Club’s Chilly Hilly ride has signaled the start of the bike events season for nearly half a century. As the name suggests, the February ride around … Continue reading →

The Move All Seattle Sustainably Coalition — which includes many organizations including Disability Rights Washington, Cascade Bicycle Club, Seattle Neighborhood Greenways and the Transit Riders Union — hosted a mayoral forum Wednesday evening focused on walking, biking and transit issues. … Continue reading →

The list of organizations backing a proposal to repeal King County’s all-ages bicycle helmet law includes many local bicycling and safe streets groups like Seattle Neighborhood Greenways and Cascade Bicycle Club as well as national organizations like People for Bikes … Continue reading →

The City Council has proposed $2.5 million to make many of the city’s Stay Healthy Streets permanent and another $300,000 to fund the popular Café Streets program through 2022 as part of the $128 million Seattle Rescue Plan to “kick … Continue reading →

For years, WSDOT has resisted working with Seattle to connect the Rainier Valley Neighborhood Greenway to the Mountains to Sound Trail (AKA the I-90 Trail), according to reporting by Ryan Packer for the Urbanist. Packer requested emails between the two … Continue reading →

East Union Street now has protected bike lanes from 14th to 26th Avenues, providing a lower-stress way to climb the unavoidable ridge that peaks around 18th and 17th Avenues through the Central District. Before the new lanes were installed, skinny … Continue reading →

The latest upgrade to the bike connections around the Fremont Bridge make some very significant improvements, though larger solutions are still needed to make it truly comfortable for people of all ages and abilities. The Burke-Gilman Trail is the region’s … Continue reading →

“If the trail is built, say the neighbors, it would violate their property rights and privacy, and would be challenged in court,” wrote the Seattle Daily Times in 1982 in a story about King County’s plan to convert the defunct … Continue reading →

Seattle is working to catch up on bike projects after Mayor Jenny Durkan paused or cancelled nearly all bike plans during the first half or so of her term. And though it may be nearly impossible to completely make up … Continue reading →

Construction to prepare Lynnwood Transit Center for light rail and build a parking garage will close the Interurban North Trail between 52nd Ave W and 44th Ave W for two years starting May 12, according to Sound Transit. This is … Continue reading →

Marley Blonsky put out a call recently that I support completely: Seattle needs you to plan a group ride. The pandemic all but erased the Seattle Bike Blog Events Calendar, which was of course the right thing to do. But … Continue reading →