Seattle Bike Blog

What if Bertha never finishes the SR 99 highway tunnel? What if SR 99 doesn’t need to be a freeway-style highway through downtown at all? And what if that’s true for the whole city, too? In other words, what if … Continue reading →

There are basically two ways to increase the number of homes in bikeable and walkable neighborhoods. 1: Improve bikeability and walkability in more neighborhoods, or 2: Increase the number of homes in neighborhoods that are already bikeable and walkable. Most … Continue reading →

The plans for a protected bike lane on Roosevelt Way NE from NE 65th Street to the U Bridge have been finalized, and the city is hosting a construction open house Monday to show off the plans and let people … Continue reading →

Cascade Bicycle Club is hosting a regional bike advocacy summit dubbed the “Big Ideas Festival” 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at their Magnuson Park headquarters. The event is free, but you should RSVP online so they can plan on … Continue reading →

The John Wayne Trail appears safe from legislative giveaway, at least for now. The Tekoa Trail and Trestle Association (“TTTA”) from the far east end of the statewide John Wayne Pioneer Trail (AKA the Iron Horse Trail) sent an email … Continue reading →

When the city finally upgraded the old skinny paint-only door zone bike lane on 2nd Ave in 2014, it was an incredible increase in biking comfort downtown. But almost immediately after opening one thing became clear: The array of signals … Continue reading →

In some places I-5 is a trench. Other places, it’s a wall. Every once in a while, a bridge spans the rushing flow of motor vehicles or a street travels under the immense elevated wonder. But more often than not, … Continue reading →

If you bike across the Fremont Bridge regularly, then you know this terrible merge lane well. People biking are routed down a ramp into what becomes a shared bike and right turn lane. You have to be extremely on guard, … Continue reading →

Tunneling for the Northgate Link extension is on schedule for completion this year, meaning station construction work will begin shortly after. So now is the time to make sure bike parking and safe bike route connections are not only included … Continue reading →

After years of damage from parallel parkers and taggers, the blue sculptures that lined the Broadway Bikeway in Capitol Hill have been removed, Capitol Hill Seattle reports. They will remain in place on First Hill, at least for now. I, … Continue reading →

The secret (or maybe not-so-secret) route for Cascade’s newest major ride has been officially revealed: People registered for the April 3 event will get the rare chance to bike on both the 520 Bridge and the I-5 Express Lanes through … Continue reading →

I’m sure I’m not alone in being basically consumed with memories of listening to David Bowie’s music throughout my life. Aside from simply enjoying his brilliantly and consistently pioneering music, Bowie taught me and so many others to recognize, respect … Continue reading →

UPDATE: Shortly after posting, Cascade Bicycle Club announced the formation of the Eastside Greenway Alliance, a group of seven organizations that will “will dedicate time and resources to move forward with the goal of a multi-use corridor that will provide … Continue reading →

Seattle has finally done it. They figured out how to build a functional stairway “runnel” that also includes railings required to meet accessibility guidelines. What’s a runnel, you ask? It’s a somewhat weird name for a straight and usually grooved … Continue reading →

It’s time for the Bike News Roundup! Here’s a look at some of the bikey stuff floating around the web in recent weeks. First up, Motor City to Bike City: Pacific Northwest News Be heard: The Darrington Mountain Bike Park … Continue reading →

For local mountain bikers, the year started off on a somber note. Dedicated trail builder and founding member of Evergreen MTB Len Francies passed away New Year’s Day. “Len’s heart came to rest on one of his favorite trails,” Evergreen … Continue reading →

Boasting a secret-for-now route that “involves a state route bike riders have never been able to use,” Cascade Bicycle Club announced an all-new major ride for 2016: The Emerald City Bike Ride. Scheduled for April 3, a Sunday, the new … Continue reading →

Seattle Police Officer Drew Fowler was on bike patrol in Cal Anderson Park Saturday when he spotted a high-end mountain bike in the hands of a suspected thief. Officer Fowler stopped the man and asked if he could have a … Continue reading →

It’s very difficult to overstate how huge an impact the Eastside Trail will have on regional bikeability and livability. Traveling through or very near city centers, neighborhoods and employment centers in Woodinville, Kirkland, Bellevue and Renton the trail itself will … Continue reading →

In 2015, Seattle Bike Blog posted 359 stories, which is actually fewer than in 2014. But that doesn’t mean I worked less. Instead, I quietly allowed my personal rule of two posts per weekday to slip in order to give … Continue reading →

KCTS IN Close covered the city’s work to fix Rainier Ave this week. And though much of the information may not be new to readers of this blog, it’s great to see it explained in such a concise and clear … Continue reading →

To many grassroots bike activists in the Seattle area, Brock Howell may have been until recently the face of Cascade Bicycle Club. Howell left Cascade in November shortly after an election where the club’s advocacy team was a major part … Continue reading →

Here’s a depressing fact: In 2013, 885 Americans drove away after killing a person who was walking. One in five “pedestrian fatalities” are hit and runs (for “cyclist fatalities,” it’s about one in six). This statistic speaks volumes about the … Continue reading →

’twas the night before Christmas, and all through the web, every single creature was reading about Washington Bikes’ 2016 state legislative priorities. Last year, transportation money was flying all around the state legislature. As usual, it ended with billions for … Continue reading →

If you are building something in Seattle and need to close the sidewalk, you can no longer simply send people walking out into the street. That’s according to new rules outlined by SDOT (PDF), which we wrote about previously. During … Continue reading →

It’s not just for photo ops, Councilmember Mike O’Brien really does bike everywhere. But he’s also not just about bikes. O’Brien has a seat on the Sound Transit Board, and he has been a strong advocate for biking, walking and … Continue reading →

The construction crew building out the Westlake Bikeway has outlined their schedule, beginning with phase one in January. For the first six months or so of 2016, construction will happen in four seemingly out-of-order segments in the sprawling parking area … Continue reading →

Imagine a direct, fully connected and protected bike route from Roosevelt and Green Lake all the way to downtown. The city is studying how to make it happen. And not only could the project fix some consistently dangerous collision hot … Continue reading →

The Move Seattle transportation levy kicks in January 1, but the expiring nine-year-old Bridging the Gap levy still has a little life left. And part of that remaining funding is being put to very good use: Fixing pavement on the … Continue reading →

So many of you submitted comments shocked by the gigantic waterfront highway presented in the most recent Waterfront Seattle plans that you triggered a requirement mandating the city study a road design that has fewer lanes to cross between the … Continue reading →

After years and years of planning, 2015 was the year Seattle’s Department of Transportation finally tried to hit a stride delivering bike network additions and upgrades regularly and consistently. In order to keep the Bike Master Plan on track, the … Continue reading →

The Bellevue City Council unanimously endorsed Vision Zero Monday, setting a goal of zero deaths and serious injuries on Bellevue streets by 2030. In fact, there was very little discussion or debate about the resolution (PDF), which sailed right through. … Continue reading →

Washington State now has the largest statewide advocacy organization in the nation. The Boards of Cascade Bicycle Club and Washington Bikes voted Tuesday to merge the two organizations, following months of negotiations and member outreach by both groups (see our … Continue reading →

Seattle Neighborhood Greenways hosted their annual volunteer appreciation party late last week. And aside from booze and snacks, the night also included a list of people and campaigns that have helped further the cause of safe streets in our city. … Continue reading →

Eastlake Ave is a white knuckle bike ride. Even though it’s also the only reasonably flat street that directly connects the city center to the University Bridge, there are no bike lanes. Instead, people have to try to navigate the … Continue reading →

It’s time for the Bike News Roundup! Lots of good stuff floating around the web these days, so let’s get started. First up, this 1995 video by the Seattle Department of Engineering (now the Department of Transportation) is a pretty … Continue reading →

Streetcars and bikes have gotten off to a rough start in Seattle. Planning that neglected bike safety has led to many injuries, especially on Westlake Ave and Jackson Street. We have written about the need for protected bike lanes when … Continue reading →

Bikes vs Cars is a new documentary that attempts to lay out the global and local problems caused by car culture and car infrastructure in our cities and how people in cities across the world are pushing back, often while … Continue reading →

This is part two of a series looking at the first year of usage data from Pronto Cycle Share. Pronto organized a “data challenge,” and the submissions they received go deeper than you might expect. The Pronto Data Challenge received … Continue reading →

Bike theft is up, at least on UW campus. “It’s our number one property crime on campus,” said UW Police Deputy Chief Csaba Maczala. “That’s a good thing, since violent crime is down. So I’m glad we most have to … Continue reading →

This is part one of a series looking at the first year of usage data from Pronto Cycle Share. Pronto organized a “data challenge,” and the submissions they received go deeper than you might expect. Did you know there are … Continue reading →

People working to make our streets safer and our bike routes more connected have a lot to celebrate. True, we have a lot of work ahead to make sure projects happen right. But first, let’s party. Join Seattle Neighborhood Greenways … Continue reading →

EDITOR’S NOTE: Thanks, Marley, for letting us know about Max and the ride to celebrate his life. We send our condolences to his loved ones. The Seattle bike community is invited to join together to joyfully remember a beloved friend, … Continue reading →

Downtown Seattle will get its first live-updated bike counter display soon thanks to Commute Seattle. Located on 2nd Ave between Madison and Marion Streets, the counter will tick away daily and annual totals as people bike by. As we’ve seen … Continue reading →

Seattle’s sixth annual Cranksgiving food drive bike ride was Saturday, and it was one for the record books. 160 people bought an astounding 1,560 pounds of food from local food vendors all around town and hauled it by bike to … Continue reading →

The Westlake bikeway lawsuit is over, and construction will begin soon on a two-way protected bike lane from the Fremont Bridge to Lake Union Park. If all goes according to schedule, the bikeway will open in the summer. Mayor Ed … Continue reading →

A man driving a pickup truck in Everett struck and killed a man biking Thursday evening around 6:30 p.m. The identity of the man killed has not yet been released. Our deepest condolences to his friends and family. Few details … Continue reading →

Seattle’s plan to turn one of its worst intersections into one of its best just keeps getting better. With the misleadingly-boring name “Accessible Mount Baker,” the project would simultaneously revolutionize non-motorized transportation in the whole Rainier Valley, prevent dozens of … Continue reading →

It’s a world (online) premiere! Seattle Bike Blog is happy to host the online release of Microcosm Publishing’s Groundswell #7: Gentrification Response Team. For years, Elly Blue and Joe Biel over at Microcosm Publishing have been touring the country visiting … Continue reading →

Construction on the Westlake Bikeway and parking circulation improvements is about to begin. You can learn more about construction activities at an information session 4 – 7 p.m. Thursday (tomorrow) in the Commons Room of the AGC Building. Meanwhile, there … Continue reading →