Seattle Bike Blog

With the City Council debating whether to buy out the 54-station Pronto Cycle Share system already in need of a buyout, the main question on people’s minds is: How do we know it will be successful going forward and worth … Continue reading →

As of Friday, Lynn Peterson is no longer our state’s Secretary of Transportation. And that’s Washington State’s loss. Peterson came on board with our state’s biggest highway megaprojects already in trouble. And on top of those challenges — including a … Continue reading →

Apologies for the late notice, but Redmond is hosting an open house tonight (Monday) to get feedback on the city’s Bicycle Strategic Plan. Feedback at the meeting will help “generate at least 2 different investment scenarios,” according to the meeting … Continue reading →

It’s time for the Bike News Roundup! Here’s a taste of some of the stuff floating around the web that caught our eye. First up, this Gainesville Police officer responded to a complaint of teens playing basketball in the street … Continue reading →

The hard deadline to save Pronto is March 30. With more than 30,000 people taking 144,000 trips in the first year of operations, supporters and City Councilmembers are scratching their heads trying to figure out how Pronto got into such … Continue reading →

A person driving a white Subaru wagon (Legacy or Outback) took a wide, fast turn into a Kirkland parking lot and stuck John Sullivan who was riding his bike the morning of January 22. But that was just the beginning. … Continue reading →

Another Seattle bike trail plan has run into delays from the environmental review process, this time a mountain biking and hiking trail. After years of community outreach, heated debates and evolving designs, the Cheasty Trails and Bike Park cleared vital … Continue reading →

Story updated with comments from SDOT Chief of Active Transportation Nicole Freedman. The city is just about ready to take over, rework and expand Pronto Cycle Share. Think of it as Pronto 2.0. According to the new plan, 2016 will … Continue reading →

The annual Bike Works Warehouse sale is Sunday (as advertised on this site). This sale is your chance to score great and unique deals while supporting Bike Works’ amazing community and youth programming. Have you been thinking about taking up … Continue reading →

Cities are incubators of art, and art influences cities. In the best cases, they are one and the same. This isn’t exactly news, but it’s an interesting lens for experiencing art. How does an urban space influence a creation? And … Continue reading →

While Mayor Ed Murray was giving a speech on the homelessness emergency in Seattle, five people were shot and two killed at a notorious camping area where Beacon Hill and I-5 meet. Though information is still scarce, the mass shooting … Continue reading →

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 →