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Seattle Bike Blog

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Updated 2026-03-19 07:00
Veo ‘temporarily pauses’ Seattle service, pledges to relaunch with refreshed e-bikes
Veo paused Seattle service as of March 1, but the company says they will return in several weeks" with refreshed e-bikes and revamped operations. With the demise of SuperPedestrian and their LINK scooter service as well as the ongoing bankruptcy of Bird, Lime has been eagerly gobbling up market share in Seattle. Veo, meanwhile, is [...]
Seattle’s plan for the next decade of safe streets work
Mayor Bruce Harrell released his recommended version of the Seattle Transportation Plan (STP") last week, and it is a massive document that attempts to combine nearly all of the city's various transportation plans into one. This megaplan will be used to guide the development of the next transportation levy as well as guiding decisions about [...]
Widow asks Seattle and King County to take action against person who killed Steve Hulsman
Rita Hulsman's husband Steve was killed December 21 when a man allegedly driving with a suspended license turned left in front of him while he was biking on Marine View Drive SW at 46th Ave SW. Now, in addition to mourning her loss, Rita is also dismayed and deeply saddened" that King County Prosecutors are [...]
Seattle area ‘e-bike rescue’ company will help you get your bike to a shop whether planned or not
Whether you are broken down on the side of the road or just need to get your bike to the shop for a tune-up, Speedy's will have an electric van ready to head your way and transport your ride to your preferred bike shop. (Full disclosure: Speedy's advertises on Seattle Bike Blog, but this post [...]
After 39 years, Mt Rainier National Park shuts out iconic RAMROD bike event
It's one of the most difficult and beautiful one-day bike rides you'll find anywhere on earth, and hundreds of people have been taking on the challenge every summer (except 2020) since 1984. The Ride Around Mount Rainier in One Day (RAMROD") is 150 miles long and includes 10,000 feet of climbing, but that grueling physical [...]
Biking and walking access will be maintained during E Marginal Way construction
Construction crews are preparing to begin work on a major, multi-year rebuild of E Marginal Way S as soon as March 11, according to SDOT. The project includes building an entirely new roadbed built to withstand heavy truck traffic as well as new protected bike lanes. Work is not expected to be complete until 2026. [...]
Watch: Best Side Cycling captures what it’s like to ride Chilly Hilly
In what may be his best ride video yet, Hanoch Yeung of Best Side Cycling took a slew of video equipment, including a fly-along drone, to capture what it's like to ride Cascade Bicycle Club's longest-running annual ride: Chilly Hilly. The winter-time ride is renown and even celebrated for its unpredictable weather, and while turnout [...]
Georgetown to downtown bike route fully designed, construction could start in summer
A project to finally connect across one of the worst bike network gaps in Seattle should begin construction in the summer. The Georgetown to Downtown Safety Project will build missing bike lane sections to the north and south of the SoDo Trail, connecting the International District to Georgetown. The plans are final, and the city [...]
SDOT completes design for North Beacon Hill bike lanes, construction should begin in summer
A project to build 1.5 miles of protected bike lanes from the Jose Rizal Bridge to Jefferson Park on Beacon Hill should begin construction this summer, SDOT announced. The department completed design for the project following years of public outreach and is preparing to advertise it to hire a contractor. The project will finally add [...]
Investigation fully rejects all ethics allegations against Bike Bellevue staffer
Not only did the City of Bellevue's investigation find no ethics violations, but their full report (PDF) shows that the work of Mobility Planning and Solutions Manager Franz Loewenherz and the outreach process for Bike Bellevue were remarkably squeaky clean and professional. Ryan Packer at The Urbanist received the report after making a public records [...]
Group biking northeast of Fall City fights off attacking cougar, one person hospitalized
A cougar attacked a group of five people biking on a private trail northeast of Fall City shortly after noon Saturday. The group fought the wild cat, eventually using a bicycle to pin down the young 75-pound male until help could arrive, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW"). The people on [...]
Seattle Times writes about moving by bike featuring Seattle Bike Blog
If you can make it happen, moving by bike is the best way to move. We did it back in 2017 when we moved from the Central District to the U District/Wallingford, and it turned a very tedious task into a fun day full of smiling bike riders and bewildered on-lookers. And the most surprising [...]
Back Alley Bike Repair will close at the end of March + A letter from owner Ben Rainbow
Born from the ashes of the of old Bike Port, Back Alley Bike Repair opened on this day, Valentine's Day, in 2012. It was one of three bike shops that opened that week. Since then, Back Alley Bike Repairs small but unique shop in the middle of a Pioneer Square alleyway has been a vital [...]
Urbanist: Bike Bellevue effort paused due to ethics complaint involving Seattle Bike Blog? – UPDATED
There I was, fresh coffee in hand, reading through my morning news when I saw my own site mentioned in a story by Ryan Packer at The Urbanist regarding an ethics complaint against the City of Bellevue's friendly and hard-working Mobility Planning and Solutions Manager Franz Loewenherz. Surely this must be some kind of mistake, [...]
Outside: Journalist tries biking through a Seattle winter, loves it
Taylor McKenzie Gerlach set a goal for herself: For the darkest month of the year, she would bike every trip that was 30 minutes or less. She was new to bike commuting during a Seattle winter, but she found inspiration and help from middle school science teacher Jessica Levine. Levine was featured in an excellent [...]
Watch: New Transportation Committee gets intro from SDOT, CM Kettle puts foot in mouth
Seattle's new City Council held its first Transportation Committee meeting Tuesday, and every member in attendance was a new Councilmember. The only returning Transportation Committee member is Dan Strauss (D6), but he was excused Tuesday because he was in Olympia on city business. Chair Rob Saka (D1), vice-chair Joy Hollingsworth (D3), and members Bob Kettle(D7) [...]
Big takeaway from the Seattle Bike Swap: Now is the time to buy a bike
After years of major supply issues and high demand pushing the price of bikes out of reach for many people, prices have come crashing back down. This trend has been going on for much of the past year, which is one reason why so many bike shops in town are having a tough time or [...]
Crews reopen the 520 Bridge Trail
After being closed for two weeks for construction, the 520 Bridge Trail reopened on schedule Friday. The trail still has some temporary pavement and fencing, and there is still work to do before the walk/bike overpass is complete. But after many years of construction, the end is in sight. WSDOT's 520 project website still lists [...]
The Seattle Bike Swap and E-Bike Expo is Saturday
Cascade Bicycle Club's annual Seattle Bike Swap is Saturday (February 3) at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall. The flea market is a treasure trove of bike stuff from local bike business and DIY bike geeks. You can find rare and odd stuff as well as deals on used bikes and parts. Doors open for general [...]
Mayor, Sen. Murray celebrate full funding for RapidRide J and Eastlake bike lanes
If there were any concerns that a controversial push to kill the planned protected bike lanes on Eastlake Ave might succeed, Senator Patty Murray and Mayor Bruce Harrell just put that idea to bed for good. When we're done here, we will new and upgraded stations, miles of new transit-only lanes, as well as new [...]
Watch: New Overlake Village bike/walk bridge over SR 520 opens
A bike/walk bridge connecting the 520 Trail to Sound Transit's upcoming Overlake Village Station is now open. Hanoch at Best Side Cycling filmed a bike tour of the bridge, including its interesting forest illusion artwork by Leo Saul Berk. The $10.4 million bridge connects directly to the 520 Trail on its northwest end, and a [...]
Alert 1/25–April: Section of trail near east end of Spokane Street Bridge closed + Ideas for making the crosswalks safer
SDOT has closed a section of trail near the east end of the Spokane Street Bridge, effectively closing the trail loop under the bridge and forcing all trail users to use the crosswalks and sidewalks at the intersection of SW Spokane St and 11th Ave SW. The trail will be closed until sometime in April [...]
SDOT installs its latest ‘even better bike lane’ barrier on Dearborn Street
A couple blocks of the S Dearborn Street bike lane now has a knee-high concrete curb separating it from the four lanes of general purpose traffic between Rainier Ave S and 10th Ave S. The Toronto" barriers are shorter than highway-style Jersey barriers but significantly taller than a standard curb. They are fabricated in advance [...]
Police: Person who killed Steve Hulsman was driving with a suspended license
The person who struck and killed Steve Hulsman December 21 was driving with a suspended license and without a court-mandated ignition interlock device, according to the police report. Seattle Bike Blog is not naming the suspect because the 53-year-old has not been charged at this time. Hulsman, 66, was a husband, father and grandfather who [...]
New Transportation Chair Rob Saka: Street safety is ‘a responsibility I am not taking lightly’
Rob Saka has an enormous task ahead of him in his first year as a City Councilmember. In addition to the usual challenges, like hiring a legislative team and getting everyone up to speed on how work gets done inside City Hall, he will also chair the Transportation Committee during what will likely be the [...]
Alert 1/19-2/2: 520 Bridge Trail will be closed for two weeks
The trail across the 520 Bridge will be fully closed for two weeks starting January 19 as crews work move the walking and biking route in Montlake into its permanent alignment and install an overhead sign. The closure begins alongside a weekend of major work that will also close Montlake and Lake Washington Boulevards to [...]
G&O Family Cyclery is closing after ten years
In a devastating and unexpected announcement Friday, G&O Family Cyclery sent a message to customers that the shop is permanently closing. They will be totally closed until January 17, then they will reopen to sell off remaining stock. They are also working to complete existing orders, but are no longer taking service appointments. This news [...]
Seattle’s mixed history building neighborhood greenways
Neighborhood greenways have a hit and miss history in Seattle. Sometimes they create fantastic all ages and abilities walking and biking connections, and sometimes they are so heavily compromised that they do very little. So as Seattle prepares to create a new transportation plan and craft a new transportation funding measure, we should probably get [...]
What does Seattle’s new City Council mean for safe streets?
Seattle has a very new City Council, and the changes aren't even complete yet. Five coucilmembers are new, and a sixth interim councilmember will be appointed soon. For a nine-person governing body, that's a lot of turnover all at once. Washington Bikes asked all the candidates for their stances on various bike issues, and none [...]
Fremont Bridge bike trips were nearly back to pre-pandemic levels in 2023
Travel patterns are still out of whack, but the number of bike trips across the Fremont Bridge in 2023 were up more than 13% over 2022, which was itself up more than 11% over 2021. Altogether, the number of people biking across the Ship Canal has almost returned to pre-pandemic levels, with 902,926 counted in [...]
2023 Seattle bike and scooter share rides reach record 5.1 million rides as Lime consolidates its lead
Bike and scooter share services are more popular than ever in Seattle, and the number of rides in 2023 eclipsed even the wild days of $1 bikes back in 2017 and 2018. According to SDOT data based on real-time reporting from all permitted companies, people took 5.1 million trips on shared scooters and bikes in [...]
Watch: Bob Svercl highlights 5 good and 5 bad things in 2023 Seattle biking
I would like to add a 6th good thing about biking in Seattle in 2023: Bob Svercl.
Man killed while biking in West Seattle identified as Steven Hulsman
Steven Hulsman was biking a hilly route he has ridden countless times when someone driving collided with him and killed him Thursday evening. He was 66. Our condolences to his friends and family. Hulsman was a husband, father and grandfather. He loved riding hills like this one, friends say, and he was scheduled to lead [...]
Last-minute gift idea: A signed copy of Biking Uphill in the Rain with free local pickup
Didn't order your copy of Biking Uphill in the Rain soon enough to arrive by Christmas? No problem! You can order one from our online shop and select Local pickup in U District/Wallingford" option during checkout. You can pick it up from my front porch any time. Also, local pickup is free. Each copy sold [...]
Alaskan Way bikeway will be wider, better protected in latest design update – UPDATED
The design for the Alaskan Way bike lane has reached the 90% milestone, and the latest version is wider and better protected. As before, the bike lane is still on the waterfront side of the street to connect the Elliott Bay Trail in Myrtle Edwards Park to the in-construction bikeway that is part of the [...]
Seattle now must repair/build sidewalks when undertaking major street projects
SDOT should no longer be able to make a significant road repair project without ensuring that at least one side of the street has a sidewalk and completing any necessary repairs. The City Council approved a new ordinancelast week that will make sure SDOT no longer makes large street investments that ignore the adjacent sidewalks. [...]
SDOT: Weekday biking up 144% after Duwamish Trail connection, freight travel times increased less than 1 second
The Freight Advisory Board fought hard against SDOT's plan to connect the Duwamish Trail to the Alki Trail and Spokane Street Swing Bridge, a connection sorely needed since many sections of the trail opened in the early 1990s. But after Mayor Jenny Durkan delayed the project, safe streets advocates kept pushing. Mayor Bruce Harrell and [...]
Being a transit geek in NYC
I am writing this post from a subway train in New York City. Did you know it is possible to have more than one subway line? Wild! And when they connect to each other, you can take trains to a lot more places. Seattle should really give this a try. I'm here for fun and [...]
Mello Fellos bike shop is opening a store in the former Velo space Saturday
Here's some great local bike shop news: Mello Fellos (formerly known as Mobile Bike Repair) is opening a location in the Belltown/Denny Triangle space formerly home to Velo. Mello Fellos/MBR has been operating out of a much smaller space near 9th and Stewart since 2012 while also hosting mobile repair services for bike commuters at [...]
Alert 12/8–11: 520 Bridge Trail closed again + Montlake Blvd. detour – UPDATE: Cancelled!
UPDATE: WSDOT announced this morning that the trail work has been cancelled. So the bridge trail will be open this weekend, though sections may be skinnier than usual. The 520 Bridge Trail will be closed again this weekend, and this time stretches of Montlake Blvd. and Lake Washington Blvd. will be closed as well along [...]
Buy a signed copy of my book and some cool stickers from our brand new shop
For the first time ever, Seattle Bike Blog has a merch shop! This all started when I decided I should figure out a way to sell copies of my book Biking Uphill in the Rain directly, and then that project spiraled out of control and turned into the Seattle Bike Blog Shop. Once I realized [...]
Alert: Slide blocking Burke-Gilman Trail in Lake City
UPDATE: The trail reopened Wednesday. The atmospheric river inundating Seattle has triggered a small landslide along a slide-prone section of the Burke-Gilman Trail in Lake City between Lakeside Place NE and NE 112th Street. Seattle Parks says they hope to clear the trail by 4:30 p.m. The (hopefully) good news is that this section of [...]
Watch: Best Side Cycling rides the new Eastrail connector to Northup Way
With the opening of the trail connector between the Eastrail and Northup Way, the in-development rail-trail now connects directly to the 520 bike route. And Hanoch Yeung was there to document the opening and ride the short new trail on his YouTube Channel Best Side Cycling. This short elevated pathway will play a vital role [...]
Alert 12/1-3: 520 Bridge Trail is closed this weekend
The 520 Bridge is completely closed this weekend, and this time the closure includes the trail. Crews will close the bridge starting at 11 p.m. tonight (Dec. 1) and will reopen it 5 a.m. Monday (Dec. 4). The map shows that the trail will be open on the Eastside up to 92nd Ave NE. The [...]
SDOT is nearing final design for the Georgetown to Downtown bike route
The design for the Georgetown to Downtown Safety Project, which will build a long-awaited and sorely needed bike connection, is nearing completion. The biggest changes are that the route will now access the SoDo Trail via S Lander Street rather than S Forest Street, which the SoDo Business Improvement Area requested. They have also revealed [...]
Alert 11/27-12/8: Burke-Gilman Trail closed for repairs near Matthews Beach – UPDATED
UPDATE 12/1: Reader Chris says the trail is temporarily open again, and the signs now say that the detour will return 12/4-8. The Fix the Burke-Gilman Facebook page (definitely worth following to stay up to date on these closures) posted an update from the project team: They moved some of the detour signs around and [...]
SDOT releases early design for Leary/Market bikeway, seeks feedback
The day before Thanksgiving, SDOT released a first look at their design concept for a Ballard Missing Link bike route alternative following 17th Ave NW, Leary Way and Market Street. The plan includes a 10-foot-wide multi-use trail" on one side of the street as well as significant traffic calming and safety upgrades to Leary Way [...]
48-year-old killed while biking in Kent
A 48-year-old man was killed today in a collision with a 24-year-old driving southbound on Central Avenue South, according to the Kent Police Department. Our condolences to his friends and family. The collision occurred shortly after 12:30 p.m., and the initial information from the police says the person driving stopped, did not show signs of [...]
Council passes budget with Mt. Baker, S Henderson safety projects + more
For a budget cycle with tough revenue projections, the City Council still added some excellent street safety projects and mostly protected safety efforts from cuts. The Council passed the 2024-25 budget Tuesday after weeks of hearings and debates. Highlights include $1.4 million to transform the Mt. Baker station area into a safer and comfortable place [...]
Watch: Best Side Cycling rides Cranksgiving
Hanoch Yeung rode Cranksgiving for his first time and documented the whole thing. As the organizer, I have never actually ridden Cranksgiving myself. So I loved getting a glimpse of what it's like. Check it out. And be sure to subscribe to Best Side Cycling on YouTube.
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