They may well be popular in Ballard, too, but at a recent greenways open house, “several” of the 100 audience members were upset about the plan, reported MyBallard. Sample comment: “Neither SDOT, McGinn, nor the bicycle mafia could care less what the community thinks. They are hell bent on ruining the city for drivers, and will stop at nothing to do it.” Continue reading Uff Da! Ballard Defies Trend Toward Cycling on Safer Streets
The official opening of the Wallingford Greenway, Seattle’s first, is this Saturday, June 16, at 5 p.m. The City Council’s Sally Bagshaw, a big greenways booster; SDOT Director Peter Hahn; and friends of Seattle Neighborhood Greenways will be there for a ribbon-cutting ceremony (at North 44th Street at Corliss) allowing Kidical Mass—pretty much what it sounds like—to pass through. Continue reading Wallingford’s Greenway Gets a Grand Opening This Saturday
Following Saturday’s “Moving Planet Seattle” rally, a group of nearly a hundred cyclists rode through South Lake Union and up to the University District, past the memorials commemorating the recent deaths of three Seattle-area cyclists.
You were supposed to show up at the Moving Planet Seattle rally in some colorful form of non-automotive transportation. Bicycles were the most popular choice: Several hundred bikes were in Lake Union Park when I arrived. Continue reading Seattle Cyclists Hold Memorial Ride for the Fallen
It changes the whole personality of the street when it’s safe enough for kids to bike on. And it’s quick and easy, relative to other transportation solutions. On Thursday, September 22, you can get the details from Mark Lear and Greg Raisman, who are visiting the University of Washington (Savery Hall 264, 7 p.m.) for a talk about Portland’s Neighborhood Greenways program. Continue reading Portland Has a Greenway They’d Like to Sell Seattle
Still, to answer Westneat’s question about the bitterness, read Tom Fucoloro on how much fun it is to ride a bike. I think Fucoloro’s attitude is spot on–he highlights the individual pleasures (and sense of accomplishment) that making this decision brings, and leaves the social benefits to the side. Very few people ride a bike, really, primarily to fight traffic congestion. They ride because it makes sense to them, because it’s faster and more convenient, because it’s fun, because they’ve figured out a safe way to commute, because they like the exercise, because their friends ride…and on and on. Continue reading The Real Meaning of Bike to Work Day
Now, certainly, biking is a more popular choice for anyone on a budget. Sightline’s Eric de Place says, “the biggest share of bicyclists isn’t yuppies, it’s low income people. In fact, the lowest-earning quarter of Americans make nearly one-third of all bike trips.”
But he emphasizes that bicycling is “remarkably evenly distributed” among the other three quarters. Said another way, the poorer half of the U.S. makes 52 percent of all bike trips, while the richer half make 48 percent. Continue reading Cycling as a Uniter, Not a Divider
