30 Days of Biking September 2015: Are You In?

By Barb Chamberlain | Published September 1, 2015
Kidical Mass ride in Wenatchee. Kidical Massive worldwide is Sept. 19 -- another great excuse to roll.

Kidical Mass ride in Wenatchee. Kidical Massive worldwide is Sept. 19 — another great excuse to roll.

We’ve egged you on for 30 Days of Biking before in April 2014 and 2015. This informal challenge has one point: Riding your bike every day. Its creators aren’t doing anything official to promote it for September, although they have in the past. We’re just picking up on the suggestion via Twitter that we push it out there to see what happens.

Riding every day in September in Washington is going to present more challenges in some parts of the state than in others. We have hundreds of thousands of acres burned and burning. People have lost homes, businesses, pets, and loved ones. Western Washington went from abnormal heat to wet and windy pretty much overnight.

So why bother?

Five reasons:

  1. The National Bike Challenge, which started in April, runs through September. This is the last month to get some miles in and make them count in that setting.
  2. The annual statewide bike/pedestrian count takes place Sept. 29 – Oct. 1 so you’ll be warming up all month for the riding days when volunteers around the state are collecting data that helps in our state policy work and the efforts of local advocates.
  3. Coffeeneuring is coming. Another fun, informal, just-because challenge, this year it’s Oct. 3 – Nov. 21. We’ll again encourage you to explore by bike to consume 7 cups in 7 weeks (any seasonally suitable beverage, not just coffee) as we did in 2014. You know you loved it; the participation showed on Twitter. Think of 30 Days of Biking as your training rides for those arduous coffee-shop expeditions.
  4. It keeps you going past the “easy” months, when the weather typically rewards getting outside, and into the tougher shoulder months. As one recent research study showed, people who choose to bike or walk for their commute are significantly more emotionally committed to their transportation choices than are people who drive or take transit.
  5. You’re up for it! When we promoted it in April we saw plenty of participation on Twitter and on Instagram.
Recycle Shop weekly ride in Ellensburg.

Recycle Shop weekly ride in Ellensburg.

Every ride, no matter how short, counts. If you have to ride your bike around the block in the dark after you get home late on a day that for some reason didn’t include riding, you do it just to check the box. Trainer time counts too; it’s about turning the wheels. The many bike clubs around Washington state organize rides that can give you some company; check them out even if you’ve never ridden with a group.

Bonus Reason #6: Prizes and Stuff

Pledge to ride and then tell us how you’re doing via comments here, on our Facebook page, or on Twitter, Instagram and Vine with the tag #30daysofbiking and #WAbikes. On Twitter include @WAbikes in your tweet. Share a link here if you write about this on your own blog, or consider writing a guest post for us about your experience.

When you talk about it we’ll enter you in a drawing. Your prize could be a WA Bikes coffee mug, snazzy made-in-Yakima 100% recycled aluminum water bottle, coaster that says “I Bike WA,” or something else. Just remember to tag us.

And while you’re at it, remember to #WavebackWA. In addition to being the most Bicycle Friendly State, let’s make it the Friendliest Bike State.

Sign up with us and we’ll also send you some snazzy “I Arrived by Bike” business cards that you can leave behind when you make a stop along the way. 

[Tweet “I’m riding #30DaysofBiking in September. Join me! #WAbikes”]

BikesMeanBusiness_backlogo7

When you sign up you can also request our pocket guide to Washington state bike laws, our “Drive Aware” brochure (great to share with a non-bicycling friend or co-worker), and our “Go By Bike” tips on bike commuting.

Sign Up to Get Awesome “Bikes Mean Business” Cards and More

Put #30DaysofBiking in the comment form on the field to be entered in the prize drawing.

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[Tweet “Get your I Arrived by Bike cards & spread the word while you ride #30DaysofBiking. #bikesmeanbusiness”]

Your Turn:

  • What’s your usual response to this kind of “can you do it?” bike challenge?
  • What would keep you from completing the challenge?
  • What can you do to overcome those issues? If you post them here we can all help you work through them.
  • Have you done this before? What was your experience?
  • Do you keep a #BikeIt list of things you want to accomplish?

 

Posted in Attitudes, Events, News | Comments Off on 30 Days of Biking September 2015: Are You In?

Walk a Block on My Crutches

By Louise McGrody | Published September 1, 2015

crutchesWhile you were taking advantage of this record setting summer to enjoy bicycling, I’ve been sidelined by a broken ankle. Instead, I have spent the past six weeks navigating my West Seattle neighborhood and the streets surrounding my workplace in Pioneer Square on a pair of crutches. It’s given me a new appreciation for the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and a more critical eye on how we design our public spaces.

The ADA prohibits discrimination and ensures equal opportunity for people with disabilities in employment, government services, public accommodations, commercial facilities, and transportation. It’s because of the ADA, that many (but not all) of our street corners have curb ramps, elevators and ramps are installed in our public facilities, and much more.

My neighborhood is a walkable one and I live within five blocks of grocery stores, banks, pharmacies, a hardware store, numerous restaurants and coffee shops, the farmers market, and the transit center. I can walk to almost any service in about five minutes—until I broke my ankle. Crutching to my neighborhood destinations now takes more time and energy in order to rest my shoulders and arms, or take the least hilliest route.

Before I broke my ankle, I could bike to work in just under 30 minutes. These days, my commute involves a three-block crutch to the transit center, two bus rides, and a three-block crutch to the office. This takes me about an hour.

However, I can still make my way around thanks to the changes in the physical environment that have occurred as a result of the ADA. With some planning and prioritization, I still manage to accomplish much of what I need to do.

I’d like to share a few random observations about life on crutches:

kneeling busCrutching effectively leaves you without the use of your hands. I learned to put drinks in lidded containers with handles so I could transport them. I got into the habit of wearing clothes with pockets so I could easily carry small things with me. I don’t leave the house without a backpack.

Opening heavy doors are a challenge. Without full use of my arms, I often have to open a door in stages using my crutch to keep to keep a hinged door open while I slip in or out. Automatic doors are my friends!

Kneeling transit buses rock. All transit buses should be designed this way. These are the buses that have no steps and can be lowered close to the curb to make it easier to enter and exit. Be sure to enter and exit from the front door so the driver sees you.

Stairs suck. Although I can negotiate a short flight of stairs on crutches, I feel vulnerable and awkward. And steps will stop you cold in a wheelchair.

My final take away is this: Accessible environments are people-friendly environments.

Skateboarder-curb cutWhat cyclist hasn’t used an ADA curb cut to cross a street intersection? Those trail and sidewalk ramps make crossing streets easier for parents with strollers, delivery people, kids on skateboards, and people on crutches and in wheelchairs. Those kneeling buses make boarding and exiting easier for moms with strollers, shoppers with carts, folks with wheeled luggage, and me on my crutches.

Who uses those ADA accessible elevators at the LINK light rail station? It’s bike commuters, travelers carrying luggage and packages, parents with strollers, the elderly, as well as the wheelchair user. We all benefit from accessible public space.

Posted in Accessibility | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Tacoma Sunday Parkways: Downtown to Defiance 2015

By Guest Blogger | Published August 31, 2015

Metro Parks Downtown to Defiance Bike/Run. Photos by Russ Carmack

This post comes to us from Lowell Wyse, Sustainability Intern for the City of Tacoma.

Bicyclists know the empowering feeling of “taking the lane,” asserting their legal rightto ride on a street where motor vehicles normally reign supreme. Next month in Tacoma, that feeling will be widely available to everyone—for four glorious hours!—as people flock to Tacoma for the Sunday Parkways event known as Downtown t0Defiance.

On Sunday, September 13 from 9am – 1pm, the City of Tacoma and Metro Parks will host this 3rd-annual Open Streets event, opening up almost seven miles of roadways to all forms of human-powered transportation. The course runs along the Foss Waterway and Commencement Bay waterfront areas, from south downtown near the Tacoma Dome to the end of the Ruston Way and the Waterwalk near Point Defiance Park. There will be additional activities in five parks along the route, including lawn croquet, an obstacle course, a skateboard park, and food trucks. The event is free to all members of the public, and the first 500 people to register at DowntowntoDefiance.com will be entered to win a $100 gift certificate to a local business.

Why you should go:

  1. The scenery on the route is crazy beautiful. Seals (and sometimes orcas) frolic just offshore. The view of Mount Rainier from sea level is insane. Point Defiance Park, just beyond the official course, is an urban old-growth forest with 5 miles of paved roadway and great views of the Sound. It’s all gorgeous, even when it rains.
  2. The event is geared toward all ages and abilities. This is a festive event that brings all kinds of people out into the streets, with people on feet, bikes, scooters, unicycles, wheelchairs, skateboards— any  human-powered mode you can imagine! Participants are invited to join the course at any point along the route. You can jump in and out at your favorite spot, bike the full round-trip route, or just keep on going. An extended ride could take you around the 5-Mile Drive at Point Defiance, over the Tacoma Narrows Bridge or on the ferry over to Vashon Island. You’ve got options!      
  3. You can get there with transit. The downtown starting point is only blocks away from the Tacoma Dome Station transit center, with express buses arriving from Olympia, Seattle (downtown and U-District), and places in between. The “Defiance” end of the course is accessible via the Vashon Island ferries. More information about the transportation options is available atSound Transit, Pierce Transit, Downtown Tacoma Bike map (pdf), Pierce County Bike map, and Washington State Ferries.
  4. Open Streets events raise public awareness of and enthusiasm for bicycling.We should support them! (If you can’t attend, you can always make a donation.) This is the only event of its kind in the South Sound region. Tacoma has an increasingly active bicycle culture including Kidical Mass and Velofemmes, an awesome Bike Swap, and a mayor who declared 2015 “The Year of the Bike.” Downtown to Defiance is also a way of leveraging support for a proposed trail along the waterfront, which would increase safety and enjoyment for all users.

To view photos from previous years and find out more information, including how tovolunteer at the event, visit DowntowntoDefiance.com or Tacoma Mobility. We hopeto see you there!

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Sayonara Summer: First Thursday Bike Social

By Louise McGrody | Published August 28, 2015

September 3 is First Thursday Art Walk  in Pioneer Square and we can’t think of a  better way to send off this amazing summer than with a bike social! So join the gathering hosted by your friends at the Nord Building: Washington Bikes, The WAVE Foundation, and Back Alley Bike Repair.

Nuu-Muu-LauraWe’ll have reps on hand from Cycle the WAVE,  Washington Bikes, She Bikes Cascade and Seattle Cycle Sirens woman’s cycle team- with a free onsite drawing for cool door prizes at 6:30pm and 7:30pm.

There will also be on-site specials from Nuu-Muu (fun & flattering exercise dresses), Pocampo (functional & stylish bags) and the Washington Bikes gift shop will be open for your shopping pleasure. Registration discounts will be available to the September 20 Cycle the WAVE ride. Libations at the bar include beer from our great pals at Peddlers Brewing.

Sayonara Summer: First Thursday Bike Social
September 3, 5:30-8:00 pm
Washington Bikes

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Win a Vashon Island Cycling Weekend!

By Louise McGrody | Published August 27, 2015

Vashon Island, a bucolic escape from the pressures of urban life in central Puget Sound, is a quick ferry ride from Seattle and Tacoma. It is known for its quiet beaches, quaint villages, small farms, and miles of low-traffic hilly roads for bicycling. It is also the home of Passport to Pain (P2P) bike ride.

Passport to Pain - Vashon IslandYou have an opportunity to win an epic cycling weekend on Vashon Island. Washington Bikes is raffling off a Vashon Island Cycling Weekend for Two that includes two entries to Passport to Pain on September 12, a two-night stay at the Giraffe Guest Suite, and a gift card to Vashon Coffee Roasterie and Minglement. This package is worth over $400.

P2P is the toughest bike ride in the Puget Sound. This Vashon Island ride on September 12 is filled with epic ups and downs! Riders have three Pain courses to choose from: The Idiot – 80 miles and 10,000 vertical feet of climbing, The Weasel – 50 miles and 6500 feet, and The Weenie – 30 miles and 3400 vertical feet.

Our weekend package makes it worth your effort to ride P2P and enjoy some island hospitality! You and your guest will spend two nights at the Giraffe Guest Suite. Situated on the top floor of Giraffe in the heart of Vashon, the 4-room suite includes a bedroom with King bed, a sitting room, efficient kitchen, and a bathroom. Your package also includes a gift card good at Vashon Island Coffee Roasterie and Minglement.

Not into pain? If your guest (or you!) isn’t into pedaling The Idiot, then Passport to Pleasure is the course to take! Weekend pleasure options include the Vashon Sheep Dog Classic, the Saturday Farmers Market, a visit to Point Robinson Lighthouse, kayaking or paddle boarding the surrounding waters, and more.

Raffle tickets are $5 each and can be purchased using the form below. (We use Paypal to process payments but you do not have to have a Paypal account.) Proceeds support Washington Bikes work to grow bicycling statewide. The raffle will close on September 8 and we will announce the winner on September 9. Passport to Pain is on September 12.

Enter me in the Vashon Island Cycling Weekend raffle!

Posted in News | Tagged , | 1 Comment

A Bicycle Built for Two Billion

By Louise McGrody | Published August 26, 2015

bicycle-two-billionWhen life handed Jamie Bianchini several bowls of lemons, he sought comfort where he always found it—on his bicycle. In April, 2002 Jamie set off on a bicycle ride around the world on a tandem. Riding solo. As he made this incredible journey, Jamie invited strangers to join him on the rear seat of the tandem.

After eight years, 81 countries and over 1000 riding companions, Jamie returned home and put his Peace Pedalers expedition to paper in A Bicycle Built for Two Billion. Now he shares his intercultural adventure through a captivating multimedia slideshow featuring stunning photos, videos, music and stories.

Seattle area cyclists will have an opportunity to meet Jamie and view his presentation at a special event on September 1 at 6:00 pm at Cascade Bicycling Center. His talk is receiving rave reviews around the country, so you don’t want to miss it!

This is a free, family-friendly public event and is presented by Washington Bikes, Cascade Bicycle Club and Ortlieb USA.

Event Schedule:

6:00pm to 7:00pm: Meet-and-greet with a door prize raffle with prizes from Ortlieb and more for all those who arrive before 7:00

7:00pm to 8:00pm: Jamie & Cristina’s multimedia presentation of A Bicycle Built for Two Billion

8:00pm to 8:30pm: Mix, mingle and book signing.  Signed copies of Jamie Bianchini’s newly released book A Bicycle Built for Two Billion will be available

[Tweet “Join @cascadebicycle @WAbikes @OrtliebUSA for tandem travel talk 9/1 w/@peacepedalers”]

Posted in Events, Seattle | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Washington Bikes and Cascade Bicycle Club Announce Merger Discussion

By Barb Chamberlain | Published August 22, 2015

Barb Chamberlain, Executive Director, Washington Bikes, and Elizabeth Kiker, Executive Director, Cascade Bicycle Club, August 2015The boards of directors of the Cascade Bicycle Club and Washington Bikes are discussing a non-binding Letter of Intent to merge the two organizations at the end of 2015. This move would amplify the work of both organizations and power bicycling to a higher level in Washington State, which is already ranked the #1 state in the U.S. for bicycle friendliness. 

Cascade Bicycle Club’s board voted unanimously in favor of signing the joint Letter of Intent last week. The Washington Bikes board is currently discussing the letter and plans to vote next week.

“Washington Bikes is dedicated, in Olympia and across the state, to improving bicycling statewide. It partners with many local advocacy groups and bike clubs across the state,” said Catherine Hennings, board chair of the Cascade Bicycle Club. “This proposed merger would truly yield more than the sum of its parts.”

Bringing the two organizations together would result in a single bicycle education curriculum for students in the Puget Sound region and across the state. The advocacy work of both organizations would be strengthened when unified.

“This could prove to be a big win for people who welcome improved bicycling connections,” said Brian Foley, board chair of Washington Bikes.

Committees from each board are meeting to talk about processes, review ideas for program integration, and plan for the future, with the hope that the process will move toward a formal proposal for vote by each organization’s board later this fall.

“We are considering this merger to continue the great work we’ve each been doing with even better results and successes,” said Barb Chamberlain, executive director of Washington Bikes.

The merger would result in saved overhead costs and more money directly funding current work and new programs, like Cascade’s Major Taylor program and Washington Bikes’ state bike tourism initiative. Washington Bikes’ grassroots successes across the state could be a great partner for Cascade’s statewide tours, events and rides.

“We would be an even stronger force for improving lives through bicycling and growing bicycling statewide together than we are individually,” said Cascade Executive Director Elizabeth Kiker.

Both boards are very interested in hearing from people who ride bikes and from members of Cascade or Washington Bikes. They are using a shared email address for feedback: washingtonbikes@cascadebicycleclub.org.

Posted in Advocacy, Alert, News | Tagged | 2 Comments

Drink Freely With GRAYL

By Louise McGrody | Published August 18, 2015

Grayl-packStaying hydrated is important when you’re on a bike ride. You don’t have to be a mountain biker or an adventure bicycle traveler to care about the water you drink while out on a ride. We want to introduce you to a personal water treatment product that is practical, portable and good for bicycling (more about this later): the GRAYL cup.

GRAYL, a Seattle startup company, makes a line of unique personal water filtration and purification systems.  The patent-pending design works like a French Press to filter toxins from water in seconds.  GRAYL makes water treatment for every occasion, whether that be at the tap or a campground water pump, creek side on a mountain bike trail or gravel grinder, or when facing the rigors of international travel.

The GRAYL cup has interchangeable filters to provide varying levels of protection. TAP removes many chemicals and heavy metals, TRAIL adds protection from bacteria and protozoan cysts, and TRAVEL provides the added from viruses while traveling in developing countries or highly impacted wilderness areas. The TRAIL version will appeal to mountain bikers, gravel grinders, touring cyclists and others who venture into remote outdoor areas because it gives you the option to pull your drinking water from creeks, stock watering troughs and other unfiltered water sources. Visit GRAYL’s FAQ page for more info, including a video on how to use the cup.

The company has had a great ride so far, including winning the first episode of All-American Makers on the Science Channel earlier this year, and one of GeekWire’s “Seattle10” Most Innovative Startups at the end of 2014.

Grayl-bike frameTravis Merrigan, COO & co-founder of GRAYL, has been riding bikes for 15 years in several large US cities. He commutes via bike almost daily across Seattle from his Columbia City home to GRAYL’s Phinney Ridge office. His wife also rides – they rode the 2014 Seattle-to-Portland on a tandem while his wife was 4 months pregnant!

Travis says, “I love to take my GRAYL on mountain bike or urban adventure rides. I can ride for hours, filtering water from trailside streams or lawn sprinklers (try it sometime, ha!). Seattle is a wonderful city to bike – don’t fear the hills!”

GRAYL Gives to Bikes

Did you read our blog post Bikepacking the John Wayne Trail? Author and cyclist Sara Callan used a GRAYL cup on her tour and recommends the product. In a testimonial Sara said:

“We took the GRAYL on our yearly 4-day bike trip, and we were so glad that we did. The west end of the John Wayne Trail is dotted with a handful of backcountry camp sites, but no running water anywhere. Lucky for us we had plenty of mountain creeks and the GRAYL! It turned out to be our one source of clean water to keep us going through our tour. Cheers to GRAYL!”

Now you have an opportunity to purchase your own GRAYL cup and help grow bicycling in Washington state.  For each online GRAYL purchase by a Washington Bikes supporter, GRAYL will donate 5% of the purchase price to us to support our mission. Be sure to enter the promo code WABIKES when you place your order.

Posted in Gear/Maintenance | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Ride to Gigantic Bicycle Festival With Team WA Bikes

By Louise McGrody | Published August 17, 2015

anteater_and_bicycleLooking for something bikey and musical to do this weekend? Pedal out to the community of Snoqualmie for the Gigantic Bicycle Festival!

Gigantic Bicycle Festival is a Pacific Northwest summer celebration of bicycle culture. The two-day festival combines live music, visual and performance art, film, hand-built bicycles, speakers, and an event ride to the festival on August 22.

Register as a team rider for Washington Bikes and Gigantic will waive the late fee and donate 15% of your ride registration to Washington Bikes.

You have two scenic road routes to choose from: a century or the 77-mile ride. Rides depart from Seattle’s Magnuson Park between 6:30 and 7:30 am. Your registration includes admission to the festival. Use this link to sign up for the ride as a member for Team WA Bikes. Learn more about Gigantic Bicycle Festival here.

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Bikes Count! Volunteers Needed for Annual Bicycle and Pedestrian Count

By Louise McGrody | Published August 15, 2015

Data is important in the transportation world and there is a significant lack of documentation regarding bicycle use. This is why WSDOT’s annual bicycle and pedestrian count is important.

Cyclists offload at Colman Dock Ferry Terminal.

Cyclists offload at Colman Dock Ferry Terminal.

WSDOT is preparing for its eighth annual survey September 29 through October 1. The state agency and Cascade Bicycle Club are enlisting volunteers and organizations like Feet First and Washington Bikes to help count the number of people bicycling and walking on paths, bike lanes, sidewalks, and other facilities. Counts will be taken in a least 38 cities throughout the state.

“Counting bicyclists and pedestrians helps us more accurately measure demand, gauge the results of our investments and plan for future improvement projects,” said Secretary of Transportation Lynn Peterson. “We couldn’t document the number of people walking and biking without the help of many volunteers from across the state.”

Get involved

Those interested in helping can learn more by visiting WSDOT’s survey website, or by contacting Cascade Bicycle Club at cpa@cascadebicycleclub.org or calling 206-861-9890.

WSDOT and the Cascade Bicycle Club are asking volunteers from across the state to perform the counts in participating cities including: Bainbridge Island, Bellevue, Bellingham, Bothell, Bremerton, Burien, Ellensburg, Everett, Federal Way, Issaquah, Kelso, Kent, Kirkland, Lake Forest Park, Lakewood, Longview, Mercer Island, Milton, Mountlake Terrace, Oak Harbor, Olympia, Orting, Parkland, Puyallup, Redmond, Renton, Richland, Seattle, Shoreline, Spokane Valley, Spokane, Tacoma, Tukwila, University Place, Vancouver, Vashon Island, Walla Walla, Wenatchee and Yakima.

WSDOT’s count is part of the National Documentation Project, an annual bicycle and pedestrian count and survey effort that is sponsored by the Institute of Transportation Engineers Pedestrian and Bicycle Council. The count will also help measure WSDOT’s progress toward the goal of increasing bicycling and walking while reducing the number of vehicle miles driven.

Permanent Bicycle Data Collection

Washington Bikes has partnered with WSDOT on a project to install approximately 50 permanent bike counters statewide. Safe connections for biking can’t come fast enough. The bike counter network, combined with the annual survey information, will help provide important data to improve safety and to make data-driven decisions about smart investments.

Posted in Advocacy, Funding/Policy, Research | Tagged , | 2 Comments