Two County Double Metric Century: Ride Thurston and Lewis Counties June 28

By Guest Blogger | Published March 25, 2015

Guest blogger Stephanie Randolph is a member of the Capital Bicycling Club.

2CountySimpleBannerIf you’ve ridden the Two County Double Metric before, you’re bound to enjoy some improvements in 2015. This is Capital Bicycling Club’s 33rd year hosting the Two County, and the ride has exciting updates to the routes and new finish-line entertainment and food to make the ride even better. Register discount available through June 21.

The Two County is starting again from the Tumwater City Hall, after a great experience there in 2014. It’s a beautiful spot with lots of free parking and low traffic on the weekend. Many people say they enjoy the roads on the Two County, so the well-marked and fully-supported routes will once again take you through the most scenic and friendly roads in Thurston and Lewis counties.

Club president Bill Stevenson has added a 50-mile loop and revised the two longest loops, so you can explore a little more of Independence Valley and beyond. And of course, the new routes includes some great climbs and descents. All routes are posted online.

The event planning team asked riders what they’d change about the ride, and the response was an almost unanimous request for a celebration and more good food at the finish line. You can join your friends at the finish line for food from your choice of several food trucks, listen to live music, and even get a massage from one of the trained massage therapists at the festival.

Ride the Two County to kick off your summer riding, or as final training before STP. You can expect friendly, helpful people and great food at every stop and along the way.

About the Capital Bicycling Club: The nonprofit Capital Bicycling Club has been a mainstay of the cycling community in the South Puget Sound region for nearly forty years. A 100% volunteer-run organization, CBC advocates real change in the community to benefit cyclists of all types. The club uses funds raised from the Two County to support cycling initiatives such as legislative advocacy with Washington Bikes, regular ride events, the Thurston County bicycle map, the Bicycle Commuter Contest, and many other community activities related to cycling. Visit the Capital Bicycling Club website for more ride information, or email contact@capitalbicycleclub.org.

Posted in Bike Clubs, Events, Thurston County | Comments Off on Two County Double Metric Century: Ride Thurston and Lewis Counties June 28

Calling All Students: Be Sure To Put The Next Washington Bike Summit On Your List!

By Guest Blogger | Published March 25, 2015

Guest blogger Brian Woods attended the 2015 Washington Bike Summit.

Brian Wood, student in UW master's in sustainable transportation, with his bicycle at Penn Cove, Island County, WAI am a student in the Master of Sustainable Transportation Program at the University of Washington and I am writing to recommend the Washington Bike Summit to any other students out there who are studying transportation or urban planning, or who may simply be interested in how business, policy, advocacy and infrastructure can converge on a single theme—the bicycle. And though the bicycle is at the heart of the Summit, the reality is that it is at the hub of a larger context in which community members, business owners, lawmakers, planners and engineers are thinking about a brighter future that focuses on the kinds of safe, livable communities where we all want to live, whether we walk, bike, drive or use transit.

As a student of transportation, I felt particularly connected with the engineering discussions regarding how our infrastructure is evolving in ways that recognize the importance of protecting vulnerable transportation users. I noted that many of the most innovative ideas that I have been exposed to in my university studies are being planned for and even put into practice across Washington State.

The discussions had both a state and an urban focus. Importantly, viable solutions were considered that spent money wisely, but still targeted research-based best practices. Equity was also stressed with regard to community development decisions, such that money doesn’t simply flow to the loudest advocates, rather community improvements are targeted to where they are needed most.

Many of the presentations stressed the importance of a broad-based discussion with businesses, residents and transportation professionals. Such a conversation can serve to both educate community members, as well as to listen to them so that the final solutions stand a much better chance of being the right solutions.

As a cyclist, I can say that I observed how Washington Bikes is representing my interests with a strong, steady message that does not end up alienating the community and lawmakers that we need on our side in order to make cycling a well-respected form of transportation and recreation. As a student I found that Washington Bikes is also capable of putting together a valuable conference experience where I could further my education and establish contact with many of the professionals who can help me take the next step after college.

I would like to thank our Washington Bikes representatives for all the hard work that went into this years summit, and to let everyone else know that they need to sign up early for the next one, because the summit sold out fast!

Brian’s Thoughts as the 2015 Washington Bike Summit Wrapped Up

Posted in Advocacy, Education, Events, Infrastructure, Issues & Advocacy, News | Comments Off on Calling All Students: Be Sure To Put The Next Washington Bike Summit On Your List!

Washington Bike Summit 2015: Statewide Bike Conference a Sell-Out Crowd

By Barb Chamberlain | Published March 23, 2015
Raleigh Bicycles Port Townsend model with Rainier Beer detailing, loaded with Ortlieb panniers, on Sportworks bike rack. All made by companies headquartered in Washington state.

This display showcases products made by companies headquartered in Washington state: a beautiful Raleigh Bicycles Port Townsend model with Rainier Beer detailing loaded with Ortlieb panniers parked on a Sportworks bike rack made in Woodinville.

We capped registration, then pushed the cap, then pushed it some more. An event we thought would reach 100+ participants came to 185 and then some (we may have missed counting a few at the legislative reception Monday night). Thanks to Corey Burger of Victoria, BC, it even became an international summit (an element we’d love to see grow next year).

A few statistics tell one kind of story about the Washington Bike Summit.

Towns represented: 48.

Aberdeen, Anacortes, Auburn, Bellevue, Bellingham, Bremerton, Burien, College Place, Denver, Dixie, East Wenatchee, Edmonds, Everett, Fife, Hood River, Kenmore, Kent, Kirkland, Lacey, Lake Tapps, Lakewood, Lynnwood, Mead, Oak Harbor, Olympia, Port Angeles, Port Orchard, Portland, OR, Pullman, Puyallup, Redmond, Renton, San Diego, CA, Seattle, Sequim, Shoreline, Silverdale, Snohomish, Spokane, Tacoma, Tumwater, Union Gap, University Place, Vancouver, Victoria BC, Wenatchee, Winthrop, Yakima. (Boldface cities/towns are Bicycle Friendly Communities)

Number of Bicycle-Friendly Communities represented: 11 out of 14 in the state. At the legislative reception Monday night Steve Durrant of Alta Planning + Design, a member of the League of American Bicyclists board, spoke about the Bicycle Friendly America program and encouraged attendees to work for their communities to submit applications. We look forward to welcoming additional towns to the list of Bicycle Friendly Communities in Washington, the #1 Bicycle Friendly State in America.

Types of businesses and organizations represented:

Bike manufacturing, bike shops, bike clubs, bike nonprofits, design/planning engineering firms, cities, local elected officials, Chambers of Commerce, federal agencies, pedestrian advocates, trails organizations, public health districts, health foundations, transit, neighborhood organizations, metropolitan planning organizations, regional transportation planning organizations, WSDOT, colleges/universities, Washington State Dept. of Health, local agencies including streets, public works, planning, and economic development.

Percentage of attendees not from Seattle: 71.3% (we reported a slightly higher number the week before the registration closed; Seattle supplied several of the final registrations processed).

Why do we track and report this? Given the population distribution in the state it would be easy to hold a sold-out conference with 100% Seattleites. That wouldn’t represent our statewide mission.

Speakers: Every speaker and every session gave people ideas, information, and inspiration to take back to their hometowns. A special thank-you to everyone listed on our agenda for sharing your stories.

Martha Roskowski of People for Bikes and Samantha Ollinger of Bike San Diego deserve special thanks for their inspiring remarks in keynote addresses, along with Patty Graf-Hoke of Visit Kitsap, Joe Brown of Methow Cycle and Sport, and George Bergner of Port Angeles Likes Bikes and Olympic Peninsula Likes Bikes of our panel on the economic power of bike tourism.

 

Washington State DOT Sec. Lynn Peterson spent a Monday coffee break with attendees, showcasing the new poster that tells all WSDOT staff it’s time to build innovative new bike infrastructure.

 

 

 

Number of people receiving training in the NACTO Urban Bikeways Design Guide: 54. Offering professional workshops drew a large number of professionals to the conference where they could rub elbows with the advocates who attend community hearings and provide input on bike master plan updates — a great mix for future improvements on our streets.

Legislative reception: Special thanks to Rep. Joan McBride of Kirkland, a former member of the Washington Bikes board, Sen. Curtis King of Yakima, chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, and Washington Transportation Commissioner Joe Tortorelli, Spokane, for their participation in our reception.

At #WABikeSummit: @WSDOT Sec @LynnPetersonWA, Transportation Commissioner Joe Tortorelli, our ED @barbchamberlain pic.twitter.com/YQXDs0bB0Q

— Washington Bikes (@WAbikes) March 17, 2015

Transportation Advocacy Day: Many people met with their legislators on Day Two of the Summit, reluctantly breaking away from workshops but eager to talk with their legislators about the value of investing in safe and complete connected infrastructure.

 

Added bonus for local color: A movie shoot with zombies.

Sponsors: We have to give another big thank-you to our sponsors, who made it possible for us to bring together such a great line-up of speakers.

  • Platinum Bike: Cascade Bicycle Club, Group Health
  • Gold Wheel: WSDOT
  • Silver Spoke: Raleigh, People for Bikes
  • Bronze Gear: Alta Planning, Foundation for Healthy Generations, Mithun, Ortleib, REI, SRAM, Transpo Group

Last word: We’ll give the last word to Kyla and Josef Forsberg of Lake Tapps, owners of the Green River Cyclery and Busted Bike Cafe in Auburn. As they prepared to depart they both said, “We’ll be at this every year!”


The tweets tell the story another way:

Washington Bike Summit 2015 Sponsors

Special thanks to Platinum sponsors Cascade Bicycle Club and Group Health Cooperative, whose early sponsorship made the Summit possible.

Please help us thank our sponsors in social media. When you follow or fan, let them know you appreciate their support of the Washington Bike Summit, #WABikeSummit.

Sponsored by:

Platinum Bicycle:

Cascade Bicycle ClubGroup Health

Twitter: @cascadebicycle                                                             Twitter: @grouphealth
Cascade on Facebook                                                                     Group Health on Facebook

 

Gold Wheel:

WSDOTlogogreen

Twitter: @WSDOT
WSDOT on Facebook

Silver Spoke:

Raleigh         People for Bikes - horizontal

Twitter: @RaleighBicycles                                              Twitter: @PeopleforBikes
Raleigh Bicycles on Facebook                                        People for Bikes on Facebook

 

Bronze Gear:

REI_14_1K (1)          SRAM        Mithun_Logo_Black

    Alta_logo       FGH_logo_color     Transpo Group - logoOrtlieb_Logo

Twitter: @REI | REI on Facebook

Twitter: @SRAMroad | SRAM on Facebook

Twitter: @Mithun_Design

Twitter: @altaplanning | Alta Planning on Facebook

Twitter: @fdnhealthygen | Foundation for Healthy Generations on Facebook

Twitter: @TranspoGroup | Transpo Group on Facebook

Twitter: @OrtliebUSA

Posted in Advocacy, Bike Culture, Economic Impact, Education, Encouragement, Events, Funding/Policy, Infrastructure, Issues & Advocacy, Legislature, News, Safe Routes to School, Tourism, Transportation | Comments Off on Washington Bike Summit 2015: Statewide Bike Conference a Sell-Out Crowd

SSB 5438 Update: “Dead Red” Bill Passes House Transportation Committee

By Blake Trask | Published March 20, 2015

Last night Substitute Senate Bill (SSB) 5438, which provides bicycle riders a safe and reasonable procedure to proceed through broken traffic signals that fail to detect bicycles, passed out of the House Transportation Committee.

Following a a strong 45-3 vote for Substitute Senate Bill 5438 in the Washington State Senate two weeks ago, the House Transportation Committee reacted positively to testimony on the legislation on Monday, March 16 and last night moved the bill on a very bipartisan vote to the House Rules Committee.

The legislation recently has received media attention in Oregon, which is also deliberating on similar legislation, here in Washington state, and in British Columbia, which is considering similar legislation.

Getting stuck at a red light that fails to detect you and doesn’t turn green is really frustrating. SSB 5438 provides a simple, common sense and reasonable procedure to proceed through broken traffic signals that fail to detect bicycles.

SSB 5438 builds on legislation passed in 2014 allowing for motorcycles to stop and proceed or make left-hand turns through traffic control signals that do not detect motorcycles under certain very limited conditions with a specific protocol that is clear and understood by law enforcement. For the first time ever, Washington Bikes sought to include electric-assisted bicycles in legislation, noting the increase in popularity of these bicycles.

Washington Bikes thanks Senator King for his sponsorship of SSB 5438 and continuing support of legislation that improves predictability and gives bicycle riders a clear protocol for dealing with faulty transportation infrastructure that doesn’t detect their bikes.

Posted in Funding/Policy, Infrastructure, Issues & Advocacy, Legislature, News, Transportation | Comments Off on SSB 5438 Update: “Dead Red” Bill Passes House Transportation Committee

Bike to Errands: It’s Time to Errandonnee

By Barb Chamberlain | Published March 5, 2015

Starting today it’s time for another fun, informal bike challenge from the creator of coffeeneuring, a bike blogger in the other Washington. March 5-16 it’s errandonnee! Fittingly, it wraps up on the first day of the Washington Bike Summit so if you’re attending and bringing your bike, your last errand could be a mobile tour of Olympia bike infrastructure.

Errandonnee 2015 graphic from Chasing Mailboxes bike blogMash-up “errand” + “randonnee” and you have the word. Follow the rules and you have a win for winter bicycling.

The Errandonnee Bike Challenge: Complete 12 errands in 12 days and ride a total of 30 miles by bike between March 5-16, 2015.

She likes her rules, does our challenge creator, so here’s the deal.

Categories for Errands by Bike

Below are the 9 Errandonnee categories (or controls) in order for you to plan and map your Errandonnee accordingly:

  • Personal Care
  • Personal Business
  • You carried WHAT on your bike?!
  • Arts and Entertainment
  • Non-Store Errand
  • Social Call (restaurants, coffee, other social activities)
  • Work or Volunteering
  • Store of any type
  • Wild Card

As we did with the coffeeneuring challenge, we’ll reward you with some “I Arrived by Bike” cards to leave behind on your errands.

Sign up for our e-news below and we’ll send you 7 “I arrived by bike” business cards you can leave at those coffee shops, stores, hairdressers, and dentist offices. (Supply limited so sign up now at the bottom of this post.)

[Tweet “I’m riding to #errandonnee & you should too.”]

BikesMeanBusiness_backlogo7The other side of the card features a short message about the economic benefits of biking customers. For example, “10 bicycling customers can fit into 1 car parking spot.”

If you don’t want to wait for the mail and you’re in the Seattle area, stop by our Pioneer Square bike gift shop/offices at 314 1st Ave. South, sign up for our e-news, and we’ll give them to you on the spot.

Errandonnee Rules for Your Errands by Bike

The rules, repeated here from Chasing Mailboxes for your convenience and with a couple of notes for our Washington twist:

  1. Complete 12 errands from Thursday, March 5 through Monday, March 16, 2015.
  2. Complete the Errandonnee Control Card as you go (created by @americancyclo). You can save a copy of this control card for your use or make your own.
  3. There is no minimum length for each errand, but you must complete at least 30 total miles of bike riding over 12 days to successfully qualify for the Errandonnee. That’s an average of 2.5 miles per errand.
  4. Complete all 12 errands by the end of Monday, March 16. You can ride all 12 errands in one day, do one errand per day, or any other combination that works for you.
  5. You must complete errands from at least 7 of the 9 categories represented on the Errandonnee Control Card.
  6. Each category may be used a maximum of two times. For example, you may count a ride to work a total of two times.
  7. The Wild Card errand is for any trip you make that does not fall into any of the categories listed on the control card.
  8. If you carry a baked good for the “You carried WHAT on your bike?!” please provide a before and after photo.
  9. Please provide a short description of your Errandonnee bike (or bikes!).
  10. To evidence your errand, take one photo during your outing and submit at least one thing you learned or observed during your trip. Photos may be provided in the following ways:
    • If you have a blog, you can post them there and send Mary the links.
    • You may also use a site like flickr or Picasa and link her to your photos.
    • You can send her the links to your Errandonnee tweets.
    • Finally, she will accept 12 photos via email if that works best for you.
    • WA Bikes note: Don’t wait until the end to share with us. Tag with #WAbikes #errandonnee on Instagram or Twitter, share on our Facebook page, send us a link to your blog post.
  11. There are no geographic limitations on the Errandonnee. OK, one limitation. Earth. All participants must be from somewhere on Earth.
  12. If the Errandonnee stresses you out or offends you or makes you feel bad or sad or competitive, you should stop. This is supposed to be fun and if you are not having fun then please do not continue because that is not what the Errandonnee is all about. That’s what family is for (KIDDING!).
  13. Deadline for Errandonnee submissions is midnight or so in your area, March 24, 2015.
  14. Submit all Errandonnee paperwork including your Errandonnee Control Card to Mary at gersemalina “at” gmail.com. Send all qualifying rides together. That is, send all 12 in one go, NOT ride 1, ride 2, etc.
    • WA Bikes note: Send a copy our way too and don’t wait until the end to send pictures and posts to us. Write a post  at any memorable point and we’ll share some posts along the way to inspire others the way we did for coffeeneuring. If you create a route that takes you to errand destinations along with some beautiful or interesting side trips we’d love to have a map; you’ve put together a nice route someone else might enjoy. 
  15. Everyone who successfully completes the Errandonnee is eligible for a prize. The premium will cost $4, which covers Mary’s costs. To purchase your prize, you may PayPal her at the gmail address above, or send your money by snail mail like grandma used to do (email her for her address). If you are an international entry, your premium will cost you $5 via PayPal. Please include a snail mail address in your submission so that she may send your Errandonnee swag to you.
    • WA Bikes note: Everyone who submits a blog post, Instagram picture, tweet, or Facebook post to us will be entered into our prize drawing to win one of several WA Bikes coffee mugs or a wild card prize.

[Tweet “#errandonnee=great excuse for a bike ride. Join us.”]

Errandonnee on Social Media

  • Spelling tip: “errandonnee” has three double letters.
  • Twitter hashtag: #errandonnee
  • Blogging: Mary will do periodic roundups of blog posts about errandonnee at Chasing Mailboxes. We’ll do that for Washington bike blogs here so send us your link via email, Twitter, or a comment here.
  • Instagram: Tag your photos #WAbikes #errandonnee and they’ll show up on our Instagram page
  • YouTube: If you really get into this and make a video of your expeditions, let us know and we’ll favorite it on our YouTube channel

Bicycle Errand Destinations, Get Involved!

If you own a great destination for the errandonnee crowd and want to invite biking customers to your front door, sign up on the form below and tell us why you’re a great place to ride to (bike parking? on a trail or bike lane?), along with any special offer you want us to highlight. We’ll include you in our social media and e-mails to people who sign up for the challenge so they can go hunt down your two-wheel deal.

Related Reading

Sign Up to Get Awesome “Bikes Mean Business” Cards

(You can also request our pocket guide to Washington state bike laws, a bike commuting tips brochure, and one for drivers to share with a friend.)

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Posted in Bike Culture, Bike to Work, Commuting, Encouragement, Events, News | 1 Comment

Be a citizen lobbyist for a day: Transportation Advocacy Day 2015!

By Blake Trask | Published March 4, 2015

Held in conjunction with the Washington Bike Summit, Transportation Advocacy Day 2015 is about advocating to make it easier and safer for more people to get around via walking, biking, transit, and trains!
rp_2011-TAD-1.JPG

Join us at Transportation Advocacy Day (TAD) 2015 to ask the Washington State Legislature to invest in increased and sustainable transportation investments for biking, transit, walking, and trains.

Connect with other advocates and be a citizen lobbyist for a day when you meet with your legislators (Washington Bikes will schedule the appointments for you!). We’ll provide you with the tools and information you need to effectively advocate for better bicycling in your community and state.

TAD 2015 includes an engaging  breakfast plenary featuring Bike San Diego’s Sam Ollinger, briefings on the issues, as well as speaker sessions around funding, smart projects, and engaging youth. Breakfast, snacks, and lunch are provided.

UPDATE MARCH 7: We’re full up for the plenary session but still want you to attend the other speaker sessions and meet with your legislators.

TAD 2015 is bigger and better than ever, with informative sessions taking place all day as part of the Washington Bike Summit. Register for TAD 2015 only or come for Monday night’s legislative reception too.

For TAD 2015, we’re happy to have the support of our nonprofit partners that help make the day possible and work to make your meetings as successful as possible.

See the Washington Bike Summit main page for details including agenda, speakers, Summit sponsors and more. (Sorry you didn’t sign up in time to go to the full two-day conference? People on our e-news list will be the first to hear about the 2016 conference, which will be even bigger.)

This form includes registration for the Legislative Reception and/or TAD 2015. If you want to meet with legislators be sure you check the TAD box near the bottom of the form.

Please select a valid form

Presenting Partner Organizations for Transportation Advocacy Day

  • Transportation Choices
  • Feet First
  • WA Coalition to Promote Physical Activity
  • Forever Green
  • Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition
Posted in Advocacy, Funding/Policy, Infrastructure, Issues & Advocacy, Legislature, Safe Routes to School, Transit, Transportation | Comments Off on Be a citizen lobbyist for a day: Transportation Advocacy Day 2015!

#WomenWhoBike Ride – March 5

By Louise McGrody | Published March 3, 2015

womenwhobikePronto Cycle Share is declaring March as Seattle’s first Women’s Bike Month, and they are kicking it off with a #WomenWhoBike ride on March 5. With only 36% of Pronto Annual Members identifying as female, the cycle share program wants to raise the profile of women who ride a bike.

Female riders citywide are invited to share a bike lane with the State’s most influential women in bike advocacy. From Councilmembers to Executive Directors, the Pronto #WomenWhoBike Ride will include leaders from: Washington Bikes, Cascade Bicycle Club, Commute Seattle, Bike Works, Seattle Neighborhood Greenways, Sound Transit, Seattle City Council, and more. The ride departs Pronto’s South Lake Union office at 5:30 pm and ends at Seattle City Hall. For a full list of participants or to learn more about how to join, click here.

Posted in Advocacy, Encouragement, Rides, Seattle, Women | Comments Off on #WomenWhoBike Ride – March 5

SSB 5438 – Faulty Traffic Signals Bill – Passes Senate

By Blake Trask | Published March 3, 2015

Last night Substitute Senate Bill (SSB) 5438 passed on a Senate floor vote of 45-3. With its passage this legislation, which provides bicycle riders a safe and reasonable procedure to proceed through broken traffic signals that fail to detect bicycles, moves to the Washington State House of Representatives.

Someday, all traffic signals will detect bicycle riders, until then SB 5438 provides a safe protocol to address getting stuck at red lights

Someday, all traffic signals will detect bicycle riders, until then SB 5438 provides a safe protocol to address getting stuck at red lights

By a strong 45-3 vote, Substitute Senate Bill 5438 was voted out of the Senate. SSB 5438 builds on legislation passed in 2014 allowing for motorcycles to stop and proceed or make left-hand turns through traffic control signals that do not detect motorcycles under certain very limited conditions with a specific protocol that is clear and understood by law enforcement. For the first time ever, Washington Bikes sought to include electric-assisted bicycles in legislation, noting the increase in popularity of these bicycles.

In the Senate Transportation Committee, the bill was amended to make some improvements, including accounting for carbon fiber bikes that are even more challenging for many traffic signals to detect than standard metal frames.

Washington Bikes thanks Senator King for his sponsorship of SSB 5438 and continuing support of legislation that improves predictability and gives bicycle riders a clear protocol for dealing with faulty transportation infrastructure that doesn’t detect their bikes.

————————————————————————————————————————-

Join us March 16-17 for the Washington Bike Summit! Learn about the state-of-the-art to grow bicycling and get inspired! www.wabikes/summit 

Posted in News | Comments Off on SSB 5438 – Faulty Traffic Signals Bill – Passes Senate

Washington Bike Summit: Featured Speaker Martha Roskowski

By Barb Chamberlain | Published March 2, 2015

“There are bike lanes, and then there are bike lanes. The best have something the others don’t: Real protection for cyclists. They find some way of separating riders from the rest of the road—a line of parked cars, a row of planter pots, some plastic barriers.

Go to advanced cycling cities—places like Amsterdam and Copenhagen—and that’s the norm. It’s a major reason why those places have far higher rates of ridership than here. Because people don’t have to compete with cars, cycling is something the whole family feels comfortable doing, even the very young and very old.”

— Ben Schiller, FastCoExist from Fast Company, “These Are America’s 10 Best Bike Lanes”

Martha Roskowski, Vice President for Local Innovation, People for BikesAsk anyone who’s working with the latest bikeway designs who they should talk to about two-way protected bike lanes in the U.S. and one name will come up again and again: Martha Roskowski.

Hard to believe it has only been 3 years since Martha joined PeopleForBikes in January 2012 and orchestrated the launch of the highly successful Green Lane Project. The Project is spurring the development of protected bikeways in U.S. cities and towns, coast to coast.

During the first two years of the project the number of separated and protected (from motor vehicle traffic) U.S. bike lanes tripled, from 50 to more than 150. This infrastructure concept has been widely embraced as a cost-effective way to improve road safety for all users while making bicycling more appealing to a broader audience.

Martha came to Seattle in fall of 2013 for a meeting co-hosted by Washington Bikes and Cascade Bicycle Club in the run-up to the selection of cities to participate in the second round of Green Lane Projects. She made no bones about it: To have any chance at all of being selected a city’s leaders couldn’t just say they would study two-way protected lanes or put them in a long-term bike master plan. They had to commit to putting a lane on the ground for real within 12 months.

Seattle city staff and elected officials took her words to heart and submitted a winning proposal. The two-way protected bike lane on Second Avenue through the heart of downtown opened in September 2014 and was named to People for Bikes’ list of the top ten best bike lanes in 2014.

Martha serves as Vice President of Local Innovation at People for Bikes and directs the PFB Green Lane Project. Before joining PFB she spent 7 years managing GO Boulder, heading up the innovative transportation planning, policy and program efforts for the City of Boulder. She led the America Bikes campaign in Washington DC from 2002 to 2004, focused on the reauthorization of the transportation bill. That effort created the federal Safe Routes to School Program and launched the Complete Streets movement. She also spent seven years as the Executive Director of statewide advocacy group Bicycle Colorado. 

Martha will open the Washington Bike Summit with remarks during the lunch plenary session Monday, March 16. For more details on the agenda and to register for the Summit, see our 2015 Bike Summit page.

Thank You, Sponsors!

The Washington Bike Summit presented by Washington Bikes is made possible by our outstanding sponsors:

  • Platinum: Cascade Bicycle Club, Group Health
  • Gold: Washington State Dept. of Transportation
  • Silver: Raleigh, People for Bikes
  • Bronze: Alta Planning + Design, Foundation for Healthy Generations, Mithun Design, Ortlieb USA, REI, SRAM, Transpo Group
  • Other support: QBP

Related Reading

 

 

Posted in News | 1 Comment

McClinchy Mile Oso Strong Ride

By Louise McGrody | Published February 25, 2015
Whitehorse Mountain

Whitehorse Mountain image courtesy of BIKES Club.

One week after last year’s McClinchy Mile Bike Ride hosted by BIKES Club of Snohomish County, tragedy struck in their community. A devastating landslide poured mud, rocks, trees and other debris into the North Fork of the Stillaguamish River and onto SR 530 near Oso. Forty-three people were killed.

This year, BIKES is using their annual event ride to commemorate the tragedy and support the communities of Oso and Darrington. On March 15, McClinchy Mile Oso Strong Ride will travel along the reopened SR 530 corridor to the communities of Oso and Darrington. Route options of 37 and 57 miles will highlight the scenic Stillaguamish River valley and offer stunning views of Whitehorse Mountain and other Cascade peaks. It will also bring riders through the landslide area past local memorials.

“Last year’s McClinchy Mile was one week prior to the landslide and our Arlington ride start is just a few miles away,” recalled BIKES member and former Washington Bikes board president Kristin Kinnamon. “The tragedy affected all of us in Snohomish County, either directly or indirectly. As Snohomish County’s bike club, BIKES wants to commemorate the landslide and support the communities by promoting bike tourism and trails in the area.”

This year’s ride includes a unique food stop at Rhodes River Ranch, where the restaurant will provide “cowgirl biscuits and gravy,” hot beverages, and other snacks.

Funds generated from the ride will support the Oso-area Whitehorse Trail, which was damaged by the landslide, and bike tourism through the Centennial Trail Coalition and Washington Bikes. McClinchy also supports BIKES Club of Snohomish County and its community work. BIKES has hosted this event for more than 30 years.

Registration is $30 in advance and $35 on the day of the ride, which begins at Haller Middle School in Arlington. Helmets are required for the ride.

Riders who register by March 1 will be entered for a chance to win an overnight stay and dinner at Angel of the Winds Casino near Arlington. Registration and event updates can be found on the McClinchy Mile page of the BIKES Club website.

*     *     *     *     *

Many event rides support Washington Bikes’ work to grow bicycling in our state. Please consult our ride calendar for a list of these rides.

Posted in Bike Clubs, Economic Impact, Events, Rides, Snohomish County, Tourism, Trails | Comments Off on McClinchy Mile Oso Strong Ride