The Priceless Gift of Time: We Need Volunteer Help!

By baw_admin | Published December 14, 2011

As 2011 draws to a close, many individuals choose to support the work of the Bicycle Alliance with a year-end contribution.  Financial gifts are vital to the health of our organization and we are grateful to the generosity of our members.

The Bicycle Alliance is also in need of volunteers who can donate the priceless gift of time.  Whether it’s a one-time commitment of a few hours or a three-month commitment to a project or an ongoing commitment to help out each month, volunteers and the time they give are valuable to us. 
We currently have the following volunteer opportunities available:
Help us move to our new Pioneer Square office space on January 7!  We need helping hands to move office furniture, files and boxes.  Contact Jay Steingold if you’re available to help out, and let him know if you have a truck or bike with trailer that could be used during the move.
Pre-Move Help.  We need some pre-move help between now and moving day with packing items, taking things to the recycling center, etc.  Contact Jay if you have a few hours to spare.
A couple of volunteers are needed with inventorying and boxing printed materials and office files in preparation for the move.  Contact Donna Govro if you can help with this task.
Driver with pickup truck.  The Bicycle Alliance is looking for a pickup truck and driver with some flexibility to move our Safe Routes to School bikes and trailer between school districts in South King County.  Ideally, we need a truck with a 2 5/16” ball mount already installed.  Otherwise, we need a truck that at least has a receiver hitch already installed and we provide the ball mount and ball.  Contact John Vander Sluis if you can help us out.
Do you like to write and have a passion for biking and active transportation issues?  The Bicycle Alliance wants to hear from you!  We are looking for individuals from all corners of the state who are willing to write stories for our blog, Bike Bites e-newsletter, and The Advocate quarterly newsletter.  Contact Louise McGrody and briefly describe your writing experience.
Join us for a volunteer work party!  We hold monthly work parties in our office to send out membership renewals, thank you letters, and other assorted office tasks.  Work parties are usually scheduled on the fourth Thursday of the month from 1-4pm.  Contact Jay Steingold for more information.
Posted in Volunteer | Comments Off on The Priceless Gift of Time: We Need Volunteer Help!

Take Action for Complete Streets!

By baw_admin | Published December 13, 2011

If you believe in safe roads for everyone—including those who walk, bike, take transit, or drive a car—please weigh in today in favor of Complete Streets!  Tomorrow, the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation will consider an amendment offered by Senator Mark Begich of Alaska to provide safe and adequate accommodations for all users in all federally-funded street projects. 

Washington Senator Maria Cantwell sits on this committee.  Please use this form to contact Senator Cantwell today and ask her to support Complete Streets!


Complete Streets Spokane

Live in Spokane?  You have an opportunity to voice your support for a Complete Streets ordinance for your community!  Tomorrow evening (December 14), the Plan Commission is holding a public hearing on the Complete Streets ordinance.  Please attend the meeting and speak up in favor of safe roads for everyone.  This post from the Spokesman-Review includes details about the Plan Commission meeting.  You can also show your support for Complete Streets in Spokane by signing the online petition.
Posted in Advocacy, Alert, Complete Streets, Funding/Policy, Safety, Spokane County | Comments Off on Take Action for Complete Streets!

Safe Routes to School National Course Training in Yakima

By Administrator | Published December 13, 2011
Photos by the author except where noted otherwise.

Earlier this Fall I had the opportunity to participate in a Safe Routes to School National Course Training put on by the National Center for Safe Routes to School (SRTS) and co-sponsored by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), Feet First and Washington Bikes. The course was conducted October 24th-27th in Yakima, Washington and drew trainees from around the country, from northern and southern California, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, Pennsylvania and Washington. This intensive three day training, prepared me and my co-trainees to teach the one-day SRTS National Course. The training was sponsored by the Safe Routes to School

During this training we observed the one-day course being taught in collaboration with Union Gap Elementary School, learned the curriculum, did research on local conditions, met the community, practiced teaching and then taught the course. Trainee instructors split into two groups to teach their course at two different elementary schools (Summitview Elementary and Adams Elementary). Over the three day course, the one-day course was delivered to three audiences regarding three elementary schools.

Day One: Observing the course being taught for Union Gap Elementary

The day began with a lecture and slide show, followed by a field exercise to observe existing conditions around the school. The following few photos are from our walk around the school.

Improvements to an intersection near Union Gap Elementary

Walking along the north perimeter of the school grounds
One lonely bicycle at the bike rack

Back in the office, participants in the Union Gap Elementary course look at the aerial photo and discuss potential design interventions
Participants in the Union Gap Elementary course discuss potential design interventions
The first day of the course involved observing two seasoned SRTS National Course instructors teach the course to a live audience, consisting primarily of WSDOT employees. The one-day course includes lectures, fieldwork, small group activities and a meeting with the school principal.


Day Two: Preparing to teach the Summitview class
The second day involved preparing to teach the course by practicing the course material and getting familiar with the school that the class would work with. As I mentioned earlier, the trainees split into two groups to teach the course at two different elementary schools.
Summitview Elementary School

My group worked with Summitview Elementary in the West Valley School District in Yakima, WA. In the morning we visited the school to observe student arrival and meet with the Principal of Summitview, Crystal McDonald. During our school visit we learned that there is a strong encouragement program at Summitview, working to keep students interested in active transportation.

The Golden Shoe Award at Summitview Elementary 
Looking west from the bus loading area, note recently painted crosswalk accross parking lot 
Students on their way to scool at Summitview Elementary (note student safety patrol)
In the afternoon we studied the curriculum and practiced teaching the modules of the class that we would teach the next day. 

Day Three: Teaching the Summitview class
On the third day of the training we delivered the course to an audience including folks from the school, Yakima city government, WSDOT as well as consultants and public sector employees from the Yakima area and from western Washington. We began with a series of lectures in the morning punctuated by breaks. At lunch time we had the special guests pictured below come and talk to the course participants.
Me with co-trainees and members of the student safety patrol from Summitview Elementary (Mike Cynecki Photo)

After lunch we had an interactive session on problems and solutions, two brief lectures and then we went to observe the student dismissal. After observing the dismissal time we returned to the classroom and discussed the field observations using maps and aerial photos to discuss possible design and enforcement interventions to improve safety around the school.

Aerial photo and map of the school zone facilitate discussion among participants 
Deep in thought
Conversing around the aerial photo of the school zone
Participants present back to the larger group after small group work based on the field exercise
Moving Forward
Folks that are interested in hosting the one-day Safe Routes to School National Course in their Washington community should direct their inquiries to joshm@wabikes.org.  There is a fee for the course, which will vary depending on location and logistics and we will require a local coordinator to collaborate on logistics. The course is highly educational and also has the potential to galvanize a community around a Safe Rouetes to School program or campaign.

Posted in Advocacy, Education, News, Safe Routes to School, Sustainable Living, WSDOT, Yakima County | Comments Off on Safe Routes to School National Course Training in Yakima

Get a Member in December!

By baw_admin | Published December 12, 2011

Sketch by Andy Goulding
At Washington Bikes, we believe that our members ARE our power.  The more members that we have, the more successful we will be at creating better biking conditions in our communities.  If you are already a member, THANK YOU! 

As a current member, we also have an assignment for you:  get just one new memberto join Washington Bikes during the month of December!  We’re sure you know folks who appreciate bikeable and walkable communities—we need them to join us in action.
If you’re not a member, there’s no time like the present to invest in bicycle friendly communities by joining now!  Your commitment to healthy and active transportation will benefit all Washingtonians for generations to come.
Special Offer!
As part of our Member in December Special, sketch artist Andy Goulding has agreed to create custom bike portraits in a digital format for every new and renewing member at the $100 level.  We’ll send details to you on how to redeem the offer for your custom sketch with your member packet.  Contact Donna Govro if you have questions about this special, limited time offer.
Posted in Membership | Comments Off on Get a Member in December!

Some Good News on Rumble Strips

By baw_admin | Published December 6, 2011

Earlier this year, we reported that the Federal Highway Administration had issued a rumble strips Technical Advisory that essentially gave no consideration to bicyclists and how rumble strips negatively impacted bicycle travel.  Read that post here.
The Alliance for Biking and Walking, Adventure Cycling Association and the League of American Bicyclists spoke up against the TA and asked FHWA to reconsider it.  Last month the FHWA issued a revised rumble strips TA and it’s a marked improvement over the original one.  It includes a section on accommodating all roadway users, with an emphasis on bicyclists.  You can read Adventure Cycling’s post about the revised TA. 
The rumble strip TA still leaves room for improvement and most of what happens is at the state and local levels.  The Bicycle Alliance worked with WSDOT to develop decent rumble strip guidelines, but the key is to make sure these guidelines are followed.  That’s where you come in!  Contact your regional WSDOT bicycle coordinatorand the Bicycle Alliance if you believe there has been an incorrect installation of rumble strips in your area.
Posted in Funding/Policy, Infrastructure, Safety, Transportation, WSDOT | 1 Comment

Confessions of a Maphead

By Louise McGrody | Published November 30, 2011


I love maps.

Nothing launches me into scheming and daydreaming for an adventure like a good map.  Maps reveal interesting routes to destinations near and far.  They help me plan a bike tour through Canada’s Gulf Islands, plot a backpacking route into Eagle Cap Wilderness, and navigate my way to a mountain onsen in Japan.

Maps are my friends and I am blessed to have an abundance of them.   In fact, I confess that I have a dresser drawer full of maps.  I have maps that accompany me on urban bike commutes, bike tours, mountain bike rides, snowshoe outings, day hikes, wilderness backpacking trips, ski tours on trails and into untracked terrain, and road trips.

The map is my co-pilot.  It suggests route possibilities, warns me of potential obstacles, and guides me through unfamiliar territory.  Maps take a licking and keep on ticking—or something like that.  I have spilled beverages on maps, dropped them on muddy trails, used them as notepads, and refolded them all sorts of ways.  They continue to serve their purpose in spite of the abuse.

Maps—don’t leave home without one.  In fact, carry several.  I usually stash an extra Seattle bike map or two with me on my commute to hand out to the lost or confused cyclist I occasionally encounter along the way.  It’s a not-so-random act of kindness and a way to spread the map love.

“Thanks!” exclaims the grateful cyclist.  “I didn’t know Seattle had a bike map.”

Seattle does indeed have a bike map.  So does Vancouver, Spokane, and a host of other communities.  There’s even a Washington State bike map.  Check the maps section of our website for some links.

I’ve been known to select a destination because I saw it on a map.  I hiked to Indian Henry’s Hunting Ground and the Plain of Six Glaciers simply because I was attracted to their names on a map.  I camped at Kodachrome Basin State Park because, with a name like that, it had to be scenic (I wasn’t disappointed).  I biked the Columbia River Gorge because it looked like an interesting route on a map.

Maps can’t tell you everything, but they can reveal enough information to get you scheming on an adventure in your neighborhood or someplace far away.  Where has a map led you?

Posted in Adventure, Humor, Travel | 3 Comments

A Tale of Two Cycles: lust and lasting love

By Administrator | Published November 29, 2011

Have you ever gotten bike lust for a bike that you have been riding for years? I have an undisclosed number of bikes, but i ride two of them the most and they are my oldest steeds. I’ve been riding them both for over a decade and they are decidedly familiar. This year i’ve had my most prolific mountain bike season in nearly a decade which has helped me to fall in love with my mountain bike again.

This 1996 Ibis Mojo is a classic steel hardtail built in Sebastapol, CA from custom drawn Tange Prestige tubing. In 2001 i had a disc brake tab and bracing tube silver soldered onto the frame by Martin Tweedy who was then the Ti Cycles steel frame builder.
At that time i also updated the parts kit to include Shimano XT drivetrain, Marzocchi Atom 80 coil sprung fork and Hayes disc brakes. As you see in the photo above i am currently running Avid BB7 cable-actuated disc brakes. Of course now it is due in for some new drive train parts, speaking of which…


My daily driver is the other bike to which i have a renewed attachement; it is a 1999 Surly Cross Check. All it took was replacement drivetrain parts, cables, brake pads, handlebar tape and rebuilding the wheels and voile… rebirth. Aside from the years that we’ve spent together, both of these bikes have special personalities.

The Ibis and the Surly are quite a pair. They’ve been my two main squeezes for the aughties. While other bikes may come and go, i am quite sure that i will be riding both of these bikes into middle age. The Ibis is one of a kind, even though it began life as a production bike. It was built in 1996, when cantilever brakes were still the norm for mountain bikes, so it has the classic Ibis cantilever brake cable stop as seen below.

In 1997 linear pull brakes (AKA V style brakes) set a new standard for the industry. With the frame modification the Mojo was assimilated into Northwest mountain biking and happily become a disc brake bike that is a modern classic. Another special feature of the Mojo is that it is equipped with a thumb shifter allowing trimming of the front derailleur that is much better than what you can do with a contemporary trigger shifter (the rear derailleur is cabled up to a trigger shifter).


The surly is far from unique, but it is mighty special. The surly isn’t just special because of our fifty thousand miles together, but i also don’t see any others like it around town. While the Surly Cross Check is a rightfully very popular bike, the first generation bikes are extra cool. The tubing used to build the first generation frames is nicer than that used in later models (sporting Reynolds 631 rather than Surly housebrand 4130 steel tubing) and the steerer is one inch threaded as opposed to the later one and an eighth threadless version (which added half of a pound to the frame and fork). Dark blue paint also hasn’t been used on the Cross Check since the first generation with the exception of the Traveler’s Check. The Surly has a solid mix of Shimano goods including Ultegra, XT and XTR and some other nicer parts like a Ti Cycles titanium seat post.
The Misfits icon on the headtube keeps things Surly. In all seriousness though, these bikes are great but the experiences that they’ve enabled me to have are the truly compelling thing about the bikes. These bikes have taken me from everyday commuting and utility rides to world class mountain bike rides like Devil’s Gulch, Suntop and Noble Nob. As much as we might love our bikes let’s remember that the ride is what matters. Any trusty steed, no matter how humble or fancy, deserves reverence, recognition and replacement parts. Enough of this, i’m going riding!
Posted in Bike Culture, Commuting, Gear/Maintenance, Transportation | 1 Comment

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a…..

By Mary Anderson | Published November 28, 2011

SUPERHERO BIKE LIGHT PARADE!

Totally random and fun, but also educational. On Friday December 2 Bellinghamsters will put on their favorite superhero cape, decorate their bikes with lights and parade through town.
What?
A bike ride/parade celebrating opening day of the Pacific Arts Holiday Market in downtown Bellingham, to coincide with the First Friday Downtown Art Walk.
Why?
It will be fun, and it also showcases lots of different lights and ways to reflectorize yourself and your bike for the long dark winter nights. We will be riding in a lawful manner, that means no more than two abreast and stopping at stop signs and lights. We can have fun on our bikes and still follow the rules of the road.
Where?
Meets at the Pacific Arts Holiday Market, next to the Bellingham Public Market on Cornwall Ave. Ride will take place on downtown streets, one loop is 2 miles, participants can either do one or two loops.
When?

Friday, December 2, meet up at 6:30pm to decorate your bicycle, we’ll have a limited number of lights, and reflective stickers & ribbons to give away.
Ride leaves at 7pm.
A bell is highly advised, as I predict we will be doing lots of waving of hands and ringing of bells as we parade through town.

Posted in Humor, Rides, Whatcom County | Comments Off on It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a…..

Remember the Thrill?

By Louise McGrody | Published November 22, 2011

Most people can vividly recall the first time they successfully rode a bicycle.  It’s a thrilling experience and a memorable accomplishment for a child.  It’s also a proud moment for the parent, as Bicycle Alliance member Jeff Moran can attest.  Read Jeff’s account of his son Jack’s first ride on a bicycle.  Caution:  There’s a huge cute factor in this post.

Posted in Adventure, Kids | 1 Comment

Yahoo! Grand Opening of Ship Canal Trail Extension Tomorrow

By Louise McGrody | Published November 18, 2011

The long awaited and much anticipated opening of Seattle’s Ship Canal Trail extension under the Ballard Bridge is Saturday, November 19, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony slated for 11am. 


This extension fills a critical missing link in Seattle’s bicycle network.  The trail offers a safer connection for bicyclists traveling between Magnolia/Interbay to Queen Anne and Fremont by bringing them under the Ballard Bridge and avoiding the gnarly cloverleaf interchange at bridge level.  Check SDOT’s Ship Canal Trail Phase II for directions to the ribbon-cutting and more information on the project.


View Larger Map

Posted in Infrastructure, Seattle, Trails, Transportation | Comments Off on Yahoo! Grand Opening of Ship Canal Trail Extension Tomorrow