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Some question the findings in a new "Bicyclist Safety" report

Some question the findings in a new “Bicyclist Safety” report

The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) has released a report on Bicyclists Safety and so far, it’s not sitting well with many in the bike community.  The report itself seems innocent enough as it tries to bring attention to the increasing number of cyclists that have been killed on our roads in the last few years.

The report indicates that the number of cyclists killed while riding has…

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Kirkland 2015-16 budget bike improvements

Kirkland 2015-16 budget bike improvements

Kirkland has released their 2015-2016 preliminary budget plan that details all the upcoming expenditures for transportation and other government projects.  I took a quick look (and promptly get a headache) at the 450+ page PDF to see how things are looking for cyclists in the area.  Here’s what I found.

Bike Safety continues to under perform in the community surveys while pedestrian safety is…

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Opposition to Westlake cycle track increases

Opposition to Westlake cycle track increases

Planned Westlake Cycle Track

SDOT has a plan to build over a mile of cycletrack along Westlake Ave. N to help improve safety on a section of road where cyclists routinely choose a parking lot cut through and sidewalk riding rather than try their luck on the road in the area.  While riding on the sidewalk is legal in Seattle, it is typically much less safe than riding in the road.  When cyclists…

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Pronto Cycle Share Week One - 4,000 rides and 1450 members

Pronto Cycle Share Week One – 4,000 rides and 1450 members

Seattle’s first cycle share program launched last Monday and yesterday, Pronto released some stats on how things are going.  The weather for the launch was a typical Seattle affair with rain every day of the week (over an inch total) and temperatures holding in the mid 60’s throughout the day.

Even without ideal weather conditions, Pronto managed to provide rides for over 4,000 trips and signed…

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SDOT updates Northgate Bridge project plans

SDOT updates Northgate Bridge project plans

Artist concept of what the bridge may look like

Northgate is a very busy part of northern Seattle.  Busy enough to make cycling and even walking a sometimes risky proposition. The difficulties are compounded by the fact that I-5 splits the Northgate area down the middle.

There have been discussions going on for a while now about how to improve access to the Northgate area for bikes and…

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Beacon Bike Park MTB trail project gets a bit messy

Beacon Bike Park MTB trail project gets a bit messy

It started out simple enough.  Ten years ago a local neighborhood wanted to clean up a small green space in the area to remove invasive plant life and keep it nice and tidy for everyone to enjoy.  The effort was a success at first, with the clean up keeping access open for a few walking trails that connected the surrounding neighborhoods.  It all started to go south when future plans for the area…

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Cycling safety may be improved by self-driving cars

Cycling safety may be improved by self-driving cars

How the Tesla S sees the world ahead.

Let’s be honest here, when it comes to driving we all have our bad days.  I recently discovered that spending minimal amount of time driving to and from work has taken a toll on my own driving skills. I’m not alone, we all have our bad days driving no matter how skilled we think we may be relative to everyone else on the road.

In this country alone, we crash…

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San Francisco considers bike toll on Golden Gate Bridge

San Francisco considers bike toll on Golden Gate Bridge

Imagine a world where sidewalks and bike paths are no longer free for you to use.  This may be a possibility soon for an iconic west cost walking and cycling route, the Golden Gate Bridge.

Officials who manage the bridge are looking for ways to keep the tourist destination operating with positive cash flow.  One of the proposals which is being considered is a toll for those looking to use the…

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Seattle releases details for first 5 years of Bike Master Plan

Seattle releases details for first 5 years of Bike Master Plan

Seattle Bike Master Plan 2019

Even though it’s a little late (3 months late), SDOT has finally released the details of the 5 year Bike Master Plan for Seattle.

Cycling as transportation has increased by 59 percent since 2011 so Seattle is in dire need of a comprehensive plan to react to the growth spurt.

The goals of the plan are safety focused with a mix of protected bike lanes, greenways and…

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Bike traffic jams in The Netherlands

Bike traffic jams in The Netherlands

Long queues at stop lights aren’t just for cars apparently.

Most bike advocacy groups point to the Dutch system as a model that local governments should strive to replicate.  Mostly everything I’ve read about how biking is embraced in The Netherlands looks great, but as this report shows they still have similar struggles to other cities across the nation.

The specific problem in this case is…

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A look at bike commuting in New Delhi

A look at bike commuting in New Delhi

Below is a fantastic look inside the world of bike commuting in New Delhi, India.  If you think you have it rough on your bike commute, you might want to consider how bad it could really get.

The 2 minute video short details the significant danger of bike commuting in India where in New Delhi alone, 3 cyclists or pedestrians are killed every single day.

I certainly have a finer appreciation for…

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Your fastest position may not be in the drops

Your fastest position may not be in the drops

It’s common knowledge that if you want to go fast on a bike, you need to find a way to push yourself and your bike through the biggest barrier to speed, wind resistance.  The long-standing approach to overcoming wind resistance is a lower position on the bike to lessen the impact of the biggest aero drag, your own body.

Bike Radar has a good article detailing some less obvious aspects of getting…

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Millennials driving less, riding more

Millennials driving less, riding more

When driving habits of Americans began to shift in the early 2000’s, it was assumed the cause was due to the sluggish economy.  Now a decade later with a somewhat revived economy, driving by the twenty-something crowd is still on the decline.

A report from the U.S. Public Interest Research Group and the Frontier Group details the trend of millennials gravitating more towards neighborhoods that…

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Weekend Rides: October 18th-19th

Weekend Rides: October 18th-19th

With only a 20% chance of rain and temps in the high 60’s forecast for this weekend, it’s a great time to get in an early Fall group ride before the weather becomes much more Seattle like.

Seems like most organized rides are scheduled for Sunday this weekend, so why not help out on the MTB trails on Saturday at the Grand Ridge work party?

On Sunday make sure you get your Coffeeneuring credit for…

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Kansas City makes harrassing cyclists and pedestrians a criminal act

Kansas City makes harrassing cyclists and pedestrians a criminal act

While a few other localities already have laws on the books to try to prevent harassment of non-driving road users by those in cars, Kansas City has gone one step further and made such harassment a criminal offence.  That means the possibility of jail time (up to 6 months) if you do the typical stupid stuff like throw things at, making threats towards or using your car as a way to intimidate…

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Route Review: Norway Hill

Route Review: Norway Hill

Norway Hill – Southbound

Overview

The south bound route up and over Norway Hill consists of a series of roads that take the rider from the Woodinville/Bothell area to Juanita in Kirkland.  This route is challenging due to the elevation change but is frequently traveled by those who enjoy climbing.

Since the route is lined with a significant amount of trees, it has many areas of shade.  This means…

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Making the world's tallest bike - STOOPIDTALLER

Making the world’s tallest bike – STOOPIDTALLER

I’ll be honest, I don’t quite understand the whole “tall bike” thing.  That being said, I’m completely amazed by people who both get it and embrace it with the enthusiasm to not only build and ride a tall bike, but to build the tallest tall bike in the world.

LABikeCult has posted a short video detailing what it took for Richie Trimble to build and ride the world’s tallest rideable bike late last…

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