Go By Bike Program Gets Geared Up for 2012

The Go By Bike program is picking up speed and gathering momentum in 2012. We have acquired bicycles, helmets and tools for the program and are gearing up to teach bicycle safety and encourage bicycling. With grant support from WSDOT, the Bicycle Alliance is able to supply loaner bikes to participants in the Go By Bike program. The bikes are 2012 KHS Urban Xcape in both diamond and step through frame configurations. While we expect some students to have their own bikes, we did not want prospective students to be turned away for lack of a bike.

The program also supplies helmets and tools. As I wrote in an earlier post, the tools for the program were donated by Quality Bicycle Products. 

We are working with two elementary schools and four colleges to conduct safe bicycling courses in the spring, summer and fall of 2012 and spring of 2013. The elementary program engages parents of elementary students and the college program works with health and PE programs to offer a one-credit course to college students and community members.

As the Go By Bike Program Manager, I am excited and eager to get the program up to full speed. I have been working with college instructors and administrators to get the program institutionalized and to train the instructors. Participating colleges include Pierce, Olympic and Bellevue. The program for parents of elementary students is offered at Pioneer Elementary in Auburn and Suquamish Elementary in North Kitsap.

Please direct any inquiries regarding Go By Bike to joshm@bicyclealliance.org.

Year in Review: 2011 Highlights

What a productive year it has been at the Bicycle Alliance of Washington!  Bicycle advocates and active transportation partners helped us earn some legislative victories.  We’ve grown Safe Routes to School programs in communities across the state.  We refined our vision, mission and goals through an inclusive strategic planning process.

Legislative Victories

The Bicycle Alliance and our legislative partners passed a bill that incorporates teaching motorists how to safely drive around bicyclists and pedestrians in Traffic School curriculum.  The vulnerable user bill was finally passed this session, strengthening penalties under the negligent driving laws.  We also passed a bill that established (but didn’t fund) a Complete Streets grant program that encourages local jurisdictions to adopt complete streets ordinances.  Read the 2011 Legislative Wrap Up.

Over 100 active transportation, transit and rail advocates gathered in Olympia in February for Transportation Advocacy Day.  We are one of the organizers for this annual event and our constituents were well represented by 8 Bicycle Alliance board members and 6 staff.  Read more about the 2011 TAD.

Safe Routes to School

We’ve been busy this year helping participating school districts in south King County implement a comprehensive Safe Routes program in their schools.  The Bicycle Alliance taught teachers in 31 school districts across Washington State how to instruct students on safe biking and walking skills.  We now have a second staff person who is nationally certified to teach Safe Routes to School.

Go by Bike, a pilot program designed to bring bicycle safety education to college students, was launched this year with outreach to partnering schools in the Puget Sound region.  Learn more about Go by Bike.

Strategic Plan

The Bicycle Alliance hosted a two-day strategic planning summit that included the participation of 40 stakeholders representing bike clubs, elected officials, health organizations, advocacy partners, transportation agencies, planners, urban and rural interests.  This inclusive process resulted in a revised vision, mission and goals for the organization.  Read the details here.

Other Highlights

We took our Hub & Spoke outreach tour to Olympia, Mount Vernon and Spokane to network with community advocates and discuss issues big and small.  We met with stakeholders in the Methow Valley to begin coordinating our work on the US Bicycle Route System.  We were in Vancouver to participate in the annual policy makers’ ride.  We worked with the Peninsula Trails Coalition to weigh in on the alternatives proposed by Olympic National Park for the Olympic Discovery Trail.  We worked with WSDOT and regional bike advocates to find acceptable solutions to improve bicycle safety on the Hood Canal Bridge.  We coordinated efforts with Futurewise and community activists to rally support for and pass a Complete Streets ordinance in Spokane.

To date, over 4600 Share the Road license plates have been sold in Washington State.  Funds from the purchase of these plates have supported our education activities, including the development and distribution of curriculum that teaches motorists how to safely share the road with bicyclists and pedestrians.

Internet outreach highlights:

Over 195,000 unique visitors to our website in 2011

Over 17,000 unique viewers of the blog

Bike Bites e-newsletter was distributed to over 3000 advocates each month

Facebook – 700+ followers – an 85% increase over 2010

We started to Twitter late this year and have over 250 followers

Going by Bike in Tacoma

Today's guest blogger is Tacoma resident Carla Gramlich. Now that she is newly retired, she has more time for biking, photography, traveling, and guest blogging.  All photos by the author.

Since I am going to be out of town for almost a month, I decided to stay closer to town this last weekend.  There were some fun things to do in Tacoma and I was free to participate.  First up, was a Community Garden Bicycle Tour which met up at the Franklin Park Community Garden.  I noticed right away a different dynamic for this group ride--I was the oldest rider!  But that didn’t seem to matter to the rest of the riders and we went off to check out some Community Gardens.

The first garden was built on an old substation lot.  The fencing was recycled and was tall enough to keep out the deer that has been known to appear in this area.  It was a beautiful garden complete with a gazebo on a cement pad that was also a leftover from its former substation days.  A lovely sign over the gate was a welcome addition.

The second garden of the tour was the Orchard and Vine Community Garden and neighbors were having a bake sale to raise funds for the garden.  We were informed that the lot was vacant and unsightly before the transformation with raised boxes of fruits, vegetables and flowers.

We completed our tour with at the Baltimore Retirement Center.  This small garden included raised planting beds that were ADA accessible and volunteers that were excited to shows us art projects that were created by the seniors.  The ride ended up at the Proctor Farmers Market were I enjoyed lunch while listening to a jazz trio.

From the Farmer’s Market, I pedaled to the grand opening of the Tacoma Co-op.  It has taken lots of volunteer and recruiting many members to make this happen but it has finally opened.  It was interesting to hear about all the products that came from the Northwest and many that were from Tacoma.  The central location of the Co-op is a plus for bicyclists or those who prefer transit.  The City is helping with more bicycle parking and I parked at one of the newly installed bike racks.

I completed some errands, visited with some friends and had dinner at the Hub, a local bicycle hangout.  My grand total for mileage was 22 and I enjoyed riding with new and old friends on such a lovely day in Tacoma. 

Getting more people on bikes

How does a bicycle group successfully get more people on bikes? There are many ways to go about it, one way is through an ad campaign. Market bicycling - show people on bikes or like everybodyBIKE did, show pictures of people who do a lot of things, including ride bikes.

I think that a lot of non-cyclists view bicycling as a sport, as something that middle aged men in Lycra do on the weekends, or as something that people are forced to do because they've either lost their drivers license or can't afford to drive. While the above assumptions may be true for some people, it certainly doesn't describe me or many of my friends and co-workers.

There are many reasons people choose to bike, some do it for the exercise, some for the environment, because it's fun, to save money and some because they don't have another vehicle. I think that if we want to be successful in getting more people of all ages, males and females on bikes, then we need to show images of all types of people who are bicyclists.

Bike Maps

Are you ready to try biking to work or school but you're unsure of a decent route?  Are you interested in finding new bike trails to explore?  Maybe you want to explore a particular part of the state by bike but you're not familiar with the area.

There's a good chance that there's a bike map out there that can assist you with planning your routes and adventures.  Many of our cities and counties have produced bike maps that show routes commonly used by bicyclists.  They can help you find low-traffic streets, streets with bike lanes or shoulders, and local bike trails.  There's even a state bike map produced by WSDOT.

Do you live in Vancouver and work in Portland?  You're in luck!  The City of Vancouver has a bike map that includes bike routes in Portland.  You can request a hard copy of the bike map or view it online.  Check here for details.

Maybe you're a freshman at Western Washington University and you brought your bike to campus but you're not familiar with Bellingham area.  No worries.  Just get your hands on the Bellingham and Whatcom County bike maps.

Are you itching to explore the John WayneTrail or the Olympic Discovery Trail?  Maybe you'd like to spend time touring the Columbia River Gorge or the Walla Walla wine country.  There are maps to assist you with route finding.

A section of the Bicycle Alliance website is dedicated to bike maps.  You’ll find links to many bike and trail maps, most of which can be viewed and downloaded.  You’ll also find links to sites that allow users to post their favorite bike rides and map their own routes.  Check it out!

Biking with my Councilman

I was biking along side one of my City Councilmen a couple weeks ago, updating him on how our Complete Streets Policy Development workshop went. We talked about some of the local streets that seemed, in my mind, incomplete and some fixes that may or may not work. I thanked him for his support of bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and told him how great it was that he not only supported the concept of bicycling for transportation, but that he himself was a cyclist. How important it is that he can relate to the issues that come up and see firsthand what it is that we are talking about when we speak of streets that don't work well for bicyclists.

Now how did I get so lucky as to bike along side my Councilman? Well, everybodyBIKE organized a series of 17 Summer Rides that take place every other Friday and Sunday. These rides have been phenomenally successful, ranging in participation from 10 -100 people! Participants also vary in age from little kids in trailers to 80 years old. There are cruisers, mountain bikes, road bikes, people in spandex and bike shoes, as well as dress clothes and heels. It's a wonderful mix of people who are joined together for a common love, bikes.

I hope that your town has a similar ride, it may not be as extensive as the Summer Rides, but it's a great way to meet new people, and possibly chat with your elected officials.

Ten lessons for a vibrant city

Even though I've been back in Seattle for a week, my head and heart are still in Copenhagen, Denmark where I attended a study tour underwritten by the Scan/Design Foundation, and lead by i-Sustain . The weeklong tour was a guided whirlwind of the best bicycling practices in a city known for its world-class bicycle facilities and biking culture.

10 Lessons learned from the seat of my 3-speed red rental bike:

1) Think out of the car and beyond the oil barrel to energy independence. Denmark began planning for bikes, buses, trains, and subways during the oil crisis in the mid 1970s.

2) Really, truly you can share the road, and do so safely. It's about planning for "soft traffic" which means giving bike riders and pedestrians separate facilities--sidewalks and cycle tracks that get a "green" traffic signal before motorists.

3) Think beyond money. Envision a vibrant, vital city which embraces biking as an inexpensive transportation option.

4) Arrive by bike, bus or train. When I asked a city employee how he got to the meeting, he replied, "by bus, we're not allowed to drive to meetings."

 5) Separated facilities have fostered a 37% bicycling rate. Cycle tracks are a separate facility running on all major roads in Copenhagen. They parallel sidewalks, and traffic lanes. They have fostered a main street atmosphere with reduced noise levels.

6) Blue lanes through intersections coupled with a green light ahead of motorists has reduced traffic conflicts and collisions. The lanes clearly show the bicyclist where to ride, and gives motorists a visual cue to watch for both people on bikes and on foot.

7) Biking skills are taught to every school child. Red Cross and other non-profits teach bicycle skills to immigrants. Copenhagen is planning for a 50% bike ridership by 2015.

8) No lycra--just people riding in jeans, skirts, shorts, suits, dresses.

 

9) Offer options: not everyone wants to ride on the cycle tracks. Denmark doesn't have steep hills but they do have open minds about providing options over and around obstacles.

10) Cycling should be as easy as walking. I'm still processing what I learned; the study tour was an eye-opening experience. I've changed my thinking and I'm committed to working with my study-tour colleagues to bring some of these best practices to Seattle and other Washington cities.

8+ Fabulous Reasons to Bike

At a staff meeting this week, we discussed our favorite reasons to bike to work. I developed the following list, and encourage you to add to it:

1. FRIENDLY & Fabulous

2. ACTIVE & healthy activity outdoors

3. BEAUTIFUL bodies

4. UNDERGROUND out of the rain 24-7 parking

5. LOSE weight

6. ONE LESS CAR on the road

7. UTILITARIAN -- combine with bus

8. SHOP by bike, SAVES time and gas

Community Bike Shops

What do you do with the bike that your 10-year-old has outgrown?  Or perhaps you've just upgraded to a fancier road bike and you'd like to find a good home for your trusty old steed.

Maybe you're a student on a tight budget and you'd like to do some simple repairs on your bike, but you live in a dorm and don't have the right tools.  Maybe you live in your own home and regularly host out-of-town guests and it might be nice to have an inexpensive bike in the garage to lend to them.

It's time to check out a community bike shop.

Community bike shops are nonprofit groups, often run by volunteers, that refurbish and recycle bikes at low-cost or free to the community.  They're appearing all across Washington State and there may be one or more in your town.

Bike Works, in Seattle, operates a full service bike shop.  They sell refurbished bikes, offer maintenance and repair services, and sell accessories and parts.  They also offer an earn-a-bike program for kids.

Live in Everett?  Check out Sharing Wheels. Besides refurbishing and reselling bikes at low-cost, Sharing Wheels has earn-a-bike opportunities for troubled teens and low-income adults.  They also have a co-op program where members have access to shop space and tools for do-it-yourself bike repair.

Pedals2People is a do-it-yourself community bike shop in Spokane. They provide low-cost access to shop space and tools and they offer a variety of bike repair and maintenance classes, including a Ladies Mechanics Class. Like the other community bike shops, P2P also sells used bikes.

These three programs are a sampling of community bike organizations in our state.  The Bike Collective Network has a listing of community bike shops in Washington State.  Do you know of a community bike shop that's not on the list?  Tell us about it.

Meet Josh Miller

Say hello to Josh Miller.  A Seattle resident since 1999, Josh joined the Bicycle Alliance staff this month to lead our Go By Bike program.

Josh has a passion for bicycling and sustainable transportation.  He had an earlier career in the bicycle industry and later studied the connections between biking, the built environment and urban planning in his graduate work. He has worked on various urban and regional planning projects in the Northwest and beyond.  Besides utilitarian riding, Josh likes mountain biking, BMX riding and recreational road rides.

As the Go By Bike program manager, Josh will be working with four colleges in the Puget Sound region to develop and implement bicycle skills curricula.  He will also work with parents from two elementaries with Safe Routes to School programs to encourage them to bike with their kids.

Josh is pleased to be part of the Bicycle Alliance team.  "I'm really enthusiastic about doing bicycle education, advocacy and community outreach work," he stated.  "I am glad to be part of an organization with a mission that I support."

When he’s not fulfilling his love of bicycling Josh can be found hiking, skiing, climbing, photographing or working on various carpentry and woodworking projects.

It's been a Long time and a Long Bike

I haven't written a blog post in quite a few months, some of you may have noticed, many probably didn't. My Dad was diagnosed with brain cancer in July 2009, in July 2010 my parents moved to Bellingham. Last winter his health started to decline, thus I was spending a lot more time at their house. With working full time, and having my own family to take care of as well, I made the decision to take a break from some of my volunteer activities until things settled down. I wish I could say this story had a happy ending, however, there is no cure for brain cancer, so after living a full and wonderful life my Dad passed away on February 11, 2011. I am fortunate to have had him as a Dad, and fortunate to have shared a love of bicycling with him.

That being said, let's talk about bikes now. I decided last January that I really needed a new bike. The bike I had was a Trek 4300, a bright orange mountain bike that I tried really hard for nine years to turn into a commuter bike. I added a rack and fenders, neither of which really fit, thus, the fenders were constantly rubbing on the tires and driving me crazy. Also, I knew the time was coming that I'd need to replace the drive train. The chain would make the dreaded 'ker-clunk' sound when I shifted, sometimes it would shift right away, other times it would wait awhile and shift when it felt necessary. With as much biking as I do, and since we choose to own one car, my husband and I decided a new bike was a good idea.

After giving it much thought, I finally decided I wanted a long bike. For one, my daughter could sit on the back and I could drop her off at school, or pick her up, and she wouldn't need her bike. This was helpful because there are some days when I drop her off, but don't pick her up, or vice verse. The second reason is they are simply amazing and awesome, I use my bike a lot for work, having to haul supplies to schools for bike education presentations, and the long bike can carry SO MUCH cargo!

Once I decided on the long bike I had to decide which one to get. It cam down to three choices:

The Trek Transport, a new bike on the market. It is very sleek looking, and
has a front rack as well as the extended rear rack, however, the major downfall of this bike is that the carrying capacity of the rear rack is only 100 lbs. After talking with my local bike shop employee, he said he wouldn't recommend the Transport if one of my main uses of the bike was to haul my daughter. He did, however, recommend the same bike he owned.


The Surley Big Dummy Complete. This was a few steps (and hundreds of dollars) above the Trek. It has disc breaks both front and rear, a steel frame and a carrying capacity of 400 lbs (including driver). The Xtracycle is built right into the frame. It's a beast built for hauling some serious cargo!




The third bike I was considering was the Kona Ute. Priced lowest of these three bikes, the Ute is also very sleek looking (check out those panniers!), and has a carrying capacity of 300+ lbs. Sadly it only comes in 18" and 20" frame sizes. Not very helpful for a 5'2" rider.



When it came time for me to make a decision I opted to go with the Big Dummy. It was in my mind, the best of the three, a very high quality bike, built to do just what I needed, haul heavy cargo. Also, it came personally recommended by someone I trusted. This is huge when shelling out over $1,000 for a bike. But really, what sealed the deal, is that my Mom offered to contribute $1,000 towards the bike (from my Dad's life insurance). So, while it saddens me to no end that the main reason I have my Big Dummy is because my Dad passed away, I can be happy knowing that he would have loved the bike and would be happy knowing that he was able to help me get it.
Stay tuned for blog posts on carrying ridiculous amounts of cargo. And a sometimes ridiculous 8 year old.

Do YOU have a long bike? Which one? What is the heaviest/biggest/most amazing thing you've hauled on your bike (long bike or not)?

Thoughts on using my bike more often

Today's blog post was submitted by Kristi Moen, a Bicycle Alliance member and volunteer.  She lives in Burien.

Photo by Kristi Moen.

Last year at this time, I decided, rather spontaneously, that I would set a goal of using my car only 600 miles each month in 2010. While it seems like a lot to some who ride most of the time, it’s well below the national average. I thought I had a shot at achieving my goal. I live near the new Link light rail line so that I can easily get downtown. I commute to work on my bike roughly half the time. My community in Burien is fairly small so that I can walk, jog or ride to most places.

But – and you knew this was coming – I didn’t make it. My total mileage was 10,269, 255 miles above my monthly goal. It seems that other interests can get in the way of riding. For example, if I want to snowboard or hike, I must drive to the mountains. And I participate in a swimming workshop 20 miles from my house. Plus, sometimes I simply need my car for work or for appointments.

Still, taking a conscious look at how I get around put my routine under a microscope. So I learned. I learned that the true achievement from setting a goal was in the understanding I gained about my driving and riding attitudes. The actual miles I drove or rode were not that important. I also learned that I can comfortably ride my bike in street clothes, something I’ve avoided. I learned that a little rain doesn’t ruin the groceries I carry home on my bike nor does a little cold weather cause me any harm. And I learned that helmets don’t have to mean bad hair, a popular reason cited by women for not using a bicycle for transportation.

There’s more, some frivolous, some not, but I’ll stop there. In 2011, I will continue using my bike for transportation and encourage anyone in our urban area to find ways of putting walking, cycling and public transportation together for better health and a cleaner environment. It’s not hard, just a different way of looking at mobility.

Go by Bike: Bicycle Boulevards

Berkeley bike boulevard.

During a visit to the San Francisco Bay area in 2006, I spent a transformational day traveling around Berkeley on bike boulevards. It was my first experience using an interconnecting network of bike boulevards and I was hooked.

Bike boulevards are city streets—usually residential streets with low and slow traffic-- that have been modified to give bicycle travelers priority. Berkeley clearly marks its bike boulevards with large pavement markings and easy-to- spot directional signs, making it pretty easy to navigate my way around town.


streetfilms.org/Sarah Syed


The real appeal of bike boulevards for me--and I suspect for many other folks--is that they are pleasant places to ride.  I traveled all around Berkeley using quiet residential streets and passing through interesting neighborhoods. I visited parks, small business districts, the college campus and the bay following the bike boulevard network.

Cars must turn but bikes can go straight.

Although the bike boulevards used streets that are open to all, techniques are employed to discourage through traffic except bikes.  Berkeley's bike boulevard streets have diverters that direct motorized vehicles off the street every few blocks.

At an arterial intersection, cars were again directed to turn right but I queued up in a bike lane that allowed me to continue forward.  A pavement marking shows where to position your bike to ensure that the traffic signal detects you.

Cyclist waits in lane to cross arterial.

Bike boulevards are gaining traction across the country.  Besides Berkeley, you can find these facilities in Portland (OR), Madison (WI), Tuscon (AZ) and Wilmington (NC) to name a few.  In Washington State, the cities of Seattle, Spokane and Tacoma have identified bike boulevards in their bike plans.

Info on Berkeley's bike boulevard network can be found on the City's website.  Check out this StreetFilms video about Berkeley's bike boulevard network.

Cars and the Holidays: Bah, Humbug!

The Holiday season is upon us, and with it one of my least favorite December traditions: harried drivers circling around shopping mall parking lots and downtown streets, looking for a place to park.

The Holidays bring with them great joy, but undeniably bring stress as well--what with shopping, entertaining, and meeting other peoples’ expectations. But add to that the inevitable road and parking congestion that accompanies it all, and it’s enough to drive some people over the edge.  This was brought home to me several years ago on Christmas eve, when a young man with whom I’d crossed vehicular paths in the supermarket parking lot jumped out of his beater Mercedes sedan and began banging his fist on my driver's-side window while screaming obscenities. Merry Christmas to all, indeed.

Is there another way?  Yes. While eliminating the stress of the Holidays is a tall order, there are ways to decrease it, and feel better about yourself and the rest of humanity. Step one: ride your bike.  Bundle up and set aside some time to enjoy the outdoors on two wheels when the weather permits.  Savor those endorphins.

While you’re at it, why not run some Holiday errands by bike?  I tried it at a local mall on a recent Saturday. And while negotiating 100 acres of asphalt on my vintage Trek was a little daunting, I have to admit to having felt a little smug as I left to take the back roads home, looking out at the slow-and-go traffic on I-5.

Finally, make a New Year’s resolution to be an active bicycle advocate. Then maybe we can give each other the best gift of all—future Holiday seasons where travel by car is a choice, not a necessity.  The Dutch and the Danes have figured out how to do it. We can, too.

If you need some inspiration, take a look at this video from European blogger David Hembrow and see how Dutch kids and their parents greet St. Nick.

 (Cargo bike photos by Mikael Colville-Andersen.)

Bicycle City

pedbikeimages.org/Dan Burden

Imagine a planned car-free community where people can live, play, work and visit.  This community includes trails, community gardens, schools, housing and more.  Residents and visitors park their vehicles on the perimeter of the community and walk or bike into the neighborhood.

This utopian car-free community is built with sustainability in mind.  Buildings have small footprints and are energy efficient.  Paths and trails are built with permeable surfaces so they will have minimal impact on the earth, and gardens are organic.  Schools are within biking or walking distance, and a nearby greenway connects you to rail and transit.

Now imagine that this community is called Bicycle City and it's located in the USA.  Sound too good to be true?  Well think again.  The first Bicycle City is breaking ground on December 11 near Columbia, South Carolina, and first home sites will be for sale soon.  Learn more about the South Carolina project here.

The folks behind Bicycle City are thinking big.  They hope the Columbia community becomes a model for other planned Bicycle Cities around the country and around the world.  They have already evaluated many states, including Washington, and have identified potential locations for future Bicycle Cities.

Bicycle City, Washington.  Sounds pretty inviting, doesn't it?

Shopping by Bike

The following guest post was submitted to us by member Woody Wheeler of Seattle.  You can also follow Woody on his own blog, Conservation Catalyst.

Many car trips in the United States are less than one mile, a readily bikeable or walkable distance. Yet, some of us drive our ton+ vehicles and ignite fossil fuels to go this far. There are better ways to go.  Cities like Seattle are promoting non-car alternatives http://www.seattle.gov/waytogo/drivelessefforts.htm

I hate shopping, but biking makes it not only tolerable, but fun. You get exercise, and you experience the simple pleasure of cruising around in the open air, including up and down hills. You see more people; you experience the wind, the weather, the birds and wildlife, the changes in seasons, the interesting yards, landscapes, buildings, and other surroundings in your neighborhood. At the end of your trip, you feel good, as opposed to drained or lethargic from a car trip.

Photo by Woody Wheeler.

Mike Royko, the late great Chicago columnist used to lampoon a mythical lazy American prototype he called “Rollin’ Wheels.” Rollin never went anywhere “without steel belted radials underneath him.” It’s time to substitute two bicycle tires, or our own two feet for the steel-belted radials. If you insist upon having big wheels beneath you, take public transit. The planet and your health stand to benefit.

These Boots Were Made for Biking

And that’s just what they’ll do!

As I pedaled my vintage blue cruiser (it’s a Kia, did you know they used to make bikes?) to work this morning I couldn’t help but put myself inside the heads of the car drivers who shared the road with me on our commute to work.

“Wow, she’s wearing a skirt and biking, maybe I could do that"


“I remember when I had a bike on my basket.”


“Those are cool boots; I never would have thought to wear high heeled boots while biking.”


“Isn’t it kind of early for a Halloween costume?”

Okay, I made the last one up just now, but sometimes I do feel like I’m wearing a costume when I’m decked out in my neon yellow jacket, bike gloves, rain pants and helmet. I certainly don’t look fashionable (those that know me well are laughing right now, since I never look fashionable.)

Now, I’m not knocking neon yellow jackets, I wear mine often, especially since we have so many grey and rainy days in Bellingham. I also have an obnoxiously bright pink vest courtesy of Feet First that is super reflective for night riding.

I bike in my work clothes, skirts, dress pants or jeans. And yes, I admit, sometimes I don’t wear my yellow vest. Like this morning, I just couldn’t bring myself to put it on over my olive green jacket. Even I know that would clash, and it would take away from the whole ‘your bike is a fashion accessory’ look that I was going for.

I want to show people that you don’t have to wear spandex shorts and a jersey just to get to work or the grocery store. You don’t even need special biking shoes (although I do think my boots are pretty special). I understand that this attire won’t work for everyone, if your commute is many miles, or uphill, you might need to change your clothes when you get to work. But for those that can do it, have fun! Wear high heeled shoes and a skirt on your next bike ride, just think of all the people you’ll inspire, or at least make smile. Because biking is fun, but biking in heels is a blast!

Northwest Bicycle Commuting: Washington gets the booby prize--but why?

Want to increase the rate of bike commuting everywhere? It's all about the infrastructure

The League of American Bicyclists may have anointed Washington as America’s most bicycle-friendly state; but when it comes to bike commuting in the Northwest, we rank dead last.

That news came in an October 7 post on Sightline Daily, an e-newspaper from the Sightline Institute, a Seattle-based non-profit think tank devoted to Northwest sustainability.

Sightline’s Eric de Place analyzed census data about commuting in the four-state region (Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana). The fact that Oregon leads the pack, with 2.3 percent of all commuters getting to work on two wheels, probably won’t surprise anyone. But what’s sobering is that Washington was whooped by Montana (with a 1.7 percent bike-commuting rate) and Idaho (with a 1.2 percent rate) as well. Washington's bike-commuting rate is 0.9 percent.

Northwest bike-commuting statistics look pretty anemic everywhere when you compare them with world leaders such as the Netherlands, where 27 percent of all trips--not just commute trips--are by bike. But Washington’s comparatively poor showing even among local states should be food for thought among local bike advocates and transportation planners.

As might be expected, three of the top six regional bike-commuting cities were college towns. Eugene came out on top with a 10.8 percent bike-commuting rate, and was the only city to reach double digits.  Missoula, in weather-unfriendly Montana, came in second, at 7.2 percent; while Bellingham was number four at 5.2 percent.  Others in the top six were Portland (number three, at 5.8 percent), Boise (number five, at 4.2 percent) and Seattle (number six, at 3.0 percent, or a little more than half of Portland’s rate).

Other Washington cities were well down on the charts. Spokane was Number 9 with a 1.9 percent bike-commuting rate; Tacoma was Number 18 (0.7 percent), Vancouver was Number 19 (0.6 percent), Everett was Number 20 (0.5 percent), and Bellevue was Number 21 (0.4 percent). Kent had the honor of being last among all listed cities, coming in at Number 28 with zero percent of its citizens getting to work by bike. (If you work in Kent, I’d love to have you prove the United States Census Bureau wrong on that one.)

The good news is that Washington was ranked Number 1 in the Northwest for the percentage of workers who take public transit to work (a relatively low 5.9 percent, but still better than the other states).  Seattle was the most transit-oriented of the region’s cities; 19.5 percent of workers there get to their jobs by transit.  Also, Bellingham and Seattle ranked Number 1 and 2, respectively, in the percentage of those who walk to work. (De Place’s post called Seattle “the Northwest’s clear leader in commute-trip alternatives.”) Finally, Washingtonians do carpool at a higher rate (11.3 percent) than other Northwest states.

But why does Washington do relatively badly when it comes to cycle commuting? I put the question to de Place by email.  He didn’t have a definitive answer but did offer some ideas.

First, he said that Seattle—at least compared with most other North American cities--wasn’t a bad cycling town. “Biking in big, dense congested cities is hard,” he said, “at least given American transportation culture and bike infrastructure…There’s no question that Seattle can do better, but it’s not like there are all that many [American] big cities that do wildly better. Portland has done awesome things, no question about it, but it’s also the leading edge.”

But de Place added that “the alarm bells go off when I see the dismal stats for Tacoma, Bellevue, Spokane, etc.”  He said there may be many reasons for the low bike-commuting rates in these cities, but added that “the sheer size of the Puget Sound Metro area is a factor that prevents or discourages biking for some significant share of the trips.”  

But to de Place, in the end it gets down to infrastructure. “I strongly believe there’s a big pent-up demand for bike infrastructure. Make it safe and even relatively convenient and I think we’ll see huge numbers of people shift to [cycling] for at least a portion of their commutes and trips. But as long as our transportation policies treat bike infrastructure as basically ornamental, we’ll only see piecemeal and incremental progress.”