Campaign encourages bikes and buses to safely share the road

If you’re a regular commuter/biker/walker/general patron of downtown Seattle, you may have seen the green and white banners on the sides of buses encouraging you to “be predictable” in order to safely share the road. The ads, which have been running on the sides of 30 buses running throughout the central business district since May, are part of a larger Share the Road campaign created by a new Bicycle/Bus Education & Safety Team and sponsored by King County Metro, Cascade Bicycle Club, and the Bicycle Alliance of Washington.

The goal is obvious: to enhance road safety and to depict bikers and Metro drivers as equal inhabitants of the same city streets. Through a Share the Road philosophy, King County Metro hopes to encourage patience, cooperation, and safe sharing of the roadway – and looking out for each other as a matter of course.

The campaign also features updated videos and web content on the Metro website, quarterly safety events at the bus bases, and increased instructional bus bike rack displays throughout King County – including an instructional bike rack at our office in Pioneer Square.

The Bicycle/Bus Education and Safety Team members include Eileen Kadesh and Ref Lindmark of Metro Market Development, Chief of Central Base Margo Minnix, Transit Safety Officer Dan Nuner, Dan Porter of Metro Training, John Mauro from Cascade Bicycle Club, and our very own Barbara Culp. They are hoping to start another round of ads next spring, possibly featuring a revamped message.

Thanks to Scott Chilberg for submitting this post.

Try Bike-and-Bus for Bike to Work Week!

Have you shied away from biking to work because your commute seems too long or a little too hilly?  Consider a bike-and-bus trip!  You can bus to work and bike home, or you can bus through a difficult segment and bike the rest.  Our friends at King County Metro and Sound Transit are offering a great promotional deal (as in FREE) on bike-and-bus trips during the week of May 14-18 in King County.  Here's their announcement:

King County Metro and Sound Transit encourage people to try bike-and-bus trips during Bike Month. During the week of May 14-18, any cyclist loading a bike on a Metro bus or ST Express bus operated in King County will ride free. ST Express routes included are: 540, 542, 545, 550, 554, 555, 556 and 560.

Each bus has three spaces on its bike rack, which are available on a first come/first served basis. If the bus bike rack is full, cyclists should be prepared to wait for the next bus or consider leaving their bike parked in a bike rack at a transit facility. Bike lockers are also available at many Metro and Sound Transit facilities.

Metro has display bike racks available at five locations around the county for new cyclists who want to try loading their bike in a pressure-free environment. Practice racks are available at North Seattle Community College, the University of Washington, Bellevue College, Alki Bike and Board in West Seattle and at the offices of the Bicycle Alliance of Washington in Pioneer Square. Detailed information on hours and locations can be found at http://metro.kingcounty.gov/tops/bike/rackfaq.html

Brown Bag Forum: Perspectives on Public Transportation

“Hey--you’re the Bicycle Alliance of Washington, not the Transit Alliance!”

True, but we don’t bike ALL the time.  Sometimes we drive, sometimes we walk, and sometimes we use public transit.  That’s why we’re co-hosting this lunchtime event in Seattle on April 18, and we hope you’ll join us.

Two national transportation experts will be on hand for an engaging discussion about public transportation.  Authors Jarrett Walker and Darrin Nordahl will discuss public transit from two different ends of the bus route:  technical simplicity—and fun.  Opening remarks will be provided by Seattle City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen.

Walker, author of Human Transit, believes that transit can be simple if we focus on the underlying geometry that all transit technologies share.  He supplies the basic tools, the critical questions, and the means to make smarter decisions about designing and implementing transit services.

Nordahl, a subscriber to The Fun Theory, is the author of Making Transit FUN!  He believes that emotion is a more powerful motivator than reason and argues that there should be a positive incentive—one that lures motorists because the experience of using transit is actually pleasurable.

Space is limited for this event, so please RSVP.

This event is co-hosted by Transportation Choices, Banyan Branch, Bicycle Alliance of Washington, Downtown Seattle Association, Commute Seattle, Cascade Bicycle Club, The Seattle Transit Blog, VIA Architecture, Feet First, GGLO, and Washington Environmental Council.

Some Planning Projects of Interest to Bicyclists

Bicycle friendly communities don't just happen. It takes public planning, citizen support, political will, funding and engineering.  There are opportunities in communities around the state to shape things in the planning stages to benefit bicyclists.  Here’s a sampling:

WSDOT’s SR 520 bridge replacement project is holding a Seattle community design public session on November 9.  The process is intended to further refine the basic features of this project.  The bridge replacement project includes bicycle pedestrian pathway and connections to it.  Meeting details are here.

Sound Transit’s light rail system expansion in Seattle and the Eastside (King County) have elements that impact bicyclists.  The North Link project has a couple of open houses scheduled to update the community on the Northgate Station (November 9) and Brooklyn Station (November 16).  Open house details can be found on the Sound Transit website.

The City of Federal Way is creating a Bicycle and Pedestrian master plan and held an open house on it last week.  You can still provide input.  More information can be found on the city website. 

Ferry County is developing a trail plan in a 28-mile railbanked corridor that stretches from Republic to the Canadian border.  Check out the Ferry County Rail Trail Partners to learn more about the planned trail.

Public comments are welcome through December 5, 2011 on the Sinclair Inlet Development Concept Plan.  The plan includes a trail connecting Bremerton and Port Orchard via Gorst.  View the plan online.

No to I-1125, Yes to Seattle Prop 1

The Bicycle Alliance Board adopted positions on two transportation measures - one state, one local - appearing on the November ballot:

“No” on State Initiative 1125

I-1125, the latest scheme from initiative pro Tim Eyman, prohibits variable tolls and congestion management of tolled facilities.  It will take tolling authority out of the hands of an independent, non-partisan commission and put it in the hands the state legislature - making Washington the only state in the country to put tolls in politicians' hands.  That means Seattle legislators can set tolls on projects in Wenatchee, and Spokane politicians will have a voice on Puget Sound decisions.  Projects that will be in jeopardy if I-1125 passes include the SR 520 bridge replacement - and its cross-lake bike path - across Lake Washington and Vancouver’s Columbia River Crossing, which also includes a bike facility.

But wait, there’s more. If passed, I-1125 will kill the expansion of light rail across Lake Washington to Bellevue, Redmond and other east King County communities. Why? Because the initiative includes a clause explicitly restricting light rail's use of I-90 as it crosses Lake Washington.

“Yes” on Seattle Transportation Benefit District Proposition 1

Proposition 1 is a 10-year $200 million investment package that will fund bicycle, pedestrian, transit and street improvements.  Nearly half the funding is targeted to improvements that will speed up bus service around Seattle.  Notably for cycling, it increases current bicycle funding by 33%.

These investments are significant because they prioritize family-friendly bike infrastructure, increases in safety for everyone with new sidewalks, better crosswalks, repave and repair local streets to make them work better for everyone. For each year of its 10-year life, Proposition 1 will directly dedicate $1.4 million to bicycle improvements, $3 million for pedestrian and neighborhood improvements, up to $7 million in roadway maintenance improvements that can include Complete Streets elements, and close to $10 million in transit improvements.

Apart from the Bicycle Alliance's interest in supporting local measures across the state that improve bicycling conditions, this vote is important in the statewide context because it shows that we want more investments in transit, street maintenance & operations, and bicycle and pedestrian improvements.

Join us in voting next Tuesday for a better transportation future!

Demonstration bike loading policy in downtown Seattle to become permanent

Last February, King County Metro dropped its restriction on loading bikes on buses at transit stops in downtown Seattle's Ride Free Area as a demonstration policy.  Since an evaluation of this demonstration policy reveals that there have been no problems with safety, operation, or on-time performance, this policy becomes permanent next month.

A big thanks to Metro for making this a permanent policy.  The Bicycle Alliance of Washington and Cascade Bicycle Club have advocated for this policy change for many years, and it's rewarding to have this loading restriction eliminated.  The Bicycle Alliance helped with community outreach on this policy change.  We have also provided information on how to load/unload bikes on buses and have had a demo rack available to practice on in our BikePort facility.

Bikes and Buses, Part 2: Bike Parking

Kristin Kinnamon of Community Transit is a bike commuter, bike advocate, and sits on the Bicycle Alliance of Washington's Board of Directors.  She wrote this article for the Community Transit blog and we would like to share it with you:

Bikes and Buses, Part 2:  Bike Parking

Bikes and Buses, Part 1: Bike Racks

Kristin Kinnamon works for Community Transit in Snohomish County.  She is also a bike commuter and sits on the Bicycle Alliance of Washington Board.  She recently wrote this post for the Community Transit blog that we would like to share with you:

Bikes and Buses, Part 1:  Bike Racks

Bikes on Light Rail Kick-Off

The Bicycle Alliance is excited to be kicking off its Bikes on Light Rail project in Southeast Seattle at Bike Works' Kid Bike Swap on May 8, 2010 from 10am-4pm at Genesee Playfield. Kids will get to test their new bikes and learn riding skills on a course we set up, and we will be provide maps and information about taking bikes on transit and places to ride in their neighborhoods. The Bicycle Alliance is a Gold Level sponsor of the 2010 Kids Bike Swap.

We are promoting bikes on light rail as part of a joint project with Transportation Choices Coalition to promote the use of light rail to Southeast Seattle residents with our focus on combining it with bicycling. The Bikes on Light Rail project is generously funded by a grant from Boeing.

Future Bikes on Light Rail activities include organizing and leading short rides for the Beacon Hill Elementary School Bike Club, organizing neighborhood rides to Link Light Rail stations, and matching new riders with Bike Buddies.