How about old guy with sore legs? Honestly it if you walk a few hills it doesn’t take that much longer (maybe 5 minutes on a 20 mile ride) and after month or two I can ride most of the way to the top.

And then again this afternoon.. would you rather put in your commute time packed in a bus with 80 of your closest and dearest unwashed friends? Or on a bicycle?

Portland is rated as a “platinum” bike friendly city (Seattle is gold) because it has more extensive and integrated services and marked pathways for bikes. Seattle is finally doing that too, and our state legislature is working on something I think is called complete street legislation, which would require all new and restructured roadways to take the needs of cyclists into account when in the design and construction stage.

I am new to bike commuting – literally! I started this month as a part of bike to school month (I’m a teacher). Previously I carpooled with another teacher, and before that I drove alone.

The hills in Seattle are tough – especially for new bikers. But there are many alternatives, including buses and electric assist bikes. The more our city bike facilities are expanded, the more bike lane and trail miles we have, the more people who will choose to bike at least part of the time. And I don’t care what your bike looks like, what your gear looks like, how far or how fast you go. If you bike even part way to work, you are doing everyone and the Earth a service.

I have female friends who say they would bike more often to work, but the streets don’t feel safe to them. When I made the change, I carefully thought out my route from Greenlake to Capitol Hill. Now I mostly feel safe (except on Harvard East). I only wish I had started biking to work sooner. Change takes time and change takes change. I’m glad we are all making progress.

But yea it could be worse, they could be driving a car around. ;-)

That said, I do run to work at least once a week and hopefully more often with the better weather and lighter mornings – it only takes 20 minutes longer, while I have to cross traffic, I’m not really in traffic, I prefer running to biking and if the weather goes south, I don’t have to deal with biking home in the rain (or putting it on the bus or leaving it downtown).

on the other hand, one way to change the culture over time will be for more and more and more people to be seen out there on bikes. advocacy needs to change too – but that’s a can of worms i know well enough to stay away from.

somehow, i think (and strongly hope) that cycling will become a mid-tier campaign issue in the upcoming mayoral and city council elections. the nice thing is at least we’re heading in the right direction – it could be worse.

Today I commuted on a 28 year old bike originaly purchased in Fairbanks that got me to work at -40F, and has since been dragged across the country and back. But sometimes I run shopping errands on my $1,400 full suspension mountain bike with hydraulic disc brakes (otherwise it’s a backcountry toy that’s loaded up & driven to the trails).

Look at car lovers… hip hoppers with their 22 inch rims, lowriders pinstripping Impalas, boomers restoring street hot rods, muscle cars, etc, etc. Plenty of diversity there.

Let’s not demean fixies and bmx’ers. If it’s human powered and on wheels embrace it. Frankly I wouldn’t be caught dead on a recumbent, but nod to those I see on the road just the same.

The “bike as fashion accessory” types almost always have either a bmx/stunt bike or a fixed gear bike.

Oh, and I always loved when some neanderthal came to do maintenance or some hack came for a visit and would block the lane on the working-tower side of the bridge because he/she couldn’t be bothered to park in the specially built (added $$$ to the original cost of the bridge) lay-by and walk back to the tower he/she needed to access.

P.S. In may many years I have seen a few fatal motorcycle crashed on the steel bridge decks of Seattle. Be careful if you are a motorbike rider!!

for another one.

Bike lift video from Norway

For the bicycle report card. It has some of the ridership counts in it.

Also missing is the 520 connection. Plenty of people would do the Kirkland, UW ride if they didn’t have to go to Mercer Island and back North first.

Bike commuting is all about a complete connected safe ride. (and safe parking on both ends.)

MLK, South of Seward park is a great bicycle ride except that the bike lane for some critical spots has potholes and rough spots due to bad drainage under the pavement. It has a dedicated bike lane and the majority of drivers are very courteous.

Mercer Island would be a great ride except they have no bike lanes on the major roads and people seem to love to drive WIDE Suv’s… Ford Expeditions etc. Mostly it’s not an issue, but sometimes I get the brush by.