Portland Art Museum Cyclepedia gallery: Bianchi

Catch 40 extraordinary bicycles that will bedazzle and maybe even bewilder you.

In its only US appearance at the Portland Art Museum, Cyclepedia: Iconic Bicycle Design brilliantly navigates the evolution of bicycle design. Drawn from the collection of Vienna-based designer and bike aficionado Michael Embacher, this special exhibition features bicycles chosen by Embacher as examples of pivotal moments in the evolution of bicycle design. The exhibition will include racing, mountain, single speed, touring, tandem, urban, folding, cargo, curiosities, and children’s bicycles.

The Embacher Collection includes more than 200 functioning bicycles and has seldom been accessible to a large audience. Prior to the special exhibition, Embacher published a coffee table book, Cyclepedia, feauring the first 100 bicycles in his collection. A related iPad app is also available.

The Cyclepedia exhibit runs through September 8 at the Portland Art Museum. As a program partner for the exhibit, the Bicycle Alliance of Washington is offering members a coupon card worth 50% off a regular adult admission ($15). This offer is good for current members only and only one card is available per member. Email Elliott Bangs with your name and mailing address to take advantage of this offer.

Not a Bicycle Alliance member? Join us today, then take advantage of the offer.

The post Cyclepedia: Iconic Bicycle Design appeared first on Bicycle Alliance of Washington.

Chris’s schedule is listed below with dates and cities that he should be passing through.  If you’d like to meet up with him send him an email to let him know; include the date and city so you can coordinate: Chris.Phelan@rideofsilence.org.

In Spokane, Ride of Silence organizer Roger Schramm is putting out the call to get local riders to meet Chris. Contact rogers@garcobuildings.com if you want to participate.

Dates and Cities List

Sat, Jul 6, 2013, Everett, WA: Best Western Cascadia Inn 425-258-4141

Sun, Jul 7, Sedro-Woolley, WA: Three Rivers Inn 425-258-4141

Mon, Jul 8, Winthrop, WA: The Virginian Resort 509-996-2535

Tue, Jul 9, Coulee Dam, WA: Columbia River Inn 509-633-2100

Wed, Jul 10, Spokane, WA: Econo Lodge 509-747-2021

Thu, Jul 11, Sandpoint, ID: Quality Inn Sandpoint 208-263-2111

Fri, Jul 12, Thompson Falls, MT: Rimrock Motel 406-827-3536

Sat, Jul 13, Missoula, MT: Campus Inn 406-549-5134

Sun, Jul 14, Butte, MT: Super-8 Butte 406-494-6000

Mon, Jul 15, Bozeman, MT: Days Inn Bozeman 406-587-5251

Tue, Jul 16, Columbus, MT: Super -8 Columbus 406-322-4101

Wed, Jul 17, Powell, WY: Super-8 Powell 307-754-7231

Thu, Jul 18, Sheridan, WY: Best Western Sheridan 307-674-7421

Fri, Jul 19, Gillette, WY: Best Western Gillette 307-686-2210

Sat, Jul 20, Custer, SD: Super 8 Custer 605-673-2200

Sun, Jul 21, Rapid City, SD: Best Western Rapid City 605-343-5383

Mon, Jul 22, Murdo, SD: Graham’s Best Western 605-669-2441

Tue, Jul 23, Mitchell, SD: Super-8 Mitchell 605-996-9678

Wed, Jul 24, Worthington, MN: Travel Lodge 507-372-2991

Thu, Jul 25, Albert Lea, MN: Country Inn & Suites 507-373-5513

Fri, Jul 26, La Crosse, WI: Courtyard Marriott Hotel 608-782-1000

Sat, Jul 27, Portage, WI: Super-8 Portage 608-742-8330

Sun, Jul 28, Manitowoc, WI: Econo Lodge 920-682-8271

Mon, Jul 29, Ludington, MI: Snyder’s Shoreline Inn 231-845-1261

Tue, Jul 30, Hudsonville, MI: Quality Inn 616-662-4000

Wed, Jul 31, Coldwater, MI: Super-8 Coldwater 517-278-8833

Thu, Aug 1, Lima, OH: Howard Johnsons c/o Jeff 419-222-0004

Fri, Aug 2, Circleville, OH: Holiday Inn Express 740-420-7711

Sat, Aug 3, Parkersburg, WV: Red Roof Inn 304-485-1741

Sun, Aug 4, Elkins, WV: Super-8 Elkins 304-636-6500

Mon, Aug 5, Harrisonburg, VA: Best Western Harrisonburg 540-433-6089

Tue, Aug 6, Ashland, VA: Hampton Inn Ashland 804-752-8444

Wed, Aug 7, Williamsburg, VA: Econo Lodge Inn and Suites 757-253-1663

2013 Ride of Silence Results Reported to Date

This year’s 10th anniversary Ride of Silent broke all previous records with 372 events worldwide. The event grew dramatically overseas with events in 26 countries outside of the United States, many of which were first-time events in those countries.

• Total 2013 Riders: 10,652
• Number of Locations Reporting in: 131 (out of 372 known locations) 35%
• U.S.: Events in all 50 states
• Largest # of riders:  1,325 in Hong Kong, followed by 1,132 in Banaba San Mateo Rizal, Philippines
• Smallest events (every one of them counts):  1- Pingree, North Dakota, and 1- Stamford, Connecticut
• Most events organized by one bike shop:  6, Wheel & Sprocket in Illinois 
  
• Most events in smallest country:  2, Cyprus (Latsia & Nicosia)
• Event furthest south (and likely coldest region):  Palmer Station, Antarctica
• Furthest north (perhaps colder yet):  Fairbanks, Alaska, followed closely by Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada

The post Ride of Silence Founder Cross-Country Trip Starts in Everett July 6 appeared first on Bicycle Alliance of Washington.

There will be monthly prize drawings at the national and local levels. Earlier this week, the League of American Bicyclists announced the May winners for the national prizes. The Bicycle Alliance is please to announce the May winners for our state Challenge prizes:

Gold Level:

Craig Antila of South Colby is the winner of an Alchemy Goods Haversack bag.

Silver Level:

Keith Payne of Walla Walla is the recipient of an I Bike WA technical tee from the Bicycle Alliance and Schromen-Wawrin will receive a membership from AAA Washington.

Bronze Level:

Steve Hasegawa of Seattle and Kathleen Bisagna of Mount Vernon will each receive an annual subscription to Bicycle Paper. Liese Anex of Seattle is winner of a waterproof helmet cover and reflective legband.

Winners should email Louise McGrody to claim their prizes.

We tip our helmets and say thanks to our local Challenge sponsors who made these prizes possible: Alchemy Goods, AAA Washington and Bicycle Paper.

It’s not too late to pedal with us in the National Bike Challenge! The Challenge runs through the end of September and ALL bike miles count–transportation, recreation and mountain biking miles. Prize drawings are held monthly and you don’t have to ride a lot of miles to qualify for the drawing.

The post May winners announced for National Bike Challenge appeared first on Bicycle Alliance of Washington.

As I prepare for the workshop three recent encounters are top of mind. I recently moved much farther from the office and radically increased my bike commute (a somewhat [ahem] painful experience in the first few days….), which has increased the number of times I interact with people biking, walking, and driving.

Andrea Learned, who consults on sustainability-focused communications and social media content strategies, will be presenting at the Bicycle Urbanism Symposium.

My encounters, along with the many emails, questions, and discussions that come my way because of our work, have me thinking about the assumptions we make as people who ride bikes and the assumptions others make about us. These happen to be Seattle encounters but they could have happened anywhere.

Rider 1: On the Burke-Gilman Trail somewhere inside the UW campus at an intersection with a street; we’re waiting together for the light to change. She’s wearing a cute flowered skirt (bike shorts underneath), and I’d guess she’s in her late 40s/early 50s. Coming up behind her I say, “Cute skirt!”

She thanks me and I mention that I often wear skirts when I ride, although today I’m in capris. Her response: “I like wearing skirts. When I do something stupid people just think, ‘She doesn’t know what she’s doing’ instead of ‘She’s an a&*h*&#.”

My inside voice: “Wow–that’s incredibly sexist. Women are automatically incompetent riders?”

Rider #2: A different day on the Burke-Gilman, again on the campus somewhere but this time in a stretch that has a lot of intersecting paths, sometimes a Yield sign on the path I’m on, and pedestrians galore.

I’m riding my 8-speed upright “Mary Poppins” bike, not my road bike, and wearing street clothes as I generally do. My bike is loaded with a couple of flowered Po Campo bags. I definitely don’t look like a “cyclist” and I’m riding maybe 12mph at best (not sure as I don’t have a cyclometer on this bike yet; I’m riding at a steady but not speedy pace).

As I approach one of the intersections I see a man on a bike riding toward the trail segment I’m on. He rises up off the saddle and looks toward me but he isn’t clipping out and I don’t know for sure that he’s going to stop and let me cross safely. We’re making eye contact as I hit the brakes to slow down and give myself enough space and time in which to react if he in fact doesn’t stop.

I immediately hear a woman’s voice from behind: “F&*$! Geez!” A man and woman whiz by so close that I could touch them.

Startled, I say spontaneously, “You’re welcome!”

I am shaken and angry as I ride on. On a busy multi-use path with lots of cross traffic riding that fast, and riding that closely behind a total stranger who isn’t a teammate or someone on a group ride with you, is simply not safe or responsible. They couldn’t see what I could see about the potential for a collision and they didn’t know what they didn’t know.

I could have been slowing for anything. That rider on the cross path could have been proceeding through the intersection, in which case they would have had a horrific and completely preventable crash. I could have seen an unleashed dog, had a dangling strap about to tangle in my spokes and bring me to an abrupt halt, felt a tire go flat and realized I needed to stop–anything.

Under the circumstances I didn’t have time to signal that I was slowing; the hand that would have signaled is the hand I need for my front brake and my first responsibility is to keep my bike under control.

My inside voice: “I bet you speed and tailgate when you drive, too.”

Rider #3: I’m heading north on 4th Avenue through the downtown core in the bike lane. A rider in a bright orange jersey with an orange helmet cover sweeps gracefully in a turn through the signal ahead of me and pedals up the hill in the same lane. I’m watching the rider thinking, “That’s one I’ll never catch on this hill” but the traffic lights help me out.

As I come up behind the rider I realize the orange helmet cover is a fish, tail wagging behind and fins flapping to the sides, and the person on the bike is an incredibly fit-looking woman. I call out, “I like your fish!”

The gray-haired woman turns toward me, smiles, and says, “Thanks! I bought it for myself when I turned 65. I figured if it isn’t fun it isn’t worth doing.”

I want to be her when I’m 65. I’ll wear skirts without apologizing, and I’ll leave plenty of room in which to respond if a rider in front of me needs to make a stop.

I’ll be thinking about these women and their friends who don’t ride–yet–when we present at the symposium, along with the participants in the I Bike SEA encouragement program we put on last fall in Seattle, the women of the Belles and Baskets riding group in Spokane, CycloFemme Tacoma, the women advocates I just met in Wenatchee who want to mentor girls to help them start riding, and so many others who have discovered the freedom, strength, and independence riding a bicycle provides. How can we spread the joy to others?

The post Three Women, Three Interactions on the Road appeared first on Bicycle Alliance of Washington.

Their proposal ignores what it takes to ensure all people have an opportunity to get to where we need to go. It ignores biking and walking. It takes us back, not forward. We need you to speak up immediately and say it’s not good enough.

What do they propose?

• NO money for bicycling.
• NO money for pedestrians.
• NO money for transit.
• Nearly nothing for clean water infrastructure.
• And only temporary local funding options to prevent more cuts to bus service.

We have a transportation crisis. Bridges are falling down, bicyclists and pedestrians are navigating dangerous streets, transit service is being cut in half, and toxic runoff from roads pollutes our waters.

The Senate’s plan to “fix” it? Increase the gas tax by 10.5 cents to raise $8.4 billion and spend nothing ($0.00) on the infrastructure that makes our communities better and healthier.

This is not a compromise.  It’s terrible. And we need you to stop it in its tracks. Today is the last day of the special session so we must get our message through immediately.

Contact your legislator.

By phone: Call 1-800-562-6000. The operator will route your message to your senator. Your message: I OPPOSE the Senate transportation revenue proposal because it doesn’t fund biking, walking, and transit.

By email: Enter your mailing address on the district finder form (choose Legislative, not Congressional) and follow the instructions on the site to reach a contact form.

Choose your state senator and include a copy to your state representatives. Your message:

A transportation revenue proposal without biking, walking, and transit is unacceptable.

Points you could include in your email:

• A transportation system that really works for everyone must include bike, pedestrian, and transit investments.
• Without these investments the proposed Senate transportation revenue package is absolutely unacceptable. Our transportation system is in crisis. Failure to propose a balanced transportation revenue package is irresponsible.
• The House plan that includes $420 million for transit, $370 million for bike and pedestrian infrastructure, $156 million for clean water infrastructure, and a real local funding option for transit agencies is the bare minimum that must be included in the revenue package.

Transit, bike, pedestrian, and clean water infrastructure are critical for reducing congestion and creating stronger, healthier communities where you can live, work, learn, and connect safely to essential services. We need your voice NOW to say that loud and clear to your elected officials. For more background see our blog post on the Liias Amendment to the House transportation revenue proposal.

PS: After you email your legislators, contact your local elected officials too! City councils, county commissioners, school boards–if they want the transportation revenue package to include funds for Safe Routes to School, bike/pedestrian safety grants, and Complete Streets to help fund investments in local infrastructure they need to speak up NOW. Send this blog post to them and ask them to take action–they represent you too!

The post Transportation Revenue: Taking Us Backward, Not Forward, Is Not Acceptable appeared first on Bicycle Alliance of Washington.

Sound Transit bike locker signage

On Wednesday May 22, 2013 I joined a Sound Transit (ST) tour of the Sumner and Puyallup Sounder stations. The tour was organized by ST staff and included members of their Bicycle Advisory Group. Arnie Tomac, former BAW board president and member of the Redmond Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee joined this tour and I had the good fortune to sit next to him and chat on the ride home. This post is a follow-up on a post that I wrote earlier about two Link light rail stations that will be retrofitted with additional bicycle parking and is meant to describe the additional bike parking planned at two Sounder stations.

The tour departed Seattle’s Pioneer Square neighborhood in the early afternoon and returned in the early evening. The trip involved two ST Express bus rides and the final leg of the trip was on Sounder commuter train. While I had previously traveled on Link light rail, this was my first trip on Sounder which I found to be quite pleasant. Sounder is a commuter rail line that operates between Lakewood and Everett on weekdays during peak commute times. Sounder is operated on behalf of Sound Transit by Amtrak using rail owned by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad (BNSF). Sounder and Link systems form the backbones of the regional passenger rail system. Currently Link light rail operates all day from downtown Seattle to the SeaTac airport. ST has multiple system expansions underway for both the Sounder and Link and will reach the University District, Northgate, Bellevue and many more communities.

Shortly after we got off the bus in Sumner, Mayor Dave Enslow rolled up on his bicycle.

Photo courtesy of Rebecca Roush

Sound Transit staff explaining proposed changes to bicycle parking at the Sumner station. Photo courtesy of Rebecca Roush

At the Sumner station there is an existing CCTV system in the proposed bike locker area. There are seven existing lockers (each locker has two units so in total they can hold 14 bikes) and two bike racks  which nominally hold eight bikes each, though in actual use the capacity is typically lower than that. The proposed upgrades include 19-22 lockers total (holding 38-44 bikes) and as many bike racks as possible—which is yet to be determined.

Sumner station bike lockers

Mayor Enslow watches as a BNSF freight train pulls through the Sumner station

The tour group then caught a bus to the Puyallup Sounder station where we had a similar briefing on the existing and proposed bicycle parking facilities.

Mural at the Puyallup station

While the mayor of Puyallup did not come out to welcome us, the station agent was engaging and talked with us about the popularity of biking to the rail station. He said that the bike racks were very often used to full capacity at the Puyallup station.

A partially occupied bike rack at the Puyallup station

At the Puyallup station there is no existing CCTV system in the proposed bike locker area and no current plans to add one due to the difficulty of retrofitting one. Existing facilities include nine lockers and one bike rack which hold eighteen bikes and eight bikes respectively. There had been ten lockers, but one was removed because it was in poor condition.

Puyallup station bike lockers

Puyallup station bike lockers and evidence of removed locker

The proposal for expanded bike parking includes seventeen lockers total and additional bike racks.  Most likely there will be total of three bike racks with a capacity of up to 24 bikes. Once the designs are approved we can publicize the proposed new site plans for these two stations. Future Sound Transit facilities will include bike parking which will be integrated with the station area designs so there will be no need to retrofit bike parking.

Sound Transit requires all future ST Link facilities to provide bike lockers or a bike cage; and many planned facilities provide both. The Tukwila Sounder station is slated to get a bike cage and the Mukilteo Sounder station will have bike lockers.  After Mukilteo and Tukwila stations are finished the Sounder commute rail will be complete, but Link light rail will continue to expand. All other future facilities not currently under construction will include cages, lockers and racks.

In addition to bicycle parking at the stations, ST has done a good job of encouraging all types of multi-modal trips by allowing bicycles onto the train.

A multimodal bike commuter disembarks the Sounder

This allows commuters to easily use their bicycle between home and their home station and between their work station and workplace. At the Bicycle Alliance of Washington we encourage the promotion of multimodal travel as a way to increase mobility and decrease the negative impacts of travel; we support improvements in bicycle parking facilities at transit stations as well as improvements to on-board bike capacity. Bikes and transit are very complementary modes of transportation, and as I pointed out in my earlier post , together they have great potential for alleviating many of our transportation challenges.

The post Sound Transit to Add Bike Parking at Sumner and Puyallup Sounder Stations appeared first on Bicycle Alliance of Washington.

Image courtesy of UW Transportation Services

The extremely popular Burke Gilman Trail in Seattle is the cornerstone to King County’s Regional Trails System. You can read our blog post about the University of Washington’s plans to improve the portion of this trail that passes through their campus.

The iconic Spokane River Centennial Trail follows its namesake as it travels from Spokane to Post Falls, Idaho.

The Olympic Discovery Trail showcases the beauty and diversity of the Olympic Peninsula. Stretching from Port Townsend to La Push, this trail passes through Port Angeles and Olympic National Park and is in varying stages of development.

The John Wayne Trail/Iron Horse State Park begins near North Bend and crosses the Cascade Mountains at Snoqualmie Pass, then makes its way to the Columbia River. An unimproved route continues to through eastern Washington to the Idaho border.

We also have some lesser known trails which are just as varied and treasured. Among them are:

Coal Mines Trail.

Klickitat Trail in Klickitat County

Foothills Trail in Pierce County

Ferry County Rail Trail

Coal Mines Trail in Cle Elum

Apple Capital Loop Trail in Wenatchee

Bill Chipman Palouse Trail in Pullman

Burnt Bridge Creek Trail in Vancouver

Sacagawea Heritage Trail in Tri-Cities

Now we want to hear from you, the trail user. We want you to tell us about your favorite bike trail in Washington. If you’re like me and you enjoy many trails, it may be difficult to narrow it down to a single trail. But please do so and take our survey! We’ll report back to you in a future blog post and share your picks.

The post Tell us about your favorite Washington bike trail! appeared first on Bicycle Alliance of Washington.

In addition to the symposium itself there are a number of interesting bicycling events around the Summer Solstice.

There is a Disaster Relief Trial on Friday afternoon which promises the fun of a scavenger hunt on laden cargo bikes.

On Saturday the 22^nd of June is the famous Fremont Solstice Parade including body painted bicycle riders. Come and watch or participate.

On Saturday night there is an all night bicycle scavenger hunt, Nine to Five, which is put on by Go Means Go. Nine to Five is a highly entertaining event which I participated in last year and wrote about here. You can register for the event here.

The Kickoff Reception is June 19^th from 6-9PM in Gould Hall. The event is open to the public and tickets are $20 for those not registered for the Symposium. Even if you can’t attend the entire symposium come by the reception on Wednesday evening to chat with the international entourage of bike people and have a drink and some snacks.

The post Bicycle Urbanism Symposium at the University of Washington June 19-22 appeared first on Bicycle Alliance of Washington.

• healthier citizens,
• kids who arrive at school ready to concentrate and learn,
• reduced air and water pollution,
• lower costs of street maintenance,
• better odds in the competition to recruit a competitive workforce,
• increased retail sales along streets with bike lanes, and
• higher real estate values for homes closer to trails, among others.

As a result you’ve built some amazing trails, plugged gaps in a bike network, improved access and accommodation for non-drivers from children to our older citizens, and more.

That means you should apply for a Transportation Alternatives Certificate of Excellence for your project! The deadline is June 30. 

The Transportation Alternatives Certificate of Excellence (TACE) recognizes successful TA projects that have enhanced the surface transportation system and provided benefits to communities.

The TACE elevates local success stories to the national level, like the Snohomish River Trail featured in 2007; shares best practices; and highlights federal, state, and local partnerships. Excellent TA projects demonstrate some or all of the following elements: use by local residents or visitors; opportunity for previously unavailable activities; transportation benefits; environmental and social benefits; and the fulfillment of a need in the community.

Re-launched in March 2013 to reflect changes made to the program with MAP-21, the TACE is administered by the National Transportation Alternatives Clearinghouse (NTAC). Projects that receive the TACE will be featured on the NTAC website, and may be featured in the forthcoming third edition of Enhancing America’s Communities (PDF), NTAC’s primary publication and guide on Transportation Alternatives.

Eligible nominations can be any completed TA project (of the 10 eligible TA Activities), or a TE project funded prior to MAP-21 that would be eligible as one of the 10 eligible TA Activities (listed below) and relate to surface transportation. The TA categories are:

• Pedestrian and bicycle facilities
• Safe routes for non-drivers
• Rails to trails projects
• Scenic turnouts and overlooks
• Outdoor advertising management
• Historic preservation and rehabilitation of historica transportation faciltiies
• Vegetation management
• Archaeological activities
• Stormwater mitigation
• Wildlife management

There is no age limit on projects, and applications are accepted on a quarterly basis. For more information on the Certificate and how to apply, visit NTAC’s website.

Contact Angie Marable, NTAC Program Assistant, with your comments, questions, or for technical assistance completing your nomination (angie@ta-clearinghouse.info, 202-974-5109).

Send a copy of your project submittal to us. We’d love to feature your project work in a future blog post and on the pages where we link information about just what makes it so great to bike Washington.

Hat tip to the Rails to Trails Conservancy for highlighting this opportunity to recognize excellence.

The post Seeking Outstanding Projects for National Recognition appeared first on Bicycle Alliance of Washington.

This Friday is Kids Day at the Juanita Friday Market and the City of Kirkland is holding a Walk & Roll Safety Fair in tandem with the Friday Market. There will be lots of biking and walking information available for kids and their parents, including helmet fittings, a bike rodeo, biking and walking maps, and an opportunity to practice using a Metro bike rack.

The Bicycle Alliance will be on hand with an intersection display to help your kids and you learn how to handle various turning movements and interactions. We’ll also have tips for bicyclists, motorists and pedestrians on how to the share the road and trail. Please stop by and say hi!

The Walk & Roll Safety Fair is also an opportunity to learn about the Juanita Drive Corridor Study and the Cross Kirkland Trail and Corridor, and suggest projects to improve biking and walking in Kirkland.

Got an unused bike or two? Bike Works will be on hand to accept bike donations.

Kirkland Walk & Roll Safety Fair
Friday, June 7, 3-7 pm
Juanita Beach Park
9703 NE Juanita Drive

The post Kirkland Walk & Roll Safety Fair is this Friday! appeared first on Bicycle Alliance of Washington.