Seattle Bike Blog

Obvious challenges aside, biking in freezing weather can be a lot of fun. It’s also an excellent cure for cabin fever. Today’s flurries mostly failed to stick to roadways and paths, and people in Seattle have reported clear routes during … Continue reading →

A section of the Interurban Trail near the Algona/Pacific border will be closed for repairs now until January 27. There is no official detour or temporary trail. Frontage Road is probable the most obvious alternative, though Josh Putnam noted some … Continue reading →

Saw this making the rounds and had to share it with you all: Boeing workers have long relied on bicycles to move around their enormous facilities, and they started switching to cargo trikes back in 2015.

Though many of the Seattle City Council’s more ambitious budget goals were shelved following a grim revenue forecast, the nearly-complete 2023-24 budget retains the Vision Zero and Missing Link redesign funds that Mayor Bruce Harrell initially proposed and sets aside … Continue reading →

Timelapse from Saturday's #cranksgivingSEA pic.twitter.com/BvibRuI9K2 — Gary A. Fujioka, Sr. (@garyfujiokasr) November 21, 2022 Seattle’s 13th Annual Cranksgiving was one for the record books. The food drive bike ride’s 199 participants (180 riders and 19 volunteers) bought and hauled 3,308 … Continue reading →

People held a series of actions and press conferences across the Puget Sound region to remember the victims of traffic violence and call for action to prevent more of them. A Rainier Valley Greenways action at Seattle City Hall set … Continue reading →

In the dead of night in early April 2013, one First Hill resident dragged $350 worth of reflective plastic posts down the hill and glued them on top of the brand new bike lane line SDOT had painted on Cherry … Continue reading →

Amid all the tough cuts to the proposed 2023-24 budget, including $4 million over two year from the sidewalk safety repair budget, one curious project is getting funding: A railing and some lighting on the NE 45th Street bridge over … Continue reading →

The Seattle City Council has released its “balancing package,” an updated draft of the 2023-24 budget that factors in some Council changes as well as the city’s latest revenue forecast, which wasn’t great. As Ryan Packer reported for the Urbanist, … Continue reading →

A reader on Mastodon asked the other day, “Does anyone know what happened to the big glittery pieces of art at the south end of the Westlake bike path?” The blue and gray glittering sculptures on both sides of the … Continue reading →

The Rainier Valley Neighborhood Greenway may finally connect to the I-90/Mountains to Sound Trail after years of delay and inter-agency disagreement. In early 2021, Ryan Packer reported that WSDOT had refused to work with SDOT on completing the connection from … Continue reading →

The Seattle Parks District has budgeted $404,000 to develop a new design for the Bicycle Sundays section of Lake Washington Boulevard, and they need your input on what is important. Take the city’s “Visioning Process Survey” now to let them … Continue reading →

I spent yesterday at Cascade Bicycle Club’s office for a work party to get everything ready for Seattle’s 13th Annual Cranksgiving food drive bike ride. Y’all, it’s gonna be so fun. It’s by far the best-organized event yet, but it … Continue reading →

You can now find Seattle Bike Blog on Mastodon. We aren’t leaving Twitter, though. We’ll try using both and see how things go. There’s been a sizeable migration to Mastodon in the past week as people seek an alternative to … Continue reading →

You can now find Seattle Bike Blog on Mastodon. We aren’t leaving Twitter, though. We’ll try using both and see how things go. There’s been a sizeable migration to Mastodon in the past week as people seek an alternative to … Continue reading →

Seattle just built a bike lane on Aurora, and it’s amazing. Even though I knew in my head that a complete Green Lake Outer Loop bike lane would be great, riding it was even better than I expected. For decades, … Continue reading →

Seattle’s City Council needs to be very careful with its proposed new taxes on scooter and bike share services, which Councilmember Andrew Lewis has proposed as part of the 2023-24 budget. It is expected to cost $540,000 in 2023 to … Continue reading →

SDOT has released updated design work for the Beacon Hill bike lane project, which includes two options for 15th Ave S as well as different options for handling bus stops. As Ryan Packer reported for the Urbanist last month, the … Continue reading →

Ryan Packer at the Urbanist has written a very detailed breakdown of the City Council’s proposed changes to the 2023-24 city budget as they relate to transportation. The proposals include both new expenses and new ideas for additional revenue. The … Continue reading →

I’m just gonna play this on a loop for the next 2 months. Did I notice that SDOT’s tweet accompanying this video shortened the democratically-elected name “OK Broomer” to just “Broomer?” Yes I did. But so long as they keep … Continue reading →

Happy Halloween, everyone! Treat yourself to this video by Best Side Cycling:

It’s been three years since the last proper Cranksgiving. Thanks to everyone who participated in our dramatically scaled-back pandemic versions in 2020 and 2021. But I think it’s time to get together again and do it right. Or better yet, … Continue reading →

Five months after SDOT removed an illegal anonymously-painted crosswalk at 83rd and Greenwood, the department has opened a new signalized and official crosswalk at the same location. The crossing had been a missing link in the N 83rd Street neighborhood … Continue reading →

Work to repair the deck of the Fremont Bridge requires one more overnight closure, according to SDOT. The bridge will close very early Saturday morning from midnight until 6 a.m. Just like the previous closure, the bridge will allow walking … Continue reading →

Ballots should have arrived by mail or should be arriving very soon, which means it’s time to fight your procrastinating tendencies and vote now. If you haven’t received your ballot, check to make sure your voter information is updated. If … Continue reading →

Two different bike safety projects in Seattle started development in 2020: A concept to complete the bike lane loop around Green Lake and a project to connect Beacon Hill to the downtown bike network. But even though the City Council … Continue reading →

UPDATE 10/23 8pm: The trail has reopened. The 520 Trail across Lake Washington will be closed starting at 11 p.m. tonight (Friday) until 5 a.m. Monday morning. I suppose the silver lining here is that this time the closure is … Continue reading →

Rain is finally here. Time to joyfully dig out your rain gear and go for a beautiful wet bike ride. Seattle comes to life in a totally different way when it rains. So if you are new to town, don’t … Continue reading →

Heads up to anyone out late Friday or working early on Saturday: SDOT is repairing the metal bridge decking on the Fremont Bridge from midnight to 6 a.m. Saturday morning. The bridge, including the sidewalks, will be closed except for … Continue reading →

Two years after Sound Transit construction closed a short walking and biking connection to the 1st Ave NE/N 117th Street bridge over I-5, the agency has opened its replacement. The new trail connection is short, but it is a significant … Continue reading →

I noticed an improvement to 9th Ave this morning. I will admit that I was hoping for more, such as some physical bike lane protection or implementation of this $0 fix to help improve crosswalk and bike lane safety and … Continue reading →

SDOT has gained permit approval to build the Ballard Missing Link of the Burke-Gilman Trail, though the project is not out of the woods yet. Litigation is ongoing and will continue into 2023. But the Shoreline Permit brings the trail … Continue reading →

With traffic deaths rising to horrific levels, Mayor Bruce Harrell has signaled his support for prioritizing and taking ownership of Vision Zero. Harrell spoke before a memorial ride Seattle Neighborhood Greenways organized in honor of Robb Mason last week, and … Continue reading →

A short section of the Green Lake Inner Loop Path near the Aqua Theater will be rerouted to the Outer Loop path for about a year starting today. Seattle Parks is replacing the existing boathouse with a new 10,800 square-foot … Continue reading →

The Seattle Parks Department has decided to go back to the lakeside path’s pre-pandemic rules, which allowed people on “wheels” to travel counterclockwise on the path. The decision, approved by the Board of Park Commissioners, follows a series of public … Continue reading →

The Seattle Park District Board approved funding a path on Lake Washington Boulevard, voting 7–1 to include $404,000 to the 2023-24 budget plan. The historic boulevard is one of the city’s original Olmsted Boulevards, which were constructed in the early … Continue reading →

UPDATE: It passed by a vote of 7-1 (Nelson no, Pedersen abstain). After a series of successful and popular experiments with extended car-free days on Lake Washington Boulevard in recent years, District 2 City Councilmember Tammy Morales has proposed $404,000 … Continue reading →

Family and friends of Robb Mason as well as advocates for safer streets will hold a memorial bike ride Friday from Seattle City Hall to the crosswalk near the Spokane Street Bridge where he was killed. The ride starts at … Continue reading →

The Cheasty Mountain Bike and Pedestrian Trails project first won grant funding to clear out invasive greenery to create a recreation area between Rainier Valley and Beacon Hill in 2013, and supporters have been bushwhacking through the Seattle Process ever … Continue reading →

I took this photo the other day, and I’m fairly happy with how it turned out. I’ve been really enjoying photography in recent months, so I figured I’d share any bike-related experiments with you all. Also, biking downtown is so … Continue reading →

The I-90 Bridge will remain open this weekend during expansion joint work on the Homer Hadley Bridge that will close all westbound lanes. We reported last week on a series of tough planned trail closures on the larger of the … Continue reading →

A Week Without Driving is fairly straightforward: It’s a challenge that asks people who typically drive to go a week without using their car. It can be a powerful experience for individuals who take it on. But the Disability Mobility … Continue reading →

Can a Washington State plan centered around walking, biking and accessibility defeat a bunch of highway and bridge projects to win the 2022 America’s Transportation Award? Well, it can with your help. Remember those annoying “people’s choice” competitions that were … Continue reading →

UPDATE 9-21: The trail will remain open during the September 23–26 work. WSDOT sent out an alert today that the trail across the I-90 Bridge will be closed most of Friday and all weekend as crews work on an expansion … Continue reading →

It’s happening. Work to complete the Green Lake Outer Loop will begin “this month” and should be open by December. The community-generated concept would repurpose a non-continuous lane along the east side of Aurora Avenue, turning it into a walking … Continue reading →

Whatever you are doing, stop and fill out this quick survey to support safer bike lanes on Eastlake as part of the RapidRide J project. You can also attend one of two virtual community design sessions Wednesday from 12–1:30 p.m. or … Continue reading →

As always, you can find more bike events on the Seattle Bike Blog Events Calendar as well as the Everyday Rides Calendar. Some highlights for this weekend: World Naked Bike Ride harvest moon ride. Meet 8PM Friday at 2nd Ave … Continue reading →

Labor Day weekend was supposed to be the penultimate Bicycle Weekend on Lake Washington Boulevard for the year, a chance to experience the storied lakeside street without cars. Bicycle Weekend is an expansion of Seattle Parks’ Bicycle Sunday program, which … Continue reading →

Seattle Parks and Recreation banned all bicycling, skateboarding, roller skating and scootering from the inner loop trail around Green Lake in March despite there being no viable alternative along the west side of the lake. The decision to restrict wheel … Continue reading →

Biking to light rail is often the fastest way to get around Seattle. For riders who live beyond a short walk to the station, biking is a great way to skip the slower local bus connection (if there even is … Continue reading →