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General Buzz - July 2008 |
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Lake Washington Boulevard hosts Bicycle Saturdays
and Sundays
No more dodging Sunday drivers! Seattle’s Parks and Recreation, Group Health Cooperative, the Cascade Bicycle Club and Adobe Systems bring you car-free riding along Lake Washington Boulevard this summer with its annual Bicycle Saturdays and Sundays. Ride from Mt. Baker Beach south to Seward Park from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the following weekend days: Sunday, June 29, Saturday, July 12, Sunday, July 20, Saturday, Aug. 9, Sunday, Aug. 17, Saturday, Sept. 13, and Sunday, Sept. 21.
For a map and more information, log onto www.seattle.gov/parks/athletics/bikesatsun.htm.
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Jay Graves, Bike Gallery, earns lifetime honor
 Jay Graves, owner and CEO of the multi-store Bike Gallery in Greater Portland, received the Bud Clark Lifetime Achievement Award from the Bicycle Transportation Alliance (BTA) at the 13th Annual Alice Awards and Auction this spring.
The BTA presented this prestigious award to Graves to honor his dedication to improving his community for bicyclists.
Graves has truly devoted his life to bicycles. Aside from running the Bike Gallery, he has worked tirelessly to advocate for bicycling. He spent 12 years on the BTA board, was a founding board member of the Community Cycling Center (14 years) and a founding and current board member of Cycle Oregon. He has served on the board of the National Bicycle Dealers Association where his goal was to help other bicycle retailers to improve business practices.
Because he believes that parks and recreation are important components of a livable community, he recently joined the Oregon State Parks Commission Board. Graves also travels to Washington, D.C. each year for the National Bicycle Summit, and works to educate and influence state and local policy makers to support bicycle transportation laws, funding and facilities.
“I hope to see the BTA continue to grow,” said Graves, in accepting the award. “I’d like to see the 5,000 members grow to 25,000 so we have the advocates we need to influence politics, policy, and politicians in order to get more safe places to ride.“
Graves pledged to continue working hard to make that a reality.
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Bicycling magazine names top cycling cities
Portland and Seattle make the list again! Bicycling magazine’s June edition listed Portland, Seattle, Chicago, San Francisco and Boulder as “Still the Greatest” cities in America for cycling.
Winning the dubious distinction of “Worst Cities for Cycling” were Dallas, Memphis and Miami, all of which lack bike lanes. The magazine narrowed the list from 250 cities, looking at the numbers of bike lanes and routes, bike racks, and city projects planned for cyclists, as well as the overall cycling culture of the cities. The numbers of bicycle commuters, cycling clubs and cycling events all figured into the results. Bicycling also surveyed national advocacy groups, including the League of American Bicyclists, Bikes Belong, the Thunderhead Alliance and the International Mountain Biking Association.
To see the complete list, including international destinations, visit www.bicycling.com.
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Starbucks Bike to Work/ School Day sets new record!
 Record high temperatures and friendly encouragement made Starbucks Bike to Work Day and Bike to School Day in the Puget Sound area huge successes May 16. Nearly 24,000 riders were counted at the 42 commute stations and 30 schools across the region, up from 19,000 in 2007. Bike to School Day showed nearly double participation in the Seattle-area schools, up from 881 in 2007 to 1,613 in 2008.
The Group Health Commute Challenge in May was also deemed a success as a record 1,300 teams rode approximately 900,000 miles during the month-long challenge.
For more commuting information, log onto the Cascade Bicycle Club Web site at www.cascade.org
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Wild Sky Wilderness Area
Washington State’s first new wilderness area in 23 years, Wild Sky Wilderness Area, was signed into law on May 8, 2008. A bill proposing the protection of more than 106,000 acres in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest gained the support of the Senate Energy and National Resources Committee in May. The bill was sponsored by Sen. Patty Murray, a longtime champion of the wilderness area and Rep. Rick Larsen, who sponsored a similar bill in the House of Representatives.
The protection of Wild Sky means the area will be free from logging and other commercial uses and off-limits to vehicles, including bicycles and snowmobiles. A two-mile wheelchair-accessible trail to be built on a former logging road has been proposed.
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Pro Walk/Pro Bike Conference coming to Seattle
Bicycle and pedestrian advocates, elected officials, transportation experts, public health analysts and others concerned about making our communities bike and pedestrian friendly will be meeting for Pro Walk/Pro Bike in Seattle Sept. 2-5, 2008 at the Westin Hotel. The theme of the 2008 conference, which is hosted by the National Center for Bicycling and Walking, is “Transforming Communities: Beyond Sustainability.” Events include workshops on topics such as complete streets, bicycle-friendly businesses and safe routes to schools. For more information, visit www.bikewalk.org. |
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New bike repair collective in Portland
The Bike Farm bicycle repair collective, located in Portland’s Alberta arts district, is focused on affordable access to tools and a welcoming environment where you can learn about bicycle maintenance from volunteer mechanics. The shop, which is open to the public, is open three days a week. Operations are sustained through memberships, available at yearly ($40), monthly ($20) or hourly ($5) rates. Contact community@bikefarm.org for more information. |
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Speak up on Washington State’s Bike and Pedestrian Plan
This is your chance to have your voice heard. Washington State has laid out a comprehensive Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan, and they want to hear what you think of it. Major components of the plan include the goals of doubling the percentage of total trips made on foot and by bike in the next 25 years and reducing the number of cyclists and pedestrians killed or injured by 10 percent per year. Get details at the Department of Transportation web site: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/BIKE/Bike_Plan.htm. |
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