Seattle Bike Expo This Weekend!

CascadeBicycle Club's Seattle Bike Expo Expo is the largest consumer bicycle show in the United States! Expect more than 300 exhibits of bikes, gear, travel, health and fitness. Should be lots of fun and educational, too. Make sure you take public transit to get there of course (or at least corpool). See Intercity Transit's website for help getting there: http://www.intercitytransit.com/Pages/default.aspx
Follow this link for more info about the Expo: http://cascade.org/EandR/expo/

Our Flag is Flying!

The Bicycle Commuter Contest Banner is UP!

For the first time, the BCC banner is flying in Lacey, over College St. between 6th and Pacific Aves. Not neccessarily a big bike route, but we're showing ourselves off to all those car commuters who might decide to change their ways!

Google Maps launches directions for bicycling

At the National Bike Conference this morning Google announced that they had turned on an option for bicycle directions in its "Get Directions" feature on Google Maps. The new feature is in Beta testing form, and is limited to Google's online data set – so some neighborhood shortcuts and trails are not included. There is a link for reporting unmapped routes or streets that are unsuitable for cycling. I and several people I know have tested the feature, and it seems to work pretty well!

Bridging The Gap Update- I-5 Bridge Open

The new bridge over Martin Way on the Chehalis-Western Trail is nearing completion- only the railings remain to be installed. The bridge over I-5 has re-opened, and has access to Martin Way via a street and sidewalk on the West side of the new bridge approach.

Happening right now in the other Washington...

http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/bikeadvocacy/summit.php

Good cycling video- Check it out!

http://commuteorlando.com/wordpress/2010/03/01/the-dance-on-video/

Bridging the Gap Update

According to a flagger on the jobsite that I talked to yesterday, we can expect that the Chehalis-Western I-5 bridge will re-open to traffic (with a path on the West side of the new bridge ramp leading to Martin Way) in about a week, or around the middle of March. The Martin Way Bridge should be finished by the end of the month. Of course this is unofficial information, but from a worker on the site, so keep your fingers crossed, and I'll post info about the official opening of the new bridge as soon as I get it.

In other news: preparations for this year's BCC continue apace; sponsors are all lined up, most of our graphics are ready to go to print, Bicycle Commuter Month Proclamations are scheduled with the local jurisdictions, and we're planning our publicity campaign.

There's obviously no need to wait until May to start riding your bike to work, school or on errands, especially with the mild winter we're having. Keep pedaling, stay safe, and save a pound of carbon emissions for every mile you ride!

Sponsors and more sponsors for BCC 2010!!

Preparations are proceeding apace to put everything in place for this year's Bicycle Commuter Contest. We've chosen a "Theme" for 2010, which you can see to the left of this post:
Been There, Doing This! We are in the midst of designing a t-shirt and finishing up the process of signing up sponsors. I have updated our list of links to our sponsors' websites- check it out, under "Supporting Businesses and Sponsors" in the list of gadgets on the left. We have many returning loyal sponsors from past years, and some very exciting new ones as well! We are going to have some great stuff to award as prizes this year, thanks to many generous sponsors form near and far, but mostly near; I have been making an effort to engage sponsors as locally as possible this year, going farther afield only when I think we couldn't do better right here in the Pacific Northwest.

In other news, the SEATTLE BIKE SWAP is TOMORROW from 9-2 at Magnusen Park in Seattle, hosted by the Cascade Bicycle Club. Go to their website for directions and more info. See you there!

Interesting article on a post-carbon world

Worth checking out.



http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/201003/nocar.aspx

Is Spring here?! Well, it's good bike commuting weather!

Take advantage of the amazing weather we're having, and start your bike commuting season early! If you haven't already started biking this year, or haven't biked this early in the season before, there are just a few things to remember:

• Be Visible! Make sure you have lights and bright clothing in case you end up riding after dark. If you haven't made this a priority yet, PLEASE do- "invisibikes" are dangerous!!
• Bring layers of clothing to adjust for drastic changes in temperature. We're experiencing 25 degree swings between high and low temps right now- it cools down fast when the sun goes down!
• Watch for patches of ice in the early morning. The roads are pretty dry right now, but watch out in shaded areas or where water pools or runs across the road.
• Remember, you can always take the bus home, or for part of your commute. Every Intercity Transit Fixed Route bus has room for two bikes on the front easy-loading rack.
• Visit your local bike shop for proper lights and other gear, and for expert cycling and safety information.
• You can do it! The hardest part is making the choice. Just choose the bike and go for it!

Article from the FTE News Magazine for State Employees (published with permission)

ECY engineer logs 5,050 miles commuted by bicycle

(OK, if this guy can do this year round in Spokane's climate...)

Photo by Jani Gilbert, Comm. Mgr
Ecology, Eastern Region

Kim Sherwood doesn’t have to worry about making exercise resolutions for 2010. He had already sweated enough in 2009 to last a lifetime. Before the New Year rolled in, Kim had logged 5,050 miles in 12 months of bicycle-commuting to his job as Water Quality Permit Manager at Ecology’s Eastern Region Office (ERO).
Such a feat takes patience, time, and determination, plus a passion for bicycling—qualities Kim has cultivated over the past 20-odd years of working for Ecology.
Kim began bicycle commuting in 1986, when he worked at the Central Region Office, in Yakima. Those early commutes weren’t so far, he said, but they got him into the bicycling habit, and it stuck. So when Kim relocated to ERO in Spokane, six years ago, it was second nature for him to plan out a bicycle commute route. The glitch: the office was 32 miles away.
Kim bit off the bicycle challenge in chunks. For awhile, he used combinations of car, bus and bicycle to make the commute. Over time, he added more bicycle miles until, in 2008, he found himself bicycling the entire route.
Kim’s morning begins at 3:00 a.m. to gear up for his two-plus-hour bike ride that takes him over country highways near the Idaho border, along the Spokane River Centennial Trail, and finally up the congested city streets of Spokane to the Ecology office north of the city center.
Kim’s bicycle, a little-known make that he bought years ago in Yakima, weighs 28 pounds and bears the scars of many years and many miles. The bike sports a relatively narrow front tire, and a fatter mountain bike tire behind. “It’s not as fast as a road bike,” says Kim, “but I don’t get so many flat tires either.”
Inclement weather doesn’t keep Kim off his bicycle. When the storms move in, Kim tops his bicycling shorts with sweats and turtle-neck layers for warmth. He covers it all with a large, white plastic bag converted to a poncho, belted snugly in place by a fluorescent safety harness studded with flashing lights. He wears a tight-fitting polypropylene hood to keep his head, ears and neck warm underneath his bicycle helmet.
There’s no doubt that Kim is noticeable when he’s on his bicycle. He wants it that way so that motorists will be sure to see him when he’s cycling in the dark. Kim is so visible, in fact, that a Washington state trooper recently pulled alongside at a stoplight to tell Kim he wished all bicyclists would show up so well in the dark.Kim can cite many reasons for dedicating himself to bicycle commuting, including the fact that he saved more than $2,000 by leaving his car in the garage. But, for Kim, the most important reason is that, by his calculations, he has kept at least 10 barrels of crude oil in the ground. “That’s my return to my cousins—including my non-human cousins—that I reduce my footprint so other life can share the planet.”

Interesting Online Magazine Article

Check out this article and Urban Velo magazine!

http://www.urbanvelo.org/issue17/p74-75.html

Winter Commuting Photos

Send me your best winter bicycle commuting photo and your permission to use it, and maybe I'll post it here! I'm looking for a few exciting and motivating images to show that commuting by bike is so possible even in the winter, especially here in the mild Pacific Northwest. Add a little information about yourself and your commute, and maybe we'll even turn it into a rider Profile.

Send to dgreen@intercitytransit.com

Share the Road is a Two Way Street

There are lots of opinions and feelings about cars and cyclists sharing the road, but it seems to be a fact of life for the time being- neither cars nor bicycles are going away anytime soon, so co-existence is pretty much a survival necessity (at least for cyclists). However one feels about shared lanes and "sharrows", they do raise awareness and the legitimacy of the bicycle as a vehicle on the road. Here is an example in bike-friendly Olympia, Washington.

Planning and preparations continue apace for the 2010 Bicycle Commuter Contest. We're lining up sponsors, working on a theme and graphics, preparing our printed materials and looking forward to April and May! Stay tuned for news as we progress.

Martin Way Bridge to Open Soon

The long-awaited second link in the "Bridge The Gap" project is on track for completion as we head into Spring and the busy biking season. This bike and pedestrian bridge will span Martin Way, connecting the Northern leg of the Chehalis-Western Trail with the bridge over I-5 and the I-5 Bike Path. The last link is a planned bridge over Pacific Avenue, which will link the whole length of the Chehalis-Western Trail with the I-5 Trail and the Olympia-Lacey Woodland Trail. Stay tuned here for updates and an announcement when the ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled.

Another project nearing completion is an extension of bike lanes under the I-5 overpass over Martin Way, about a mile east of the new bridge.

Defensive Riding Tips of the Day

Eyes forward, check from side to side.

A common hazard to the bicycle commuter riding on urban streets is traffic entering or crossing the street you are traveling on, from a side street. This can be a serious danger, but can be avoided if you develop the habit of riding defensively and keeping this hazard in your awareness.

• Remember that motorists are looking for other cars on the through street, and might look in your direction but just not register your presence because you are not a car.
• Watch for cars approaching from the side or pulling out into the through street.
• Be as visible as you can by wearing bright colors and using lights on your bike.
• When there are cars parked on your right, stay 3 feet away from them- this protects you from doors opening unexpectedly, and makes you more visible to side street traffic (as a cyclist, you are legally a vehicle on the road, with all the same rights and responsibilities as a driver of a car).
• If you see a car pulling out, prepare to stop or take evasive action and try to make eye contact with the driver. Don't assume that the driver sees you or will stop unless you make eye contact.
• Also check the vehicle's front wheels to see if they are rolling and which direction they are steering.
• It is tempting to ride fast, especially downhill, or when trying to make it through timed traffic lights. Just remember that the faster you are going, the less time you and another road user have to react when you see each other, the longer it will take you to stop, and the harder you'll crash if you crash. If you are going to ride fast, do it defensively: be even more sure you are visible, be even more vigilant, ride in the center of your lane, keep your hands near your brakes, and obey traffic laws and signals.

Bike Safe, Bike Visible!

Probably preaching to the choir here but still, a little reminder that when you are out biking around at this time of year, visibility is very often limited for motorists and other cyclists. If it is dark and rainy, it is very hard for a motorist to see a pedestrian or cyclist on the road- unless... that is unless you are wearing bright colors with reflective striping, and have at least one bright, properly mounted and aimed white light on the front of your bike and at least one properly mounted and aimed red rear light. The newest and brightest LED lights are very bright and eye-catching, but even they need to be aimed toward the eye of an approaching driver. LED's are bright, but still very directional, meaning they throw a narrow focused beam, meaning that if the light is not aimed properly, much of it's effectiveness is lost. This is especially important for older LED lights which are much dimmer, and are practically useless unless aimed directly toward the eye of an oncoming driver. Clipping a light to your messenger bag doesn't do the trick. Your light needs to be mounted so that it projects its beam nearly parallel to the ground, and as close as possible to straight forward or back from your bike. As always, ride predictably and respect other road users, and I wish you a long life of safe cycling!

Seattle Bike Swap and Bike Expo

Be sure to plan ahead for the Seattle Bike Swap (Feb 27th, 2010) and the Bike Expo (March 13-14), both are great ways to kick start your cycling season. The swap meet features many, many vendors selling and swapping anything to do with bikes (including bikes), and some very good bargains can be had, especially if you wait until near the end, when folks are really ready to get rid of stuff, and not wanting to haul it home. At past swaps, I have bought helmets, raingear, panniers, all manner of bicycle parts, and even complete bikes, all at excellent prices. It is a crowded and hectic affair, somewhat like an old fashioned flea-market, with a little friendly jostling and a lot of friendly bargaining to be expected. Find out more here:
http://cascade.org/EandR/bikeswap/index.cfm

The Bike expo is the place to see and buy all the latest and greatest gear, see demos and photos, sign up for the STP and other rides, and hob-nob with cycling's shining stars. Find out more:
http://www.cascade.org/EandR/expo/index.cfm

2010 Rider Profile #1 Erika Lari

We didn't have a chance to publish all the rider profiles we gathered in 2009, so we'll start posting a few of them now from time to time- maybe you'll see a friend, or find some inspiration to get out on your bike!

Erika Lari:

What is your age?
31
What is your occupation?
Graphic designer
How many years have you been commuting by bike?
1 year
How many times have you participated in the Bicycle Commuter Contest?
First time this year
Describe your current average or usual commute (distance, terrain, urban/rural, etc.)
2 miles, suburban/urban
What got you started bike commuting?
I inherited some bikes after my dad died and it seemed like the easiest option since my husband and I only have one car. the only thing was that I have never commuted by bike and I hadn't even ridden one in over a dozen years. so, it was a challenge, but I'm glad i started. I eventually bought a bike that fit me better, and I've learned an awful lot thanks to the internet and local bike shops.
How have you adapted to make bike commuting work for you?
I can now how haul a bike up a stair case to keep it in my office. it really doesn't take that long and other than getting some cotton stretch pants to wear under dresses, I don't make many accommodations in my wardrobe.
What are some of the benefits you have experienced from commuting by bike?
I live uphill from where i work, so I've certainly gained stamina and muscle tone as well as the fun ride downhill in the morning. It's like my third cup of coffee.
What is it that keeps you going, especially when the going is tough (weather, darkness, inertia, etc)?
My bike has fenders, dyno hub lights, etc. and most of my winter coats are bright primary colors. I have a bern muse helmet that happened to also be certified as a ski helmet, so it came with a detachable lining. It keeps my head very warm. I even prefer to ride in the cold or rain because I don't sweat as much. With the right gear and such a short ride, it's really not that bad. I only don't ride if it's torrential rain or snow. in those cases, I walk or carpool.
How do you choose your route (most direct, least traffic, most scenic, etc)? Direct and least traffic. The more I ride, the more comfortable I am with traffic.
What style of bike do you ride to commute?
Specialized Globe city commuter bike.
Any words of wisdom for the beginning commuter?
Be patient with yourself. I've never been terribly athletic, and people would tell me that it would get easier in a week or a month, but you just have to do it at your own pace and your own way. I don't feel comfortable in a lot of 'bike gear' either, so I found vintage raincoats and things that make me feel comfortable riding. It really does get easier to fit it into your life and the next thing you know, you miss it when you don't do it.

WELCOME BACK! The Bicycle Commuter Contest is alive and well- yawning and stretching a bit after its 6 month hiatus, but raring to go. We're looking forward to a great year for bicycle commuting and the BCC and hoping to increase participation yet again in 2010. Stay tuned for updates and info, and keep an eye on our Links and Events for interesting and informative commuting advice and news. As always, do stay in touch- feel free to post a comment here, or contact me directly by e-mail at:
dgreen@intercitytransit.com
Thanks for stopping by, and I look forward to seeing you at one of our events in April, and seeing your registration form on my desk!

Duncan Green
Bicycle Commuter Contest
dgreen@intercitytransit.com
360-705-5874
PO Box 659
Olympia, WA 98507-0659