Articles in category "cycling":
Watch Carefully...
· Posted Monday March 17, 2008 by jamie
It’s getting more and more spring-like every day, meaning many more bicyclists on the streets of T-town, yours truly included. Check out this awesome ad from the U.K. (Via Grist.)
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A Small Observation
· Posted Thursday September 6, 2007 by jamie
I’ve noticed something this summer, at least anecdotally, which I think is a great sign for Tacoma: there seems to be a lot of bicyclists on the road. In summers past, I typically went for days or weeks without seeing other people biking while on my rides to and from work. This summer, rarely does a day go by when I don’t see at least one other person biking, and often I’ll see multiple other people out for a ride. I don’t have any empirical evidence here, but this really suggests to me that people are out-and-about more than in the past, and are experiencing the city from outside the confines of their car. People are going to work and to the grocery store on their bikes. The racks are nearly always full in front of Blackwater. I could bust out a Seattle or Portland comparison, but I don’t think I need to; we’re our own town, and growing into our own. One big caveat: let’s be careful out there, though, folks… While I was amused by the person I saw the other day pedaling down the road with a guitar on her back, I’m not sure I can say I approve of the dude I saw talking on his cell phone…
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Tacoma Makes the Geek News
· Posted Friday July 13, 2007 by jamie
Woohoo! Local cycling group the Tacoma Wheelmen’s Bicycle Club made it onto Lifehacker with their list of 1,997 ways to use WD-40. Check it out here! Represent!
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That's a Bummer, Man...
· Posted Wednesday May 23, 2007 by jamie
I couldn’t make the City Council meeting last night due to some other commitments, so I didn’t hear until this morning what happened with the St. Helens One-Way hoo-ha. I’m definitely disappointed to hear that (essentially) no concession will be made for the concerns of bicyclists. Granted the “Lonergan Amendment” may add a bike lane on the sidewalk(!?), but this seems ill advised and I imagine the idea will die or be killed before long. Fey’s comment that serious bicyclists use Market or Broadway flies in the face of the reality that numerous bicyclists use St. Helens everyday to ride up the hill. And to my knowledge, no serious consideration was ever given to the common sense idea of switching to parallel parking so that two lanes could be accommodated…I guess we wouldn’t want to piss off the businesses, now would we?
Anyway, I’m sure you’re all ready for me to stop spouting off about biking stuff. It’s good to know that at least a dialog happened about the impact of this change to all sorts of safety concerns, not just those that impact bicyclists, and that it at least the Council’s decision was not unanimous…
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Successful Bike to Work. Next, Bike to Bar.
· Posted Friday May 18, 2007 by jamie
ThriceAllAmerican’s Bike to Work Ride was a resounding success this morning. (Right, Kristina?)
But tonight it gets even better. It’s Friday. You deserve a nice drink and some pleasant company. Join us for part two of Take Your Bike to Work Day, where we will be biking from the plaza by Tacoma Art Museum to Engine House No. 9. Who knows who may show up. We’ll be meeting at 5pm. (If you want to be a wuss about it, just meet us at the bar…)
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Ride to Work Tomorrow!
· Posted Thursday May 17, 2007 by jamie
Remember, kids, tomorrow is Bike to Work Day, and you can ride with us. We’ll start at UPS in the morning and head into downtown, and then in the evening head back up the hill for some tasty beverages at E9. A good time will be had by all!
Not sure you’re up for commuting by bike? Check out the following graph and maybe you’ll think twice (via Grist):
(As a personal comment on the transit figures, I think the level of dissatisfaction has more to do with the amount of time transit commutes take, with transfers and such, than with a dislike of actually riding the bus/train/etc. I’d certainly rather ride the bus than drive to work any day.)
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Keep St. Helens Avenue Safe
· Posted Tuesday May 15, 2007 by jamie
Tonight’s the night. The City Council will be considering whether or not to make St. Helens Avenue one-way southbound between Market and Ninth. (A vote may not happen until next week, but most of the discussion will be occurring tonight.)
I’ve written about it here (and here), but in a nutshell this proposal is wrong in a couple of simple ways:
- Bicyclists will lose a non-steep route out of downtown, which will discourage people from biking to work or other downtown destinations given the difficulty of biking back home. Hopefully we can at least get a northbound bike lane, as is being floated.
- Cars will travel faster if the road is one-way, making the road more dangerous for cyclists, pedestrians, skateboarders, people backing out of parking spaces, etc., not to mention making the drivers less likely to notice the businesses they are driving by.
This block of St. Helens is ideal for measures to ensure that traffic volumes will be low. Making it one-way will have the opposite effect, and we all will suffer.
Let’s make sure the council knows that this is the wrong decision. If you haven’t contacted your council members, do so! And if at all possible, go to the City Council meeting tonight at 5pm in the Municipal Building (right there along St. Helens) to make sure your voice, and our voices as citizens, are heard.
Note: The above image was created using a neat piece of software called MacOSaiX, which is available as freeware (Mac OS X only) and creates mosaic images using a variety of images sources including Flickr, Google, and images on your hard drive. The original image is courtesy of Mike Lane Studios, with mosaic images culled from Flickr using the keyword “bicycle” (I’m not sure how to explain the penguin photos). The original work is licensed under the GNU Free Document License, and since this photo is a derivative of that photo, it inherits said license.
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Comment [3]
TNT on St. Helens One-Way Plan
· Posted Monday May 14, 2007 by jamie
The News Tribune finally gave some print to the St. Helens one-way issue this morning, just in time for the hearing before the full City Council tomorrow evening.
I’m intrigued by the idea of including a northbound curbside bike line being integrated into the southbound one-way plan, mentioned as a possibility by City Manager Eric Anderson. (Physically separated bike lanes, anyone?) However, I still have some big concerns about other effects of the change. The great thing about that block of St. Helens is that it is low-traffic and pedestrian-friendly. Mark my words, this change will result in more cars driving faster along that stretch. Not good things for pedestrians or businesses. I’m glad that the merchants got to have a big role in deciding what should happen, because it should be that way, but all things considered I think that they would benefit much more from the street staying two-way.
I’m interested to see how the issue will progress tomorrow night…
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Comment [7]
May 18th: 3AA's "Take Your Bike To Work Day" Group Commute
· Posted Monday May 14, 2007 by jamie
Ok, I got enough feedback, so we’re making it happen! ThriceAllAmerican.com’s first-ever “Take Your Bike to Work Day” group bicycle commute will be on May 18th, 2007!
In observation of Bike to Work Day, we will be taking a morning ride from UPS to UWT, before heading off to our respective day jobs. In the evening, we will re-convene near UWT to pedal to a local watering hole and start the weekend right.
The pace will be leisurely and easy-going…no racing, no running red lights, we’ll try to keep the group together, friendliness and general merriment are encouraged. Heck, maybe even wear a costume if you feel so inclined! Oh yeah, please wear a helmet, too.
The Logistics:
Morning Ride:
- What time? Meet at approx. 7:30am, depart shortly thereafter, rain or shine
- Where to meet? UPS’s Thompson Hall parking lot off of Union Ave.
- What’s the route? We will depart from UPS southbound on Union Ave. At Sixth Ave, we will head east through the business district before veering onto Division Ave near Jason Lee. Then we will take St. Helens to 9th, down the hill to Pacific Ave, and Pacific the rest of the way. Just under 4 miles total. (See the route on the Gmaps Pedometer.)
Evening Ride:
- What time? Meet at approx. 5:00pm, depart shortly thereafter
- Where to meet? Tacoma Art Museum Plaza
- Then where? Something resembling the morning route, except in reverse. And instead of going all the way back to UPS, we’ll go straight to Engine House No. 9 at 611 North Pine.
Disclaimer: Biking is a healthy and fun form of exercise, but can be dangerous. ThriceAllAmerican has proposed a time and place, but will not assume any responsibility for the actions or safety of riders involved. Participation is solely at the risk of the individual rider. Just to cover our asses and all…
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Scott Pierson Trail Open for Riding
· Posted Saturday May 12, 2007 by jamie
Just got back a bit ago from the ribbon cutting ceremony and an end-to-end bike ride of the new Scott Pierson Trail along Highway 16.
A good group was in attendance for the actual ceremony at Cheney Stadium, including several local dignitaries and the family of the late local bicycling advocate for whom the trail was named. Pedestrians and bicyclists could be seen all along the trail during my ride. It’s a great addition to the still-small but growing network of Pierce County trails, and is definitely worth checking out. It will also be included as part of the marathon route tomorrow.
Some pictures from the trail:
Eventually, when the new Narrows Bridge opens, the trail will continue across the new bridge in a separated lane. So I rode down to the current “end of the line” to check things out. The trail just sort of…ends. But there aren’t really any barricades. It took me a bit of looking to even determine where I was supposed to go had I wanted to get to the sidewalk crossing the old bridge. There was really nothing to keep me from continuing right out onto the new bridge. Not even a “no trespassing” or “do not enter” sign. It was tempting…
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