[bobco85]

I’ve officially been in the Seattle area for a month now, and there’s still so much more to explore. Here’s more from Washington!

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View of the Stadium light rail station from the SODO (“SOuth of DOwntown”) Trail which runs alongside the light rail for about a mile (I have an upcoming video in the works for this short-but-sweet trail) – the station is about a half mile from both Safeco Field (baseball) and CenturyLink Field (football & American football)

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On my way to a Cascade group ride, I encountered this slight traffic delay at the Fremont Bridge – also, no, I was not riding the Limebike in front of me

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Walrus on a bike! The muralist is Ryan Henry Ward (goes by Henry), and he’s a local artist to the area – my favorite kind of art is street art, whether it’s mural and/or graffiti – Henry’s website is here: http://www.ryanhenryward.com/

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Boardwalk on the Springbrook Trail in Renton – I have only ridden it once, but will let y’all know what it’s like when wet

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IKEA is less than a half hour bike ride away, WOOHOO! Back in VA, I lived about a 2 hour ride from either IKEA, so this was a welcome discovery – note in the pic, I overestimated the size of my bike trailer and had a bit of bumping against the rear wheel, but I still got my shelf home

[bobco85]

@SpaceJockey 166371 wrote:

For the record I had a headlight and was visible to other people on the trail, there were many blacked out trail ninjas though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbP7hJ9V1sg&t=178s

First off, welcome to the forum (since this is your first post)!

I mostly like the video, especially the transition from night into day along with the fact that I’ve never biked the whole way from the Beltway south to Mt Vernon Highway along US-1 (I always do parts and take other roads). The music plays well with the sped up, chaotic nature of the footage, but it is a bit shaky (which could make viewers sick). Does your video editing software have any anti-shake/shake reduction functions (I use iMovie which does)?

Looking forward to the next one!

[bobco85]

@consularrider 166373 wrote:

A reminder a another reason to wear your bike helmet, falling walnuts!

Here in Washington, since there are many, many more pine trees, there are also many, many more pine cones!

[bobco85]

@DismalScientist 166313 wrote:

Shoaling a car: Pulling ahead of stopped cars into the intersection, creating a shoal.

Not to difficult.

But what do we do about bike boxes? They basically promote “shoaling” of vehicles by cyclists by allowing cyclists to get in front of drivers (where they can be better seen and to avoid right hooks from turning drivers).

Should we rename them bike shoals?

[bobco85]

I’ve been reading this thread, and I have 2 questions for the group:

1. Is there a difference between filtering and lane-splitting?
2. Would filtering be considered lane-splitting through stopped traffic?

Also, this should be added: lane-splitting is not technically illegal in DC, but it is illegal in both VA and MD. Interesting note: lane-splitting is legal for motorcycles in California, and people there (even with their, ahem, limited driving abilities in general) seem to have no issue with it (same goes for the zipper merge).

I think that filtering can be a useful tool of every cyclist’s skillset to safely bypass stopped traffic, but it is not to be done without much thought. It should be done in specific situations where one can reasonably predict what traffic is going to do, and even then, one must be vigilant and understand that drivers and their passengers are not expecting a cyclist between cars.

My positive experiences using filtering: most commonly when waiting behind a line of cars at a red light when I need to turn right, I will filter to make my turn or even hop onto the sidewalk to bypass everyone. It’s also great when you’re stuck behind right-turning drivers who are blocking the bike lane since you can get around them and back into the bike lane going forward.

My negative experiences using filtering: attempting to pass a line of cars stopped in traffic on M Street in Georgetown, the passenger in one of the cars decided that NOW was the time they wanted to disembark, and I nearly got doored as a result. Be very careful about filtering to the right when there’s a driveway or right turn lane approaching, as cars will move to the right in anticipation of said turns.

[bobco85]

@Judd 166253 wrote:

The bike on rail is pretty nice. How does it compare to Metro? Bike hangers on metro would be great, but the cars are so crammed that I don’t see it being feasible during rush unless you wanted to bop people in the face with a wheel.

I googled the trains and they look similar to the light rail system that St. Louis has. They look swanky.

The Link light rail is pretty awesome, and in my experience, it works well with the bus system. In certain parts of downtown Seattle, buses run through the same tunnels as the light rail trains and stop at the same station platforms as part of their routes.

As far as DC’s Metro is concerned, they need longer trains and an attitude adjustment. 8 car and 6 car isn’t working now, and they need 10 and 12 car trains. If they could manage passengers better, they could easily IMO add bike-friendly cars to front & rear of each train. Right now, there’s no will for it, so I will not hold my breath.

The Link light rail system is actually set to expand in a massive way over the next 2 decades (first expansion to University of Washington was completed in 2016) that will add multiple lines and connections between the major cities in the area (Seattle, Tacoma, Bellevue, & Everett). Here are pics of the current map and future expansion map:
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FYI: I live less than a mile from the Tukwila/International Blvd station (south side of Lake Washington, and the elevated rail itself passes close enough to my apartment complex that I can actually see my balcony from the train. It’s kinda cool!

[bobco85]

More exploration from the Emerald City and the areas around it!

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This is the Homer M Hadley Memorial Bridge, the 5th longest floating bridge (5,811 feet) in the world. The parallel eastbound span (Lacey V Murrow Memorial Bridge) just to the left in this pic is the 2nd longest (6,620 feet), and 3.6 miles north/right of this picture is the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge (a.k.a. 520 Bridge), the world’s longest floating bridge (7,578 feet) that is currently in construction of a MUP set to be completed this fall (I’m excited to ride it!). Back to this bridge: it’s awesome riding across even though it’s odd to be riding near the water level in the middle of a lake!

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This is a wonderful MUP on the side of Logan Ave N in Renton (south side of Lake Washington, just east of me from Tukwila). It runs north from the Cedar River Trail for a couple of blocks and ends by splitting into regular bike lanes (ones that have stoplight sensors) that lead to the Lake Washington Loop (a signed ~50 mile bike route going around Lake Washington on both trails and roads). The intersections are either driveways with good sightlines or have pedestrian signals. I took this pic while on a lovely Cascade (will get to them in a sec) ride around the southern half of Lake Washington, and I have made much use of this MUP especially when heading to Bellevue (east side of Lake Washington).

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Feeling tired from riding a metric the day prior, I took my bike on the Link light rail to get into the city for a moderate speed Cascade ride. There are specific cars labeled with a bicycle sign onto which people can bring their bikes, and I made use of one of the hooks they have in a specific spot (you hang the front wheel onto the hook, and there’s a fixture on the wall to keep the rear wheel from bouncing around. Up to 4 bicycles can be on each car (multiple cars per train), and usually there’s room to hang 2 of them to save space. Also, there’s NO RUSH HOUR BAN on bikes!

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When moving out here, I asked y’all what organizations would be great for getting into the cycling community, and most recommended Cascade Bicycle Club. In ways, it runs like a mixture of Potomac Pedalers and WABA, and there are many rides of different speeds/skill levels that one can choose from on any given day (especially the weekends). After doing about 5 of their rides and getting involved in other things related to bicycle advocacy, I decided to become a member. Now, I am a member both of Cascade and WABA! (Note: I am wearing my Virginia jersey)

[bobco85]

@lordofthemark 166052 wrote:

There is broken glass all over the region, though. In bike lanes, on roads, and on the less heavily used trails. Just sayin’.

#CansPlease #ItsAlwayMacroLagers #IOughtToBeInspectingMyTires

As someone who got a flat tire last weekend due to glass, I can say that the greater Seattle area has this problem, too. That said, a few days ago I saw a street sweeper pass by on the road (which has bike lanes) by my apartment complex, and I swear I had the same reaction as if an ice cream truck had arrived

[bobco85]

Still going through footage I gathered while still in the DC area, so here’s a new video for the first bike trail I rode when I was a child: Four Mile Run Trail.

I had to wait for the trail to fully reopen before I could do a full run of it, and luckily it did before I left. Also, I managed to get Robyne in the video since I encountered her on the way. Enjoy!

[video=youtube_share;ID28nxHPTwQ]https://youtu.be/ID28nxHPTwQ[/video]

[bobco85]

That intersection of the MVT-4MR needs some serious traffic calming. People heading south on the MVT cannot see those coming north off the bridge, and I’ve personally been passed on the MVT multiple times by silent pathletes as I’ve slowed due to the poor sightlines. Also, it’s difficult for those trying to get from 4MR onto southbound MVT because of this. I have also witnessed folks coming off southbound MVT to get onto 4MR without yielding (it’s technically a left turn). Perhaps they could also do something about the fact that the curve there at 4MR is way too narrow.

Stay safe, everyone, and I hope the injured person heals quickly and completely.

[bobco85]

After doing some more exploration and getting my computer stuff running back at full speed, I’ve got a couple more pics from the greater Seattle area to share.

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On the Green River Trail in Kent is this cool bridge-under-a-bridge. It is suspended from the underside of WA-516 which you can see here on Google Maps Streetview: https://goo.gl/maps/MBAypeto6xw Also, another thing I should mention: the Green River Trail can be navigated completely on Streetview!

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Seen on the east side of the West Seattle Bridge is a bike monolith, i.e. counter; this pic was taken on a Sunday morning

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From the bike path running along the north edge (154th St) of the SeaTac Airport, one can see how the airport is high up on a plateau (the little bridge is just for the runway lights). It’s certainly a different view of planes taking off or landing than the one I was used to at DCA!

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In Renton, I’ve seen a couple of these bike markings at some intersections that do not have any other bike infrastructure. A cyclist just needs to line up their front wheel on the marking, and it will trip the sensor for the stoplight. They also have these in intersections with bike lanes, but I’ve seen those before (e.g. SB Commonwealth Ave bike lane at Mt Vernon Ave in Alexandria, VA).

[bobco85]

@Sunyata 165647 wrote:

Ooh! This is awesome.

Plus, it gives Steve O some new bollards to yell at. 😎

Sadly (or happily), there aren’t likely to be more pics of bollards, but I’ll try to get a good mix of whatever I see each week.

[bobco85]

Really great write-up, ginacico! I’m glad you were able to test out some of the new bikeshare systems.

I have a question for folks: has anyone found some of these dockless bikeshare bicycles in places that previously faced huge opposition to CaBi inclusion (looking at you, Memorial Drive at Arlington National Cemetery)?

I think that the addition of dockless to the area makes a lot of places that much more accessible, and I’d be happy to hear if these bikeshare bikes are allowing people to actually visit some of these places without having to resort to driving.

[bobco85]

I did some more exploring of Seattle, this time I headed along the entire Alki Trail (about 4.4 miles long) that runs along the coast of West Seattle. It’s a nicely kept trail that offers gorgeous views of the Seattle skyline across Elliott Bay and of the surrounding lands/islands across Puget Sound. Alki is the settlement that would grow into Seattle. Also, they have a miniature version of the Statue of Liberty!

[video=youtube_share;nvGQuSZXSxI]https://youtu.be/nvGQuSZXSxI[/video]

[bobco85]

DrP, the crash you describe is very, very, very similar to a crash at that same site that I happened to catch on my bike camera in September 2016. Driver turning right without yielding right-of-way to crosswalk users led to a cyclist being injured with another cyclist witnessing the crash. I came up on it just after, but my camera did actually get it from far away.

Long story short, Bruce Deming was on the case, and folks on this forum were able to hook me up with him so that I could send him the video footage. I do not know the end result, but Bruce told me that the footage was very useful in the case. Eyewitness statements and video footage go a long way.

I hope your friend isn’t too seriously injured, but rest assured that there are avenues to getting justice.

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