Seattle bike expo March 9-10 see page 5
MARCH 2013 / Vol. 43, No. 3
Cascade’s Family Biking Program launches this spring by Julie Salathé, Education Director
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ascade is launching a new Family Biking program focused on encouraging more families and kids to ride bikes. The program includes classes, resources, rides and events. The concept of family biking will bring focus to our existing programming and act as an impetus to add new classes and rides. New this year is Cascade’s four-part series of family biking classes at Magnuson Park. The classes will be held from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Sundays in April, June, and September. The first Sunday of each month will be a Learn-2-Ride for all ages. The second Sunday will be a Bike Skillz and Bike Fiets rodeo for all ages; the third Sunday will be a family bike skills class for parents and kids on their own bikes; the fourth Sunday will be a ride for families. We are partnering with Morgan Scherer (speaking at this month’s Bike Expo) of Bike Works and her new nonprofit Familybike to teach these classes.
To start the 2013 season, come to the Seattle Bike Expo for fun kids’ activities. The Expo will feature a kids’ Learn-2-Ride, a Wheelie Fun stunt course, games, bike art and a scavenger hunt. Morgan Scherer brings her cargo bike exhibit to Expo again this year. Catch her at the Raleigh stage, Saturday, March 9, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., where she and Nancy Sathre Vogel talk about biking as a family, either in the city to get places you need to go, or traveling all the way down two continents! In April, Cascade will also teach parents to lead “bike trains.” Bike Trains are when a groups of kids travel to school together by bike. “Bike Trainings” complement a move by the Seattle Public Schools to encourage “Walking School Buses” or groups of kids walking to school led by a parent volunteer. And don’t forget, May is Bike Month, with more than 40 schools participating in Bike continued on page 4
Vulcan marks nine years of partnership with the Bike to Work Breakfast
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or the ninth year running Vulcan has committed to lead sponsorship of Cascade’s Bike to Work Breakfast. This year’s event, slated for the morning of May 2, is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Cascade Bicycle Club Education Foundation. “We’re excited about all Cascade Bicycle Club has done to encourage more people
to ditch their cars and use their bikes to get around,” said Pearl Leung. “They’ve built a community of individuals who are conscientious about their health, the environment, and this city. We’re proud to support that work.” We’d like to give a special thanks to Vulcan, lead sponsor of this event and longtime supporter of cycling education and advocacy efforts. Because of the generous sponsorships from Vulcan and others, 100 percent of the proceeds from this year’s breakfast will benefit the Cascade Bicycle Club Education Foundation. You can learn more about Vulcan on Facebook and twitter. For more information about the breakfast and how your business can be involved please contact Tarrell Wright, Development Director, at (206) 240-2235 or tarrell.wright@cascadebicycleclub.org.
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Become a Cascade ride leader
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ascade Bicycle Club produces one of the most comprehensive recreational riding programs in the country, and it’s all free to anyone interested in riding. We offer rides every day of the year, more than 1,300 rides annually. Rides range from leisurely 10-mile jaunts to strenuous endurance events to multiday rides to the intensive Cascade Training Series designed to get you ready to ride our major events like the STP. Ride leaders are the heart and soul of our daily rides program. Our 200+ ride leaders keep the calendar filled throughout the year. If you have an idea for a new ride or don’t see your favorite ride listed, consider joining our leaders’ team. Next Ride Leader Certification Class will be held on March 11 at 6:30 p.m. at the Club office. Class size is limited to 15 people, and you must be registered to attend. Interested? To register, email rlcert@cascadebicycleclub.org with your name, member number and phone number (home, cell or work).
Seattle voters: we want safe places to bike by Evan Manvel, Director of Policy, Planning and Government Affairs
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hen Cascade commissioned a poll of Seattle voters, we didn’t know what we’d discover. Polls and focus groups force us out of the communities we’re used to hearing from, into the unknown general public. And the public debate is often dominated by complainers, rather than those happy with the direction we’re headed. When we got the results, we were overwhelmed – and overjoyed – by the strength of support for our vision. We learned, in short, Seattle voters like bicyclists, want safe streets for everyone to be our top transportation priority, and don’t agree with the anti-bicyclist rhetoric that we see in public discussions. The message for those trying to get elected or working to represent Seattleites is clear: don’t run away from supporting bicycling, run toward it at full speed. Work to do even more to support safe places for people of all ages and abilities to ride a bicycle. Fulfill without fear our moral obligation to provide strong options for those who can’t or don’t want to drive to get around. The media also found the results compelling; our poll got coverage across the country. The Stranger wrote: “Seattle voters overwhelmingly like cyclists – 79 percent have a favorable opinion – and most of the city’s residents actually ride a bike. What’s even more contrary to conventional wisdom: By a two-to-one margin, voters support removing traffic lanes and some on-street parking to build
bicycle lanes that are physically separated from cars.” That result, on what pollsters called a forced-choice question, is one of the clearest signs Seattleites strongly support creating safe places to ride, even if it means tradeoffs. Our elected officials who hear complaints from a few people now know the public is strongly supportive of taking out a few car parking places to build protected bike lanes. Seattle Bike Blog had this take: “Bicycling is clearly part of Seattle’s character, and a majority of Seattle voters agree. Not only that, but they want more.” The Seattle Times, BikePortland, The Atlantic Cities, Treehugger and Streetsblog also covered the results, and in late February we hosted a national conference call discussing our poll with bike advocacy groups across America. The poll generated national attention because it runs counter to the general perception of deep divides and ongoing conflict between bicyclists and the rest of the public. That perception – fueled by poor media coverage, politicians trying to score a point, and vituperative online commenters – is out of line with reality. Voters simply don’t find the complaints about investing in bicycling credible or compelling. Fewer than a third of Seattleites agreed with the idea there is a “war on cars,” and voters overwhelmingly reject the idea “social engineers… are trying to force continued on page 4
In This Issue Welcome new staff.................................................2 Major Taylor project................................................2 Getting SR 520 right.............................................2 Gear up for Bike Month........................................3 Helmet volunteers wanted.....................................3 Cascade's helmet program.....................................3 Ear-a-Scraper is off and rolling............................3 Pedaling down east................................................3
What is volunteering?............................................3 Seattle Bike Expo...............................................5-9 March Rides.....................................................10-13 S.M.A.R.T Riding is no accident..........................13 Cyclist of the month............................................14 Bikeconomics..........................................................14 Cascade contacts...................................................15 Welcome new members.......................................16