Her show is showing progressively around town:
- July at Lettered Streets Coffee House
- August at the Avellino on Railroad
- Sept. at Book Fare Cafe, upstairs at Village Books
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Bike Art
Local artist Jess Flegel has a show of bike-ish art. Art featuring whimsical cycles. It appears to be fabric collage and quilting. It's pretty cute.
Her show is showing progressively around town:
Her show is showing progressively around town:
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Who gets on a plane to travel 40 miles, anyway?
From the LA Times:
Carmageddon: Bicyclists declare victory in race with JetBlue flight
July 16, 2011
The six bicyclists racing a JetBlue flight from Burbank to Long Beach Saturday proved the power of the pedals, beating the flight by a long shot. The cyclists, members of the urban bicyclist organization Wolfpack Hustle, made the trip in 1 hour and 34 minutes, using the path along the Los Angeles River for most of the trek.
The cyclists and a blogger aboard the JetBlue flight left at 10:50 a.m. from the same intersection in North Hollywood –- with the blogger having to drive to the airport, arriving an hour before the 12:20 p.m. flight, then catching a ride to the aquarium in Long Beach, the finish line. The plane had just taken off when the cyclists arrived.
The cyclists had boldly predicted victory earlier Saturday morning. Joe Anthony, 33, who took the JetBlue flight, said the race was meant to show "how feasible cycling is in L.A.," And, he said, "maybe how ridiculous it is to fly 40 miles."
Carmageddon: Bicyclists declare victory in race with JetBlue flight
July 16, 2011
The six bicyclists racing a JetBlue flight from Burbank to Long Beach Saturday proved the power of the pedals, beating the flight by a long shot. The cyclists, members of the urban bicyclist organization Wolfpack Hustle, made the trip in 1 hour and 34 minutes, using the path along the Los Angeles River for most of the trek.
The cyclists and a blogger aboard the JetBlue flight left at 10:50 a.m. from the same intersection in North Hollywood –- with the blogger having to drive to the airport, arriving an hour before the 12:20 p.m. flight, then catching a ride to the aquarium in Long Beach, the finish line. The plane had just taken off when the cyclists arrived.
The cyclists had boldly predicted victory earlier Saturday morning. Joe Anthony, 33, who took the JetBlue flight, said the race was meant to show "how feasible cycling is in L.A.," And, he said, "maybe how ridiculous it is to fly 40 miles."
Monday, July 18, 2011
Guide Meridian Project - Interim Report Published
Back in April we mentioned an upcoming project to keep an eye out for -- Guide Meridian from I-5 to Horton is getting some attention from WSDOT. The project is SR 539 - I-5 to Horton Road - Mobility Improvements. There was some gathering of public input, but somehow I missed it all.
The project team just released an interim report (PDF) that discusses where the money comes from (the feds), why (border-area vehicle traffic flow), and what ideas are and are not being considered for the next phase of the project.
They haven't decided exactly what they're going to spend their $3 million on, but they have ruled some things out. The whole push is for "Access Management" of the project area. They're looking at eliminating the center turn lane and installing a center median with a few left-turn pockets, and consolidating driveways. There are also several options under consideration as additional fixes for the stretch from I-5 to Bakerview.
They plan to make the decision on exactly what the project will include by the end of Sept.
From a bicycling perspective the report is disheartening. Because the funds are tied to vehicle mobility, the project team isn't even considering mobility improvements for non-motorized vehicles.
However, they are accepting comments on the interim report, and mine ask them (politely) to at least not make things worse by doing things that will get in the way of later projects to improve safety and mobility for all forms of transportation. I think they would be happy to hear from you, too. Just do read the report first...
Read my comments on the interim report after the break.
The project team just released an interim report (PDF) that discusses where the money comes from (the feds), why (border-area vehicle traffic flow), and what ideas are and are not being considered for the next phase of the project. They haven't decided exactly what they're going to spend their $3 million on, but they have ruled some things out. The whole push is for "Access Management" of the project area. They're looking at eliminating the center turn lane and installing a center median with a few left-turn pockets, and consolidating driveways. There are also several options under consideration as additional fixes for the stretch from I-5 to Bakerview.
They plan to make the decision on exactly what the project will include by the end of Sept.
From a bicycling perspective the report is disheartening. Because the funds are tied to vehicle mobility, the project team isn't even considering mobility improvements for non-motorized vehicles.
However, they are accepting comments on the interim report, and mine ask them (politely) to at least not make things worse by doing things that will get in the way of later projects to improve safety and mobility for all forms of transportation. I think they would be happy to hear from you, too. Just do read the report first...
Read my comments on the interim report after the break.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Complete Streets Workshop Wrap-up
- Casey Neistat's "Bike Lanes" (3 min. @ YouTube) about cycling in New York City
- Streetfilms' "Complete Streets: It's About More than Just Bike Lanes" (11 min. @ Vimeo)
Then Peter Lagerway gave a talk about the idea of Complete Streets, complete with lots of great example photos showing good and bad transportation infrastructure design. He was a bicycle & pedestrian transportation planner with the City of Seattle for some 25 years, and now is with a design firm in Seattle. He works with cities all over the country to improve their transportation environment.
After the talk he took a few questions, and then some of us went on a walk around downtown in the rain. He was pretty positive about the current state of downtown, but did offer a few suggestions for improvement. How would you like to see back-in angle parking on Railroad, for example?
The key thing I took away from his talk is that the heart of the 'Complete Streets' concept is changing the rules of the transportation planning game so that all modes of transportation are automatically given consideration in EVERY project. If the rules present a level playing field for all modes of transportation, then it's not a fight to be included at the design stage of every project. Instead the default design for any project is supposed to already take everybody into account.
This makes so much more sense than just doing one-off retrofit projects here and there. Over time, as development projects happen and roads get rebuilt, the city will transition into a place that's more friendly for all modes of transport.
It was also very encouraging to see two City Council Members at the talk -- Michael Lilliquist and Jack Weiss -- as well as Ted Carlson, the Director of the Public Works Dept.
And Cathy Lehman is running for City Council, Ward 3.
This all bodes well for passage and happy implementation of a Complete Streets ordinance.
Bellingham Bike Blog will be keeping an eye out for such an ordinance...
For more info. about Complete Streets, visit http://www.completestreets.org/
According to their map, Sedro-Woolley has a Complete Streets Ordinance, passed in June 2010....
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Haxton Way Trail Gets Noticed
The Cascade Bicycle Club's blog is featuring a documentary video about the Haxton Way Trail and its lights, out on the Lummi Reservation. The whole length of the trail is lit with LED streetlights, each powered by solar panels. They're not only on light sensors, they also use motion sensors to switch between low and full power when a person approaches. It's a great project, with a cool use of technology.
Monday, July 11, 2011
A Long Commute
On my ride home tonight I had a quick chat with another cyclist while we were stopped at a light. I learned that he commutes from Sudden Valley to a place near the airport, by bike, year-round.
Wow.
That's at least ten miles each way, much of it on busy roads without bike lanes on which there's no way I would ever ride.
Brave guy. I'm impressed.
Wow.
That's at least ten miles each way, much of it on busy roads without bike lanes on which there's no way I would ever ride.
Brave guy. I'm impressed.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
How Should the Baker to Bay Trail Cross James St. (near Sunset Pond)?
The City is in the planning stage for projects to improve James St. near Sunset Pond. The projects will replace two old bridges, and the road will be widened to add sidewalks, bike lanes, and a center turn lane.
Later projects in the same vicinity are planned to add a new section of Orchard St. that will connect the existing stretches on either side of I-5 via a tunnel under the freeway. I don't know if it's part of the same project or not, but there's also a plan to add a multi-use path along Squalicum Creek from Sunset Pond west, also under the freeway. This will be part of the Baker to Bay Trail.
Traffic Talk reports that the city planners are asking the City Council which one of four options they want for having that new trail cross the improved section of James St. -- the answer will have an impact on the design and possibly the placement of one of the replacement bridges.
Drawings of the four options, via Traffic Talk
Staff Report to council, with descriptions of the four options
If you have opinions on how the trail should cross James St., tell your City Council Reps. They'll be discussing it on Monday the 11th, first at a meeting of the Public Works/Public Safety Committee (that's Barry Buchanan (CHAIR); Jack Weiss; and Gene Knutson), and then at the full Council meeting. The committee meeting is at 1:25-2:45 in the Council Chambers, and the full Council meeting is at 7pm. Agenda.
Later projects in the same vicinity are planned to add a new section of Orchard St. that will connect the existing stretches on either side of I-5 via a tunnel under the freeway. I don't know if it's part of the same project or not, but there's also a plan to add a multi-use path along Squalicum Creek from Sunset Pond west, also under the freeway. This will be part of the Baker to Bay Trail.
Traffic Talk reports that the city planners are asking the City Council which one of four options they want for having that new trail cross the improved section of James St. -- the answer will have an impact on the design and possibly the placement of one of the replacement bridges.
Drawings of the four options, via Traffic Talk
Staff Report to council, with descriptions of the four options
If you have opinions on how the trail should cross James St., tell your City Council Reps. They'll be discussing it on Monday the 11th, first at a meeting of the Public Works/Public Safety Committee (that's Barry Buchanan (CHAIR); Jack Weiss; and Gene Knutson), and then at the full Council meeting. The committee meeting is at 1:25-2:45 in the Council Chambers, and the full Council meeting is at 7pm. Agenda.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
More New Bike Lanes!
Along with building the missing link for the Whatcom Creek Trail, the City of Bellingham is also adding bike lanes in two other places this summer. Both are part of the 2011 Annual Overlay Resurfacing Program.
- Birchwood Ave. between Baker Creek and Squalicum Parkway. The section between Northwest and Meridian already has a lane part of the way, and this will link up with that (I think).
http://www.cob.org/government/departments/pw/projects/images/es-0443-overlay-2011/es443-birchwood-vicinity.jpg
- Birchwood Ave. between Baker Creek and Squalicum Parkway. The section between Northwest and Meridian already has a lane part of the way, and this will link up with that (I think).
- Lakeway Dr. from Kenoyer Dr./Silverbeach Rd. to the city limits (Scenic Ave).
http://www.cob.org/government/departments/pw/projects/images/es-0443-overlay-2011/es-443-lakeway-vicinity.jpg
Construction is underway now.
Yay!
Construction is underway now.
Yay!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Complete Streets Workshop & Walk, 7/13
Several local organizations are hosting a guest speaker for an evening about Complete Streets, the idea that public right-of-way should work for all modes of transportation, not just cars. The event is free and open to the public.
What: Talk by Peter Lagerway (multi-modal planning expert, Senior Planner at Toole Design Group), and walk around downtown
When: Wed. July 13, 6:30-8pm
Where: the old Pickford Theater, 1416 Cornwall Ave.
Facebook Event Link
Sponsors:
What: Talk by Peter Lagerway (multi-modal planning expert, Senior Planner at Toole Design Group), and walk around downtown
When: Wed. July 13, 6:30-8pm
Where: the old Pickford Theater, 1416 Cornwall Ave.
Facebook Event Link
Sponsors:
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