Comments on: Bike Infrastructure: What we can learn from Seattle

By: elliott

elliott — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 21:10:08 +0000

M.J.
I was relaying a perception I got from other people in the cycling community. As I said, it is something I’ve seen here as well with the Austin Cycling Association, our largest club which has done many similar things to your organization in our community. Any movement has Bolsheviks and Mensheviks, and there is a place for both. Those impatient for change may view your work as too slow or giving in too easily. On the other hand, political leadership probably listen to you or find it easier to meet with you on critical issues. It is is the nature of things.

Thanks for the recommendation on the mountain biking, but I’m strictly a roadie (except for the odd cyclocross race.)

By: M.J.

M.J. — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 19:36:22 +0000

Hi Elliott,

Glad you saw some good work here in Seattle, but there is much more to do. We at Cascade Bicycle Club worked hard to see passage of the city’s first Bicycle Master Plan, then followed up by lobbying even hard to persuade voters to approve funding via a 5-year property tax levy. For without funds, a plan sits on a shelf. The plan also gives us a way to hold the city accountable to improving the bike infrastructure.

Bike paths (multi-use trails) are great, especially for novice riders looking to use their bicycles for transportation for the first time. But Cascade certainly views roads (sharrows, bike lanes, bike boulevards) as essential cycling infrastructure, too. New trails are difficult to carve out of the limited resource of land and public right of way. At the moment, we’re going through yet another round of lawsuits about completing the “Missing Link” of the Burke-Gilman Trail: http://www.cascade.org/Advocacy/missing_link.cfm

Just for point of clarification, there may be friction in “the bike community,” and some of what you heard/felt may be from the misperception that Cascade is a recreational club. Though recreational riding is a component of what the organization offers, we’re most actively involved in advocacy, commuting and education work. The large recreational cycling events Cascade produces (STP, Chilly Hilly, etc) are important fundraisers for our other work. This includes activities such as teaching bike education in public schools, evaluating and shaping regional transportation plans and lobbying elected officials for bicycling improvements and cyclists’ rights.

As for MTB, next time you’re in town, check out the I5 Colonnade, created through much hard work of the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance. It’s not wilderness, but the park offers technical riding right in the city. Pretty awesome! http://evergreenmtb.org/colonnade/

Thanks for listening…

M.J. Kelly
Cascade Bicycle Club

By: Michael

Michael — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 18:30:35 +0000

That’s a good way of putting it.

By: elliott

elliott — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 03:55:15 +0000

Good point.

By: Bikin' Bibliotecaria

Bikin' Bibliotecaria — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 18:47:18 +0000

I don’t think of it as “sacrifices” we have to make to have a greener city, but rather as TRADE-OFFS. For example, if someone says, “take the bus instead of driving your car,” that sounds like a sacrifice; but, if you suggest, “take the bus in exchange for a stronger sense of community and less pollution in the air,” that is a trade-off, and one I’m happy to make.