Carfree Seattle

Good News! (Or, one more thing for Teabaggers to hate...)

2010-04-14T19:09:00.000-07:00

On March 15, 2010, the US Department of Transportation issued this Policy Statement on Bicycle and Pedestrian Accommodation. Being a layman, I can't tell whether this is enforceable or just a set of recommendations. Your comments and explications would be welcome...

An excerpt:

The DOT policy is to incorporate safe and convenient walking and bicycling facilities into transportation projects. Every transportation agency, including DOT, has the responsibility to improve conditions and opportunities for walking and bicycling and to integrate walking and bicycling into their transportation systems. Because of the numerous individual and community benefits that walking and bicycling provide — including health, safety, environmental, transportation, and quality of life — transportation agencies are encouraged to go beyond minimum standards to provide safe and convenient facilities for these modes.

Bikes are Beautiful!

2010-03-24T11:38:00.001-07:00

Because it's spring and bikes are beautiful...

For event details and updates check out www.thinksmall.org.

Entitled States of America

2010-03-19T12:21:00.000-07:00

More anger and entitlement from the corporate media, this time directed against cyclists:

Call ESPN if you think this is unacceptable: 1-888-549-ESPN

WARNING: Get out your barf bag before you listen because this will make you sick.

Google Maps Adds Bicycling Directions

2010-03-10T12:12:00.000-08:00

The Google bikemapping team (based right here in Seattle) has created a mapping option for cyclists which takes into account topography, cycling infrastructure, and road conditions to deliver bike-friendly directions....

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/biking-directions-added-to-google-maps.html

Drivers Are #1!

2010-02-23T13:28:00.000-08:00

...When it comes to emissions of greenhouse gases:
http://www.giss.nasa.gov/research/news/20100218a/

From the article:

In their analysis, motor vehicles emerged as the greatest contributor to atmospheric warming now and in the near term. Cars, buses, and trucks release pollutants and greenhouse gases that promote warming, while emitting few aerosols that counteract it....

The new analysis offers policy makers and the public a far more detailed and comprehensive understanding of how to mitigate climate change most effectively, Unger and colleagues assert. "Targeting on-road transportation is a win-win-win," she said. "It's good for the climate in the short term and long term, and it's good for our health."

Driving World Hunger

2010-01-23T15:19:00.000-08:00

"The grain grown to produce fuel in the US [in 2009] was enough to feed 330 million people for one year at average world consumption levels."

Touted by some as a "green" alternative to crude, biofuels such as ethanol have a huge impact on world food prices thus needlessly causing millions to go hungry. There is no replacement fuel for automobiles. Gas, hybrid, electric, biofueled--no matter which way you go, cars are wasteful. The only way to truly reduce the impact is to drive less, much less, with zero as the goal.

Read all about it:
www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/01/22-3

Changes Coming in Seattle’s Ride Free Area Bike Loading Policy

2010-01-15T17:03:00.000-08:00

Because of the increased demand for linking bicycles and transit, King County Metro will begin allowing bicyclists to load and unload bicycles at any regular bus stop in downtown Seattle’s Ride Free Area at any time of the day on a demonstration basis, effective February 6, 2010. This policy change will be evaluated for a year to determine whether it will be made permanent. Sound Transit, Community Transit and Pierce Transit will also adopt this policy in the Ride Free Area.

Cyclists may also continue to load and unload bicycles at any station of the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel during all hours the tunnel is open.

To ensure the success of the new Ride Free Area policy, please remember to always alert the bus driver prior to loading or unloading a bike, and make sure the driver acknowledges you before stepping in front of a bus!

Read more about using Metro bus bike racks.

The Myth of the Efficient Car by Alec Dubro

2009-12-12T13:35:00.000-08:00

photo re-posted from www.zverina.com/2002/1206-suv.htm

This article appeared in the May 2009 issue of The Progressive. It's one of the best articulations of why "the greening of the auto industry" is a contradiction in terms.

A must-read: The Myth of the Efficient Car.

Author Rejoices Over Higher Gas Prices

2009-12-09T15:03:00.000-08:00

Gasoline in the USA is seriously underpriced. Higher prices would be a welcome disincentive to driving, but it would be even better if the price per gallon were tied to the efficiency of one's vehicle--similar to the way Finland levies fines for traffic violations in scale to one's wealth--so as to make driving gas guzzlers less attractive.

One writer cheerily envisions a world changed for the better when gasoline prices hit $20/gallon:

$20 Per Gallon:
How the Inevitable Rise in the Price of Gasoline
Will Change Our Lives for the Better

...But why wait for "the inevitable" before changing one's wasteful habit?

Beauty and the Bike

2009-11-26T00:42:00.000-08:00

I like Beauty and the Bike for three reasons:

1) Continuing in the vein of The Ideal Cyclist, it shows you
don't need special gear to enjoy bicycling. In fact, a more casual
or fashionable approach makes it more appealing and accessible.

2) It demonstrates that people ride more when they feel safe.
A helmet won't make a person feel safer, but a bikelane will.

3) It provides good strategic example for one creative way
to advocate for more bicycle infrastructure.

The Ideal Cyclist

2009-11-26T00:25:00.000-08:00

In many ways this represents my ideal bicyclist:

A regular joe on his way to his whereto, no special
clothes, not even a helmet. Biking's just a part of his
day to day and probably has been for 50 years. He
doesn't appear to be exceptionally fit but that's OK,
he's not out to set any land speed records and so
probably won't be a menace to pedestrians and other
cyclists unlike Spandexed wannabes or amphetamined
messengers. The bike isn't fancy but exhibits some
common sense features--chain guard, lights powered
by rim generator, fenders, and a wicker basket that
certainly wasn't factory-installed equipment. It even
has gears and brakes. It's neither status symbol nor
fashion statement. It's just one of the better ways to
get around Vienna and he takes to the streets unafraid.

[Re-posted from www.zverina.com/2009/0923.htm]

Welcome to Carfree Seattle

2009-11-19T14:40:00.000-08:00

This blog is a personal look at living in Seattle without owning a car. While its focus is mainly local to Seattle, I will also post carfree news and art from around the world when it serves to inform and inspire ways to reduce automobile dependence on individual and municipal levels. Your comments, links, and contributions are always welcome.

If you're new to the carfree concept, Your Guide to Going Carfree (Seattle Edition) is a good place to start. It was created in 2002 in conjunction with Carfree Seattle Day. It's due an update but still neatly encapsulates most of the reasons for and benefits of going carfree.

And if you like the above graphic, you can download an 11x17-inch .pdf here. Simply email the file to your local copy shop to have it printed large!