#Relive
I absolutely love the beauty and simplicity of this new app! Hurrah to the app developers for making riding more fun! It doesn't have a lot of options for free users unless you time the upload of your ride so you can edit right then and there. However, that's a small price to pay for free. I am tempted to be a paid user. I likely will in time.
Screenshot of time-lapsed air quality close to the time I woke up from AIRnow.gov
Thick, hazy, smoky; that’s the air in Seattle these days. My eyes watered yesterday from the thick. Fires from BC, Canada are blowing down to Seattle and sitting in the valley. We are in the midst of hot, stagnant weather so nothing is really blowing the air out once it sits here.
I wondered about biking to and from work. Am I safe? Am I going to hurt my lungs? I didn’t really think so. I have no existing lung issues, and I don’t really exert myself commuting. Plus, I don’t have a better option to get to work. I could take the bus, but that opens up a whole other realm of unpleasant inhalants.
The internets say I am going to be just fine. Most research focuses on the pollution caused by the carbon monoxide in car exhaust. This is a special pollutant for cyclists because we are literally a few feet from exhaust pipes the entire time we ride in traffic. Plus, we can't really escape breathing fumes in a downtown setting. The best thing to do is ride fast and pick the best route. Pollution is the most deadly public health hazard second only to smoking. Still, riding a bike in pollution is better than no exercise at all. With smoke pollutants, fast is my only option. Getting out of the air quickly is more beneficial than exerting/breathing less intensely.
“...riding a bike is still healthier than not riding. Bike commuting is a healthier alternative to driving to work—which also happens to expose you to air pollution. In 2015, a study from the University of Copenhagen elaborated on this, suggesting that the positive impacts of exercise are more important for our health than the negative effects of air pollution. And in March of this year, the University of Cambridge published findings that the health benefits of walking and cycling outweigh the negative effects of air pollution on health, even in cities with high levels of air pollution. ”
So, yeah, I got a headache after commuting today. But it's not likely to cause any long-term issue. I am lucky that I live in a region that scores higher for air quality than most of the rest of the world. All sources agree that riding is still better than not riding. Even the EPA suggests riding a bike to combat poor air quality. Sure, riding a bike isn't going to put out any fires. Still, I am doing my tiny little part to combat climate change and air pollution every day ride. That's a good enough reason for me to push through the haze.
To the thief who stole the lighting off my bike this morning, I would have happily given you a light. I have several extra. Just ask. The world doesn’t need to be that harsh. But don’t leave me without a light when I have 8 miles to ride to work in the dark rain. I depend on my bike to get to work, and I depend on my lights to get there safely.
I know, I should remove these things when I locked the bike. It takes time to remove all that stuff. Stupidly, I didn’t want to take the time. I mistakenly thought this quiet, bright parking lot was safe. I park in a locked cage at work, I parked my bike inside at my old health club. I've going to this new health club for 2 weeks, and have been parking my bike outside. Today I just didn't feel like taking the time to remove all the lights like I have been. I mean, who am I to be so mistrusting of people?
Today is #bikeeverywhere day! The warm, spring air and sunshine blessed all cyclists this morning in Seattle. I got up early with grand plans to ride by 10 stations on the way to work. This is one of the greatest advantages of working downtown and commuting along a major (if not the most popular) bike corridor in a large and largely bike-friendly city.
The first 2 stations I planned to visit couldn’t be found. Either I read the map incorrectly, or they simply weren’t there. I began to wonder if getting up early was such a good idea. Then I stopped at the F5/Cascade Station. I danced around to some fun tunes from the DJ and filled my face with energy food. I passed the PEMCO station across the street, but made it to the Facebook Station. Facebook nonchalantly handed over a high quality bag full of high-quality goodies. I made a point to engage with other riders. This is community building, right? I’m usually rushing into work. The sooner I get to work, the better the day! The harder I ride, the better the work out! No time for chatting! Today, I had to concentrate on kicking bakc in pointless banter. Then I got some fun snacks at the next station. Kilroy made my day, though. They had a large banter that said something about “Bike to Work Day”! Sometime back, the name of this celebration changed to “Bike Everywhere Day”. But I’m biking to work! I’d I were simply biking everywhere, I wouldn’t need doughnuts to entice me, the ride in itself is reward enough. Biking to work everyday is a different kind of hard. I stopped at Oculus Eye Care and entered a raffle to win a pair of sunglasses. I could really use a pair of prescription glasses for biking, so I am secretly crossing my fingers for the win on that one. I veered one block off my route for the SubPop stop. They tried to give me a CD and I instantly didn’t feel cool enough to get a free CD from SubPop. But they gave me one anyway. All in all, it was a wonderful morning. I could have veered even more off course and gotten cans of cold brew coffee and other wonderful things, but I am happy that so many people and businesses are out there supporting cycling and cyclists. Thanks for the loot, Bike Everywhere Day!
I slowly pedaled up the Dexter hill as dawn opened up into morning. The usually bustling road lay empty at this hour. I looked around and saw nothing; no cars, no busses, no other bikes. A man walked toward me on the sidewalk. He started yelling just out of earshot, getting louder as I drew closer. "...she won't respect what I say, SO I KILLED THAT WOMAN! I KILLED HER! and no woman will...." His fists violently pumped as I lost earshot biking away.
People walk the streets, yelling obscenities and imagined arguments all day long downtown. After years of working in the city, the yelling has become a part of the soundscape, a thing no less expected than sirens, honking, and engine noise. It's a guarantee with every trip. Also guaranteed, is the safe feeling of being surrounded by a crowd. Downtown, I am never out of eyeshot of several other cars and pedestrians. It's an admittedly misguided sense of safety, but mental instability and other shapes of human suffering is diluted by the populations of the privileged and busy.
Being alone with someone like this, on a street with no cars or other visible people, takes on a whole new feeling. Sure, I had a speed advantage being on a bike, but I was going up a hill, and he had plenty of leverage and proximity to throw something into my spokes. His fist pumping made this option seem plausible. I felt fear, since his anger was directed at woman. But more I felt curious, as I usually hear the word "bitch" in place of "woman." Since he coupled that switch with the word "respect" it made me wonder about his story, and I felt sad that my fear, socialized culture of isolation and rush to work kept me from ever finding out.
My household got selected to participate in the Puget Sound Regional Travel Study. I admit I felt excited to participate, because transportation is of key importance in our society. There are several studies connecting health and wellness with time of work commute. Being someone who loathes commuting with all my being, I have a particular investment in this sort of thing. Being able to bike to work has probably been the single biggest factor in my sticking with my current employer. I've been with my current employer longer than any other, so that says something. Needless to say, Seattle's roads and transit are, in my opinion, the biggest blemish keeping Seattle from being an epically beautiful place to live.
The above data says it all. Perhaps I am more sensitive to satisfaction than others, but most people look at me as though I am a bizarre alien when I admit that I've chosen jobs paying at poverty with no or next to no commute over more traditional choices for most of my adult life.
That being said, am thrilled that my choices will be counted in a study like this. However, I must admit that the study has been tedious and time consuming to say the least. I can't imagine anyone less passionate than myself actually completing it. The study is based on a phone app (rMove) that tracks your travel for a week. However, every walking and driving trip I take is mapped incorrectly, and false trips are recorded when I'm just walking around the home. The study requires that the whole household participates, and I convinced a begrudging boyfriend to participate. His app has tracked him taking out the trash, getting a shopping cart, and other short activities as "trips". Last night we took a walk around the neighborhood. The app captured our stop to pet a friendly cat as a "stop". How do we track that? Were we going to work? Home? Restaurant? Errand? The options are many, but the importance none. Luckily there are options for error correction at every turn. If you still think the study isn't consuming enough, you have to realize there are 5 PAGES OF QUESTIONS FOR EVERY SINGLE TRIP AND 5 PAGES OF QUESTIONS AT THE END OF EACH DAY. I expected the study to be similar to the app-based happiness survey I've participated in since 2009. Puget Sound Regional Council and rMove, if you have low compliance from your participants, you may want to take some notes from Matt Killingsworth. If everybody actually diligently answers all these questions, well, count me amazed. I can't wait to find out the results of the survey, and I hope the results are considered valid. Itwon't help is participants cherry-pick trips because the process is tedious. A lot has changed in Seattle since the last time the survey was completed. It's only been since 2014, but already I am seeing more cyclists every year and the urgency from King County Metro Transit's alerts to work from home every time there is a transit delay (which is nearly every day). If we all worked from home, there'd be no baristas, Seattle! C'mon, let's fix this!
A metro bus crowded me against a construction barricade the other day, brushing my arm with its side body. Bikes have to merge into one-lane traffic during a stretch of road where construction overlaps the bike lane. I take “merge with traffic” literally, assuming the center of the lane with my bike as though I were a car. Depending on the traffic load, sometimes cars have to wait behind me because I can’t get up to the 30 they like to go. Usually the traffic is heavy and we all go slowly through the construction. Some bikes speed by, weaving in and out of cars, but I stay safe and center. For some reason I hugged the side of the road the other day. I don’t know why I did that. Perhaps I was preoccupied with thoughts in my head. And that's when the bus brushed me. The rest of the day, the resultant rug burns on my elbow rubbed painfully against my clothing, a constant reminder of my idiocy. I felt completely at fault. Why didn’t I take the defensive center of the road position?
Then the burns scabbed over, lessening my pain and subsequent guilt. For the next several days, the tender bruising on my elbow completely changed my conscience. I have several bright lights on my bike. I wear reflective, bright clothing. I signaled my merge and rode at a consistent speed. The bus came up from behind and passed. The driver had no reason not to see me. As it approached, I slowed my speed, but it slowed as well. I was so sure it would veer left and give me more space. Instead, it veered closer to the construction barricade and blocked me in. The bus driver had every opportunity to see me, and every opportunity to give me space. Even if I wasn’t being defensive, I should have been safe. As the bus wall banged into my left arm, my bike involuntarily short to the right, making my front tire touch the construction barricade. Here, as I tried with all my might to keep my bike steady, the bus driver still had opportunity to veer left. Instead, it continued to narrow my passage. For a moment, while my elbow kept banging again and again along the bus wall and my wheel swerved madly, I was sure I’d fall. I didn’t fall, and I take full credit for that. Had I not had the practice of commuting 60 miles a week for the past 5 years, I may not have maintained control. If I were a new rider, that could have been my last ride.
I’ll never know if the bus driver didn’t see me or was just being an ass. One thing I do know is that I will always take the center lane now when no shoulder is available. I also know that even if I am not riding perfectly defensively, others on the road share a responsibility to keep all of us safe.
I wish I could teleport all the drivers who honk at me and hate on me to that moment when I was sandwiched between bus and barricade, just for a moment. I am not trying to be “that” cyclist. I am not trying to hog the road and make life miserable for everyone else. I don’t have an agenda, I don’t have any snooty attitude. I am just trying to get to work. I think we all have a right to do that without having to wonder if we’ll ever make it in.
Bikes do a pretty good job of telling us what they need. Often times I hear chains crying that they are thirsty for oil. Sometimes brake pads like to squeal that they aren’t quite toed in right. Bikes, just like cars, send signals telling us something is wrong. It’s just up to us to listen. A couple of weeks ago my shifting cable was arguing with me; being tight and resisting me. I took note, and thought I should go to the bike shop about that. But I was about to go on vacation and my mind (and my lunch breaks) were elsewhere. I’ll deal with the cable after I get back, I said. Well, here I am back from vacation and the cable didn’t make it one trip. Just as I started peeling down 5th avenue, she snapped. That was it, my bike told me, no more. While I wasn’t in the best gear for climbing up the hills of 5th avenue (there are hills out there, people! Just because you can’t see them doesn’t mean they aren’t there!) I managed okay. Still gotta get to work. My brakes were not affected, and except for riding slower, I felt safe to finish my ride into work and to ride to the bike shop. Whew!
Fremont Bridge Bike Count: 149
The other day, as I peddled up the last push of the long Fremont hill, a panhandler hollered out to me, “You’re almost there, dude! You’re almost there, you can do it!” Often times, I drag on the way home from work. The Fremont hill is one I could spin through quickly and get a pretty good work out from. But, the timing is all wrong. It’s the end of my day. I’m tired, and I’m usually still recovering from the hair-bending stress of peddling through downtown. I tend to go as slow as possible, with my only motivation to keep peddling enough to not fall down. This guy on the side of the street had no idea how far I had to go, but he must have seen how much I was dragging. Supportive people are the best! If you have ever offered words of encouragement to a complete stranger, this is my thanks to you! Keep it up, your words move mountains (or move people up mountains, in this case)!
Fremont Bridge Bike Count: 191
Today, a flagger stood his stop sign in front of me as I biked through a construction zone. Various construction zones for investment properties have blocked the portions of the bike lane on Dexter Avenue. for the 5 years that I’ve been commuting. Being stopped by a flagger is a regular occurrence, however, when there is just one bike on the road and no cars, like today, the flagger will often let the bike pass. I didn’t mind waiting, though. The flagger didn’t look at me so he may not have known no one else was there. Maybe he was new at his job- he seemed pretty focused on the semi-trucks backing into the road. Then he walked behind the semis, with his sign. Should I go? Should I stay? The flagger was gone, so I should go…I guess. The flagger left without glancing at me at all. Here’s where I got annoyed. The semis pulled into THE BIKE LANE. So, the flagger stops me, then blocks the bike lane without so much as an acknowledgement to the person on the bike. A little polite nod would have been enough. Common courtesy can make someone’s day.
I can’t remember exactly what year it was, but in earlier years of my commuting career, the flagger for another investment property greeted cyclists with warm smiles and fun conversation. I looked forward to greeting this eternally cheerful bearded dude every day. We chatted about the weather, the traffic, the job, whatever. The jubilance of the bearded flagger was kind of legendary, too. Every commuter I talked to, whether at work or at Bikes and Bagels or at other bike-themed activities, spoke fondly of him. Connection is a sort of thing you can have on a bike that’s different from commuting in a car. You can actually converse with other commuters at lights, say hello to parents walking their kids to work, pedestrians getting coffee, and anybody else you see. You aren’t confined by the closed walls of a car. Most people still choose to stay silent, and that’s where the happy bearded flagger shined. It didn’t matter how many jackhammers pounded around him, he still hollered “Good Morning!” to me every day. Acknowledgement of your existence is a wonderful thing, especially in hazardous areas. I miss that cheerful flagger!
Fremont Bridge Bike Count: 191
The above image is the intersection at Blanchard and 7th downtown. It’s an intersection I pass every day. In the winter months I tend to see only one or two other cyclists on the intersection, but during the summer it can be a steady line of bikes making the bike numbers equal or more than the cars. The street paint is worn, making the sharrows a sort of vague suggestions. Most bikes behave like the red bike above, passing all cars as though there was a bike lane. When they turn left, as most cars also do, they end up getting a right of way as bikes can weave through the pedestrians before cars and few Seattle drivers are going to not give cyclists a right of way. I tend to sit in line with the cars (the green bike above) because I don’t feel like it’s right that the steady stream of bikes get to go sometimes making the cars sit through several red lights. However, I am taking up space a car could use, along with making my commute last longer. I am not sure which is best to be, the green bike or the red bike. I constantly struggle with this. I feel like when I am on narrow streets with sharrows but no bike lane, it’s safer for me to ride in line with the cars (as long as I can keep up with their pace). But I can’t accelerate or break as fast as a car, making my behavior a little different than the cars around me. Since nearly all bikes behave like the red bike above, I struggle wondering what is right. If anyone reads this and has an opinion, please share!
When I visit my health club, I travel on the sidewalk for a bit. Ideally cyclists wouldn’t be on sidewalks, but that’s where the bike racks are. When I leave the sidewalk to get back on the road I have the option of getting to the bike lane by crossing a left-hand turn lane (the blue path). I don’t like doing this as many cars turn left here and I have to slow them down just to confuse them by stopping part way through the crosswalk. So I behave like a pedestrian, traveling on the pedestrian crosswalk until I pass the turning cars and can safely reach the bike lane (the red path). Pedestrians don’t like this and turning cars still sneer at me. Cars traveling west who want to turn right also get confused because I enter the street at their turn spot. I think I’m doing the best I can and it feels weird merely because of the general congestion of the roads. It’s just these sorts of things one has to think about as a cyclist. I am certain neither the drivers nor the pedestrians saw me exit the health club and wonder why I am on the sidewalk in the first place.
Today the rain fell down relentlessly, without shame and without restraint*. I felt insanely grateful for my bike getup that keeps me feeling comfortable and safe. About 6 miles in, however, the wet soaked through my hands and feet. But it was wonderful and warm outside. I smiled as the drips pelted my face. This was way less painful than the hail that pelted my eyelids yesterday! At this point I had no reason not to ride through the puddles. I felt like a kid in the rain! Splash!
Plus, I knew I had a handy new boot dryer at work waiting to be tested. See, I have no problem getting wet on the way to work. However, putting on wet and soggy clothes to get home is no fun at all. So, the boy got me a boot dryer to use at work. It is being put to the task today, we’ll see how it performs. The label stresses not to use it on gloves, so I am trying them out on our coat rack.
Fremont Bridge BIke Count: 158
*I love anthropomorphizing all the things.
If you didn't catch the title reference, grab the earworm of the day, brought to you by Blind Melon:
All I can say
Is that my life is pretty plain
I like watchin' the puddles gather rain
And all I can do
Is just pour some tea for two
And speak my point of view
But it's not sane,
It's not sane
I just want some one to say to me,
"I'll always be there when you wake."
You know I'd like to keep my cheeks dry today
So stay with me and I'll have it made
And I don't understand why I sleep all day
And I start to complain
That there's no rain
And all I can do is read a book to stay awake
And it rips my life away,
But it's a great escape
Escape... escape... escape...
I had a scare to top all scares while riding my bike downtown a last summer. The experience has left me mortified and biking hasn’t been the same since. In fact, I avoided biking downtown entirely for 2 months after that horrid day. So, when Cascade bicycle club sent me an email, I felt like they were talking to me:
Anyone who has ridden a bicycle in the street understands the anxiety of being passed by a speeding vehicle. For some, it is enough to keep them off a bike for good
Yikes! My scare wasn't a speeding vehicle, but still, I don’t want to be off my bike for good. What is this all about? It’s about lowering Seattle’s speed limits. This change may result in improved safety, but I don’t like it. Seattle is growing rapidly and the roads are getting more clogged and more difficult every day. And the city’s focus is on “traffic calming.” I hate this word. Seattle is already too calm. The only improvements I’ve seen to roads since I’ve moved here are more roundabouts, more stop signs, narrower roads, and more potholes. As a cyclist, I should be thrilled with the new bike infrastructure that’s been added. I am, but it doesn’t take away from this focus on “calming” for vehicles. How much more calm can we get? The Seattle driving collective comes across as passive aggressive to me. Drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians alike seem to have this slow, it’s all good, demeanor where they allow everyone to go their way. Until. They’ve had enough. Then they are honking and yelling and blocking off as many people as they can. I get the data that says driving slower is safer, but this overall calming effort rubs me the wrong way and I wonder how many Seattleites will comply. Seattle is growing. At some point it's going to take forever to get from point A to point B if our only solution is to drive slower.
“Non-motorized and trips taken by transit continue to increase and rose 7 percent and 5 percent respectively between 2012 and 2014 in the City Center.”
I would much rather see a focus on the inattentive and distracted driver. While I've had a co-worker killed by a texting driver, I think the issue is more complex than making laws against texting (texting is ubiquitous in our culture. Telling people they can't text is like telling a dog it can't eat the food in front of it. Sure, you can make it stop but it takes constant vigilance). Also, texting is only one method of distraction. People are often exhausted, emotionally drained, attending to children, unsure of where to go and so on. All of these are facts of our life and aren't going to easily go away.
“In Seattle, inattention-related collisions increased 280 percent between 2011 and 2014.
...the likelihood of injury is high for pedestrians or bicyclists involved in collisions. The injury rate for pedestrians involved in collisions is 77 percent and 83 percent for bicyclists involved in collisions”
.
I got these awesome Seattle bike map glasses as a gift for Christmas. Not only are they fun to drink out of, they include part of the route I ride 8 times a week and my work site (shown above). What a fun gift! I just had to share because they are so nifty. It will also be fun to keep these glasses and see how the bike routes change as the years progress. These Bike Map Glasses were printed in Pittsburgh, PA. Pittsburgh is my family’s hometown, making these glasses are extra special.
What a beautiful day to be commuting by bike! The fragile and fantastical sensations of this morning’s sunrise made me forget the fear, discomfort, and concentrated focus that typifies the urban commute. I didn’t capture it on photograph, but the sunrise reflected on the water looked absolutely breathtaking.
Fremont bridge bike count: 170 (173 by the time I finished taking photos)
I planned to write about another cold day, but I bundled up and was quite infected by the weather. This, of course is due mostly to the amazing life-saving Cold Killer Pant my mom got me from Title 9 Sports. I can’t imagine wearing any other pant in cold weather commuting.
The dreamy empty roads of the holidays are over. Cars and bikes are back to their normal winter numbers. I watched a car turn from a “no turn on red” lane while the light was red. As the car barreled into a steady stream of cyclists, one yelled, “NO TURN ASSHOLEWWWWWWW!” I couldn’t believe how well I heard him holler through his balaclava, the guy had pipes. Needless to say, I am certain the car didn’t hear him. And even if he had, he would have thought, “What the hell is wrong with all these bikers? I have the right of way!” See, if the car was being an asshole, he would have turned at any time. But he waited until the lane next to him turned green. If he had noticed his light was still red, he probably also would have seen the stream of bikes he turned into. I am certain the driver simply didn’t pay attention to the sign in front of him while he waited at the red light and/or didn’t pay any attention to the light at all. He was probably tired and possibly still hungover from the holiday. I wish there was a way to alert people of the ways their inattention puts others in danger, but that’s the problem with inattention, they probably just won’t notice. I am a cynic like that. It was hard to watch those bikes respond, I know what it feels like to be them.
Fremont Bridge Bike Count: 199
It was another cold one this morning. So, I decided to skip the morning workout (that’s right, I didn’t sleep in or anything, it was a decision) and wait to ride until the temps got a little warmer. Then I bundled it all up. I relished in another day of nonexistent traffic. Here’s hoping for many more joyous days!
Fremont Bridge Bike Count: 33
The last 2 weeks in December is my favorite time to commute by bike. I ride with fewer commuters than I’d see late at night when I worked swing shift. Today, being the “observed” Christmas holiday meant that there were even fewer commuters out than imaginable. Last year at this time, temps reached the low 20’s, so I wouldn’t see a lot of other cyclists, but today I had the lowest count crossing the Fremont Bridge than I ever had before commuting at a normal hour. Of course, the lights on 5th avenue were still timed their weird way so I spent a lot of time sitting at red lights without another car in sight, but it gave me a chance to swoon at the bright red sunrise ahead of me. I tried to photograph it, but the camera didn’t do the reds justice. However, I did capture the lack of traffic. The cafes and restaurants were brightly lit with lonely uniformed staff standing at the counters, but the office buildings, apartments, and construction sites were empty, dark, and quiet. Quiet! It’s a commuter’s dream.
Fremont Bridge Bike Count: 25
https://www.wunderground.com/us/wa/seattle
Today’s wind warning lived up to its name. My commute to work took 15 minutes longer than normal. Traffic lights swayed like swings on a swing set. Construction cranes waved and bowed. I didn’t see any fallen trees or debris, although I did see workers attending to a fallen utility line. I pushed forward with all my might. My usual easy breezy coast down Dexter felt like a massive hill climb. Gusts blew me around so much I thought I had a flat tire several times. My heart rate soared to 177 bpm when I pushed up the 5th avenue incline against the wind and I still struggled to keep up with the cars. Luckily I never blew out of the bike lane, but I white knuckled the handlebars the whole way making sure that didn’t happen. What an adventure!
Fremont Bridge Bike Count: 153