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Guess which color are bikeways in Seattle

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Patterns are used all around public infrastructure to help us remembering what should we do. Therefore, using different materials, colors and designs prevents drivers from remembering to look for bikes. The Scandinavian countries and the Netherlands know this well, that’s why they always use the same color and shade, and they have a very limited number of designs. However, consistency seems to be impossible to find in Seattle because the city is rather focusing on expanding its cycling facilities instead.guessWhichColorAreBikewaysOnSeattle

Bicycle innovations

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Although we don’t know for sure when the first ever bicycle was designed, it clearly goes back hundreds of years. Since its invention, the bicycle has undergone massive innovation yet there’s more on its way. Here are some of the new things you may find the next time you go to the store, but be careful, some of these new innovations may not be ideal:

The shaft-driven bicycle

Shaft drives operate at a very consistent rate of efficiency and performance, without adjustments or maintenance, though lower than that of a properly adjusted and lubricated chain.
shaft

The belt-driven bicycle

A belt-driven bicycle is a chainless bicycle that uses a toothed synchronous belt to transmit power from the pedals to the wheel. The application of belt drives to bicycles is growing due to the low maintenance and lubrication-free benefits.
belt

The hub gear

Hub gears are sealed within the hub, which protects them from water, grit, and impacts. Thus hub gears usually require less maintenance. Additionally, Hub gears can change gear ratios when the rear wheel is not rotating.
hub

Airless bicycle tires

You’ll never have a flat tire if you use airless bicycle tires. Also, whether solid or not, they obviously require less maintenance.

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Paint Allergy

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Strange as it sounds, I often see people driving in the middle of a two way road. They can easily cause an accident, but they aren’t drunk or high. So what’s happening?. Simply put, the white lines that guide us in our journeys are not there, and this is often found around the city.

And the crazier thing is that in order to solve this issue all we need is some paint, to make sure our roads look like roads, instead of minimalist abstract paintings.

paintAllergy

The 5 minute super-tuneup

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Do you want to stop sweating while biking, avoid your chain getting stuck and bike nice and easy? Then you need the 5 minute super-tuneup!.

All you need is an air pump and bicycle chain lubricant, and here is how it goes:

  1. Pump air into your wheels until they’re 5-15psi bellow the maximum, which you can find written on your tires.
  2. On your handlebar, use the brake barrel adjuster to make sure your brakes work flawlessly (specially if you’re bound to bike in the rain). Tighten the adjuster locking ring after you’re done.
  3. Also on your handlebar, find your derailleur adjusters and, little by little, play with them until there’s no friction between your chain and the derailleur itself.
  4. Slightly lubricate your chain and let it dry for an hour or two.

Depending on how often you bike you, may want to do the 5 minute super-tuneup once or twice a month. Trust me, it’s really worth it! And if you want to know more, check this bicycle maintenance wikibook.

Green is the wrong orange

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greenIsTheWrongOrange1

Every couple of days I witness a biker or a walker on the brink of being run over by a car. How come?: Seattle’s orange traffic lights are green!.

Incredible as it sounds, Seattle gives green lights to cars turning into crosswalks which have a green light too, resulting in a very dangerous situation that could be solved easily by making sure cars are given an orange light when turning into crosswalks with a green one, like the rest of the civilized world does.

This is a simple fix that requires no additional infrastructure, so please, Seattle, fix it!.

greenIsTheWrongOrange2

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San Francisco’s Critical Mass

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I’ve only done it once, but it was a blast!. San Francisco’s Critical Mass begins at 5:30 on Justin Herman Plaza. There are hundreds of bikers dressed both formally and informally, and is escorted by the police for courtesy and security.

The environment is quite festive, I remember bikes covered with flowers, bubble making machines mounted on cars, music, bikes that look like a harley davidson, etc. Plus people kindly stop cars and make sure the mass is dense and gap less.

The ride itself is nice and slow, allowing for people of all ages to enjoy it while also paying a visit to SF’s interesting spots. Additionally, the hills and the dusk light makes for great pictures, not to mention visiting the seaside and the Palace of Fine Arts at night.

sfCriticalMass

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Seattle’s Critical Mass

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Seattle’s Critical Mass beings at 5:30ish at the Westlake Center. There, bikers socialize and, little by little, we ride in a big circle while also ringing our bells. At some random point, when most have joined, we depart without a planned destination.

Seattle’s Critical Mass always happens, rain or shine, although attendance greatly depends on the weather, ranging from tens to about a hundred. During these rides we try not to go through steep hills but sometimes there isn’t a more suitable options (or things are too chaotic to avoid them).

Still, you always get to meet people and discover interesting parts of the city. During my first Seattle’s Critical Mass I ended up on a birthday party on the other side of the city at 3am, but in other occasions we ended up riding around the International Fountain, visiting a p-path on the top of a building, and so on.

seattlesCriticalMass

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Healing wounds

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During the 50s and the 60s things where wrong, really wrong, when it comes to transportation diversity. The car filled the gap of the American dream: a big house on the suburbs and a work downtown required a way of transportation suitable for very low density in an individualistic society. Long and wide roads were built, and enormous wounds in the form of highways divided entire cities.

Most people here in Seattle love Vancouver, Canada. People mention how beautiful and nice it feels and here is one key thing: it isn’t crossed by a highway in the way most American cities are. Having a highway-divided city has one potential advantage: fast commuting. However, every single day its capacity is exceeded and urban highways are full and slow at peak hour and when there is a big event. Moreover, the properties around it loose value since nobody wants to live next to a source of pollution and noise. Not to mention the fact that, if you have a business and you aren’t a big brand, nobody driving on a highway is going to see you and take a detour to stop by.

Luckily, though, the US has been healing these wounds. A clear example is San Francisco’s embarcadero area. Previously a noisy double decker freeway, the 1989 earthquake helped transform it into a beautiful open space that attracts a lot of tourists and locals.

embarcadero

A similar thing could be said about Boston’s Big Dig which, despite having some issues, managed to substitute a high density highway with a more pleasant open space and nature

bigDig

And it isn’t only roads, Chicago’s Millennium Park turned a bunch of railroads into one of the most popular spots in the city. And Barcelona’s railways were rebuild underground to improved the whole city.

And now, Seattle, what are you waiting for?.

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The ideal bike way

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Something apparently so simple, yet so often made wrong. Bike ways are key when it comes to urban planning. And rather than building miles and miles for statistical purposes, one should consider them as the main point to make vulnerable users feel safe.

in order to do so there are a number of points to consider, here are some:

  • Bike ways should enable anybody to bike safely.
  • Bike dispensers and racks should be placed next to bike ways.
  • Bike ways intersections must be designed in order to avoid conflicts.
  • Bike ways should cover the whole city, more so in areas with high density.
  • Bike ways should be physically separated both from cars and pedestrians.
  • Bike ways should be evenly paved since most bicycles have no suspension.
  • Bike ways should be placed far away from parked cars to avoid being doored.
  • Bike ways should be wide enough to accommodate more than one bike at a time.
  • Bike ways should not be used to carry rain water and puddles should be promptly fixed.
  • Speed limits should be lowered in the areas surrounding bike ways, if not thruought the city.
  • Bike ways should follow a standard through the city, instead of using cyclist as guinea pigs.
  • Bike ways should be easy to identify so that people don’t inadvertently drive or walk on them.
  • Bike ways should be placed far away from big trees to avoid expensive and often repaves.
  • Intersections with bike ways should be kept clear and without plants or objects that obstruct the view.
  • Bike ways should be kept as flat as possible and provide alternatives to hills so that everybody can bike.
  • Bike ways should be properly illuminated since even the most prepared biker can end up with an exhausted battery.
  • Bike ways should be placed far away from highways and dangerous roads, even one block makes a huge difference.
  • Bike ways should be paved with red asphalt or bricks, instead of black asphalt painted red or green, to avoid having to repaint them.

Bikeway Amsterdam
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