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  • CPSC should eliminate outdated child coaster brake mandate

    Photo of a child biking through a thickly wooded area.

    I unfortunately missed this story before the 60-day comment period ended in late July, but as a parent of a brand new bike rider I gotta post my thoughts anyway.

    There is an old Consumer Product and Safety Commission regulation that requires kids bikes to be sold with a coaster brake, and it is frankly nonsense. Makers of so-called “sidewalk bikes,” which the CPSC defines as bikes with a seat height no higher than 25 inches, must ship their bikes with a coaster brake even if they are designed to have perfectly capable handbrakes. Some bike makers have even resorted to shipping their bikes with three wheels: One for the front, one for the back, and one with a legally-required coaster brake hub that is intended to be thrown in the trash. This is not a great situation for many reasons.

    This is why kids bike maker woom filed a request in 2022 to eliminate the requirement. From the rule change proposal summary:

    The petition argues that this regulation for sidewalk bicycles is out of date. The petition asserts that it is “hard to compare the relative safety of bicycle braking between children’s bicycles with a combination of handbrakes and a footbrake to those with just handbrakes,” and alleges that there is no evidence that handbrakes are less safe than the required footbrakes—and may be safer than footbrakes. The request also asserts that manufacturers are producing and selling non-compliant children’s bicycles without footbrakes. The petition claims that footbrakes cost more to produce than handbrakes, putting manufacturers that comply with CPSC’s brake regulations at a competitive disadvantage to those who do not comply. The petition also states that European regulations do not require footbrakes for children’s bicycles.

    My kid started by riding a balance bike, and her first pedal bike had hand brakes and no coaster brake. She never had any trouble operating the hand brakes. After riding for a while, we got her a new bike that was unfortunately just barely too big for her to ride comfortably. So we ended up borrowing a bike from a friend (thanks Lindsey!) that was a little smaller just so she’d have something to ride until she grew another inch or so. This borrowed bike had a coaster brake, and boy did it give my child trouble. The biggest problem with coaster brakes is that she had a lot more trouble getting the pedals into the “starting position” because she couldn’t move them backwards until they were in the right spot. This was very frustrating to her. Getting started is by far the most difficult part of learning to bike. It’s the final puzzle kids have to overcome before they are riding freely. Any impediment to getting their pedals in the starting position just makes learning to ride harder than it already is.

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  • 10 more people file claims against city over Ballard Missing Link injuries

    Person biking the wrong way rather than follow the city's intended route to cross the tracks. Yellow barriers direct people to make a sharp turn.
    NW 45th Street near the Ballard Bridge.

    Despite reaching a settlement with a group of eight people who sued the City of Seattle in 2022 after they crashed and were injured while biking through the Ballard Missing Link, the city still has not made the treacherous railroad crossing under the Ballard Bridge “reasonably safe for ordinary travel,” according to a new set of claims from 10 additional people injured while biking there.

    The new claims are a potential precursor to a lawsuit and were filed by the firms Washington Bike Law and Schroeter, Goldmark & Bender (Full disclosure: Washington Bike Law advertises on Seattle Bike Blog). For decades, people have been crashing while biking on these tracks that cross the poorly-maintained roadway near and directly under the Ballard Bridge. As part of a 2022 settlement, the city agreed to make design changes to the track crossing. However, the first phase of changes were widely panned, including by Seattle Bike Blog, for adding new potentially dangerous gravel pits that seem to be “baffling riders rather than helping them.” A second phase of changes is planned that will hopefully create a safer and more usable track crossing, and the press release from WBL and SGB notes that the city has until December 31 to complete this phase or the previous riders will be able to file another suit.

    The phase 2 concept plan from SDOT shows a two-way bikeway making a wider turn around the south side of the bridge support pillars.
    The pending Phase 2 design, from SDOT.
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  • Watch: An analysis of the 2015 Ride the Ducks tragedy on the Aurora Bridge

    Nearly eight years after the Ride the Ducks tragedy on the Aurora Bridge, YouTube channel Brick Immortar recently released a detailed walkthrough of the event, including the history of the vehicles and details from the NTSB investigation’s report. It is tough to revisit the tragedy, but it’s important that we understand as a society how something like this could happen so that we can make sure it doesn’t happen again. It wasn’t just about a cracked axle housing on one vehicle. The axle crack was the result of a company that did not have an appropriate culture of safety, which is why these vehicles were responsible for a completely different kind of mass-death event just a few years later in Branson. If any priority other than safety takes precedent in a transportation operation, this is what can happen.

    Thankfully, Ride the Ducks shut down in Seattle back in 2020, and good riddance. They never should have returned to Seattle’s roads and waterways after that horrible day in 2015 when a mechanical failure caused the amphibious vehicle’s driver to lose control and crash into the side of a tour bus filled with international students from North Seattle College. Because of the pointed and elevated front end of the DUKW, it sliced into the side of the bus at the same level as the passenger seats. Five people were killed on the bus and 69 others were injured among all vehicles involved, many very seriously. This single crash was responsible for 25% of all traffic fatalities on Seattle streets that year. September 24 will mark the 8th anniversary of this tragedy.

    The legacy of the Seattle tragedy was made even worse when Federal lawmakers and regulators failed to ban these DUKW vehicles across the nation, leading to a 2018 disaster in Branson, Missouri, in which 17 people drowned when one of them sank. The company disregarded a weather report that should have scuttled the floating portion of the tour. They had also installed a canopy over the top of the passenger area, which prevented people from escaping when the vehicle began to sink. Passengers were also not required to wear life vests, and the vests on board were clearly not accessible quickly enough in the event the vehicle took on water. A series of lawsuits on behalf of victims were settled for undisclosed amounts, but the Missouri Attorney General has filed criminal charges against three employees. An effort to pass Federal legislation all but banning DUKW nationwide did not succeed, but negative press and major lawsuits have since closed all Ride the Ducks operations in the US (Boston Duck Tours, which uses different branding but similar vehicles, is still operational somehow).

    (more…)
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  • North U Bridge project is a huge opportunity for a safer and better-connected U District + Survey

    Project area map showing the north approach is the section between pacific and 40th.
    The North Approach is the section in need of rehab or replacement. Map from the project website.

    Most of the University Bridge is in decent condition, but the northernmost section between NE 40th and NE Pacific Streets needs major rehab or replacement, according to SDOT. The 1930s concrete structure is at the end of its life, and that may be for the best because it no longer fits into the U District of today.

    SDOT is currently conducting an online survey for the project, and you should definitely complete it. In the further thoughts box, I wrote, “Remove highway-style interchanges and connect southbound and northbound bike lanes to the Burke-Gilman Trail.”

    The city currently only has funding to begin a study of the bridge replacement and rehab options. Funding for work will need to come from either grants or perhaps the city’s yet-to-be-created 2024 transportation funding package.

    Archive black and white aerial photo of the University Bridge and nearby area, which was mostly filled with parked cars and industrial uses.
    1959 photo of the University Bridge area following completion of an 11th Ave NE widening project. I-5 Ship Canal Bridge supports are visible in the background, though the freeway did not fully open until 1967. Land use around the U Bridge was very different from today. Photo from the Seattle Municipal Archive.

    Considering the early stage and undetermined funding source for the work, I would push the city to expand the project scope to also include the area directly north of the bridge structure itself. Remember that these bridge and road connections were designed when there were some major differences compared to today. For example, I-5 did not yet exist, so Roosevelt and 11th were intended to be a north-south backbone roadway for the whole region in a way that simply is not relevant anymore. Another huge difference is that what is now the Burke-Gilman Trail was still an active railroad back then. Because of this, the whole area was designed under the assumption that people would need to avoid what is now a major regional biking and walking trail. The city should be working to build seamless and intuitive connections between the bridge and the trail for people heading in all directions. This project may be the best possible opportunity to rebuild this infrastructure in a way that makes sense for today’s U District.

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  • My book release party is August 28 at Elliott Bay Book Company

    Selfie of Tom Fucoloro holding a copy of Biking Uphill in the Rain while standing in front of UW Tower.

    I finally got the chance to hold an advance copy of my book Biking Uphill in the Rain: The Story of Seattle from behind the Handlebars, and it was a bit surreal. As soon as I got word that advance copies had arrived, I walked over to the press office inside UW Tower to get one. This thing has been coming together in my head and in various text documents for 4 years, but now it’s a real thing. It has an ISBN. I have an ISBN! The former used book store clerk inside me is giddy to know that book store and library workers all over will be punching 9780295751580 into their tenkey pads and finding me (and hey, do me a solid and put it on one of the highlight shelves, maybe like a mid-autumn hygge display because it has the word “rain” in the title).

    If you want a copy, you can preorder it today from my publisher University of Washington Press. Or you can join me for the book release 7 p.m August 28 at Elliott Bay Book Company on Capitol Hill. I will gladly sign your copy, of course.

    Event image from Elliott Bay Book Company with author photo of Tom and text: Monday 8/28, 7pm.
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  • Ballard Ave changes should make it a little easier to bike southbound

    The Ballard Ave Café Street project has been an iterative series of changes since 2020 designed to expand outdoor space for businesses, including lots of outdoor seating for restaurants and bars. To make it happen, SDOT made the street one-way for cars and limited parking. Now the city is preparing the next phase of changes, which could make things a bit better for walking and biking.

    While the basic goals of project’s phase 1 were good, there was one big issue: By making the one-way northbound travel lane relatively skinny, the project made it very difficult for anyone on a bike trying to head south through the business district. The only parallel route options are Shilshole Ave NW and Leary Way NW, both of which are famously unfriendly to people on bikes. There are also no signs helping people on bikes figure out what to do, leaving people wondering if they are even allowed to bike the wrong way. But surely the city doesn’t want people to bike on the busy Ballard Ave sidewalks, right? It feels like people on bikes were just completely forgotten about, which is not the welcoming and comfortable experience that the café street is supposed to create. And unlike Pike Place, the single traffic lane on Ballard Ave still feels like a cars-first space rather than a shared space.

    I asked people on social media how they ride south through the Ballard business district, and nearly all said they ride the wrong way on Ballard Ave (though a few said they ride on Shilshole). This is also what I do, though it does not feel comfortable. I suspect some people simply avoid the area now, which is too bad since a project like this thrives on people arriving by walking, biking and taking transit.

    Overhead graphic showing the design plan with expanded walking areas.
    The Phase 2 design plan, from the project website.
    (more…)
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Bike Events Calendar

Aug
12
Sat
9:00 am Bike the 2 Line Stub @ Enatai Beach Park
Bike the 2 Line Stub @ Enatai Beach Park
Aug 12 @ 9:00 am
Bike the 2 Line Stub @ Enatai Beach Park | Bellevue | Washington | United States
Ride to check out future light rail stations in Bellevue & Redmond that may open early as part of a starter line being proposed. We’ll ride at casual (10-12 mph average on flats) pace, wait … Read more
10:00 am Friends on Bikes 2nd Saturday Ri…
Friends on Bikes 2nd Saturday Ri…
Aug 12 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Friends on Bikes2nd Saturday Ride Series– – – ✨🌸 SPRING HAS SPRUNG 🌸✨And we are ready to roll into the sunshine. Starting April 9th, join us every second Saturday, late mornings for no-drop, snack-forward, and friendly … Read more
10:00 am Little Brook Neighborhood Cleanup
Little Brook Neighborhood Cleanup
Aug 12 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am
Monthly 2nd Saturday Neighborhood Cleanup. If you want to help with cutting vegetation, bring your own good gloves and tools.  We have yard waste bags, grabbers, yellow bags for trash,  light weight gloves and vests.And, as … Read more
Aug
13
Sun
9:00 am Mt Baker Hub Alliance 2nd Sunday…
Mt Baker Hub Alliance 2nd Sunday…
Aug 13 @ 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Every month volunteers gather to collect garbage and help beautify our neighborhood. On average, we collect about 15 bags of garbage per clean up, which means 1,000’s of small pieces of plastic that do not … Read more
Aug
14
Mon
6:00 pm Central Seattle Greenways’ month… @ Zoom
Central Seattle Greenways’ month… @ Zoom
Aug 14 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
To receive the Zoom link and meeting agendas, visit Central Seattle Greenways’ website at http://centralseattlegreenways.com to subscribe to our Google Group or email us at centralse[email protected]
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