South Sound Sustainability Expo

On March 3, TBR will be teaming up with Tacoma's 2nd Cycle and Defiance Bicycles to host to a "You'll Bike Tacoma" booth at the South Sound Sustainability Expo.  We'll be talking about bicycle transportation, handing out Pierce County bike maps and showing off a cargo bike or two.  The event is free and open to the public.

via southsoundsustainabilityexpo.org

South Sound Sustainability Expo

Saturday, March 3, 10am-3pm

Tacoma Trade and Convention Center

Free. Open to the Public.

Free Bike Parking in Downtown Tacoma!

Today I saw this advertisement for the soon-to-be-installed parking meters in downtown Tacoma.

It compelled me to ride down to the Frost Park Chalk Challenge and draw this response:

If you like it, you can vote for Matt and I might win something!  

I'm actually a supporter of metered street parking in downtown.  As it is, most street parking is free, but limited to one hour.  I don't find this enough time to get lunch or shop, especially when I have kids in tow. We often park at the T-Dome P&R and take the Link Rail, or ride a bike.  Either way, the parking is free.  And for those times when I need to feed the meter, I'm happy to pay for the right-of-way for my vehicle.

More info at http://downtowntacomaparking.com

Another Tacoma MOB Ride!

Watch out! These Tacoma MOB Riders are getting organized...

Meetin' at the Swap

The 2nd Annual Tacoma Bike Swap happened yesterday on the UPS campus, one of the first events celebrating Bike Month in Tacoma/Pierce County.  The kids and I arrived a little late, but there was still a good crowd and plenty of deals on bikes and parts of every kind.  One vendor had a matching pair of folding Raleigh Twentys and some awesome Moultons.  Another vendor with a 46cm Surly Cross Check frameset caught my attention, because I didn't know they'd ever been made that small.  After chatting with the seller, I eventually spotted my only purchase of the day among his wares:

I plan to retrofit this beauty on to my own green Cross Check, a project which will likely require numerous trips to the hardware store.  I can't wait!

The local paper covered the Bike Swap, too.  You can read the full article here (TBR is quoted and linked - woot!)  If you stopped at the Swap, what caught your eye?

Murray Morgan Lives

I just returned from the reopening ceremony of Tacoma's Murray Morgan Bridge.  It's currently only open for cyclists and pedestrian use, but an RFQ will be issued soon to complete the restoration for vehicular traffic.  The fully restored bridge should be reopened in time to celebrate it's 100th anniversary in 2013.

There were 40 or 50 people on hand to hear from former Tacoma mayor Bill Baarsma explain briefly why the bridge is so important to business development and safety.  Mayor Marilyn Strickland wore a bridge replica tiara from Le Roy Jewelers, which, she said, had an operating center span that gets stuck sometimes, just like the real bridge.  I also spotted one of Beautiful Angle's "Save Me" posters that a citizen brought to sneak into the ceremonial ribbon-cutting photos.  Nice touch!

I was one of four cyclists that turned up on a bike and we were the first across the bridge deck, along with a local solar enthusiast who rode a Goped electric scooter.  The deck hasn't yet been resurfaced, but it has been swept of crumbling concrete and pigeon carcasses.

Someone pointed out a rainbow in the sky between the downtown buildings as we looked up 11th Street.  It was a beautiful morning to reconnect with my favorite Tacoma landmark.

Campus Cycle Culture

We went over to the UPS campus to kick around the soccer ball last night. The girls asked to stop so they could catch part of the co-ed game. Many of the players cycled to the match, which reminded me of this scene from our Cambridge, UK, vacation last October.

While we were running around on our own pitch, a cyclist pulled up to the Madsen and dropped a leaflet in the bucket.





My first thought was: who paid to print this? They make it sound like a fun time, though the part about freedom from speeding cars seems far-fetched. One of these days I'm going to participate in a Critical Mass ride, just like I rode the STP once.

I'm more of a "ride everywhere and as often as you can, ride like you drive when it comes to rules of the road" type of rider, and I think that generally helps advocate the "share the road" principal better than a blob of bikes clogging the streets. I'm using the new bike lane on N 21st St, even though it still hasn't been striped. We've put over 60 miles on just our MADSEN bike so far this month, and that's all in a 2-mile radius from my house. I figure that kind of frequency will help drivers in my college campus neighborhood become more aware of bikes on the road, helping to increase safety for everyone.

If you're heading out on that ride tonight, don't forget your helmet!

Bicycle Advocacy Opportunities in Tacoma

The City of Tacoma is holding several community workshops for Tacoma’s Mobility Master Plan:

Come to discuss and identify existing conditions and opportunities to improve Tacoma’s bicycling and walking environments, as well as connections to transit. Where are Tacoma’s vital corridors? Where are the connectivity gaps? Is Tacoma headed in the right direction?

Wednesday, Sept. 23, 5:30-7:30pm
South Park Community Center
4851 S Tacoma Way Tacoma, WA 98409

Thursday, Sept. 24, 5:30-7:30pm
Norpoint Centre
4818 Nassau Ave NE Tacoma, WA 98422

Monday, Sept. 28, 5:30-7:30pm
Rasmussen Rotunda in Wheelock Student Center
University of Puget Sound
1500 N. Warner, Tacoma, WA 98416

The Mobility Master Plan Public Meetings are being held in collaboration with the New Tacoma Neighborhood Council, West End Neighborhood Council, Community Council and the University of Puget Sound Transportation Task Force. For more information, contact: Diane Wiatr at 253-591-5380 or dwiatr@cityoftacoma.org

You could also attend the Tacoma Mayoral/City Council Transportation and Land-Use Forum on Thursday, Oct 1st, 6:30-8:30pm in the Carwein Auditorium at UWT. Go Q&A with future city leaders about their plans and visions for how and why we will get around town. More info at the Transportation Choices Coalition blog.

UPDATE:
Here's one more - a class on how to be a bicycle advocate!

Tacoma Bike-In, October 17: Save the date!

What can you do to improve bicycling in Tacoma and throughout Washington? Join Cascade Bicycle Club and the Tacoma Wheelmen on Sat., Oct. 17 for a workshop on bike advocacy. We'll discuss how we can use our clout to demand better facilities and just laws for bicyclists. Also, the outcome of the bicycle and pedestrian count, and how the data we collect on bicycling is crucial to our safety as bicyclists. Together, we'll strategize on making a difference in Tacoma and working together for better state laws and federal funding of trails and other facilities. Schedule:
10am - 1pm: Workshop at the Tacoma Downtown Library, 1102 Tacoma Avenue South
1pm - 3pm: Bike tour of Tacoma with bicycle planners and special guests (stay tuned for details!)
3pm - eve.: Meet at the Harmon HUB for drinks
Click here to RSVP!