West Seattle ‘bikeability’ tour: Pedaling around the peninsula

(Photos by Nick Adams for WSB)
If you saw a group of more than 40 bicyclists riding by in the Thursday evening sunshine, here’s what it was all about: A “bikeability tour” of West Seattle, presented by groups including the Cascade Bicycle Club, Seattle Greenways, and the city Bicycle Advisory Board, whose co-chair Max Hepp-Buchanan spoke before the group pedaled away from the starting point by Chelan Café:

He said, “This is a great way for people to bike through communities, meet their neighbors, and help inform the recommendations we are going to be making to the council, Mayor’s office, and SDOT.” The route is mapped here (with descriptions of various points along the way).

More views from along the 10.5-mile ride, ahead:

Avalon Way is a busy route for those getting to and from the “low bridge” while commuting. The group also went through The Triangle:

They paused in the now-proposed-for-development ex-Huling lot along Fauntleroy:

That’s Stu Hennessey from Alki Bike and Board in the right foreground, and in the left background, Jodi Connolly, a West Seattliete and SBAB member, who summarized the tour later as, “”What the route looked at tonight was, taking into mind every type of rider, connecting existing bike infrastructure. We looked at where people like to ride, and where people don’t like to ride so we can look at making a good network of bicycle infrastructure in West Seattle.” One spot they passed is where multiple forms of land and water transportation converge:

That’s the Fauntleroy state ferry dock, where RapidRide bus stations are currently being installed, and where the vanpool parking will soon include electric chargers for new types of vans. From there, it was back uphill:

And the tour concluded at Luna Park Café, for a conversation about what the riders saw and thought.

P.S. The Bicycle Advisory Board meetings are open to the public, and the next one is next Wednesday, August 1st – location/time details are here.

4 Replies to "West Seattle 'bikeability' tour: Pedaling around the peninsula"

  • themightyrabbit July 27, 2012 (8:33 pm)

    Awesome. Had to get a positive comment in about this before the anti-cyclist trolls come out to play. Love to hear about this. Thx for reporting.

  • Anne July 27, 2012 (10:41 pm)

    Living on Fauntleroy, I am used to having to wait for the oncoming line of cars to pass before I can go out into the street to get into my car. It was a beautiful thing to see all the bikes, and polite calls of, “thank you” from riders who could see I was waiting. Here’s a big “thank you” back!

  • Trickycoolj July 29, 2012 (10:05 pm)

    Darn I wish I would have known about this event! Having just moved here and wanting to use my bike more, I find all the hills leading to my house very intimidating!! There’s no way but steep to High Point. It’d be neat to commute to Boeing Field but my car struggles on Highland Park Way and Sylvan Way, a bicycle would be suicidal.

  • pman July 30, 2012 (12:21 pm)

    Highland Way is brutal. Brutal. But I’d like to try one of those electric-assist bikes on it.

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