• We took a short ride with Share The Cities founder Laura Loe to help her gain the confidence to bicycle to the grocery store more often–and pick up some chocolates.

• “That was awesome. I could see myself doing that again.”

Housing advocate Laura Loe is a huge supporter of creating more bike-friendly communities. As someone who didn’t learn to confidently ride as a child, however, she has been hesitant to jump on a bike in Seattle. 

Until now. 

The founder and executive director of Share The Cities recently signed up for Cascade’s Pledge to Pedal campaign, which encourages people to swap at least one car trip per week with a bike trip during Bike Month in May.

When Loe told Cascade’s Seattle Policy Manager Rachel Schaeffer that she would like to practice riding to the grocery store, Schaeffer and I offered to be her ride buddies. 

We met at Loe’s apartment and discussed the route before departing. Loe took a Learn to Ride class from Cascade several years ago and bought a bike from Recycled Cycles, but she never rode as much as she had hoped. 

“Then the pandemic happened, my bike was sitting in the garage, and I thought: ‘It’s time to go learn.’”

Many of the actions involved with riding a bike are second-nature to people who have been riding for years, Loe said. But for people newer to the activity, these actions require thought, practice, and attention.

“Getting on and off the bike is like a complicated dance move,” says Loe. “You have to do all these things at once.” 

Along the Canal and Over the Bridge to PCC We Go

We started by riding sidewalks and walking our bikes across streets on crosswalks until we reached the Ship Canal Trail, a paved waterfront trail. It was a lovely morning, spring flowers were blooming, and we rode cautiously, pausing at intersections and practicing hand signals.

Loe’s destination was the PCC Community Market in Fremont. Loe normally drives or takes the bus to grocery shop. But following a corrective surgery six months ago, she is “in better shape and trying to get stronger.” 

While there are supermarkets closer to her home, the PCC is the easiest and safest to reach by bike. To get there, however, Loe would have to ride up to and over the Fremont Bridge, which she had never done on a bike.

Despite some trepidation, Loe easily navigated the short ramp that leads from the Ship Canal Trail up to the street, where we pedaled on the sidewalk to the Fremont Bridge. Riding over the Fremont Bridge proved to be easier than Loe had anticipated because it was not crowded. 

We proceeded to the PCC, where Loe practiced using her bike lock for one of the first times and bought a few grocery items to carry in her backpack. Success.

 

There was just one more stop: Theo’s Chocolate, located several blocks away. We again locked our bikes, masked up, and bought some chocolates for our loved ones. 

Our backpacks loaded, we returned the way we had come, ending at Loe's apartment. “That was awesome. Confidence-building,” she said. “I could see myself doing this again.”

“Going over the Fremont Bridge was fun because it was a beautiful morning and there weren’t many people on it, and it wasn’t as narrow as people say it is,” Loe said. 

Loe noted that it’s important for people who bicycle frequently and confidently to understand how complicated riding on shared trails and bike lanes can be for someone who is learning. She also offered encouragement to people who are learning to ride more.

“You have to practice a little bit every day,” she said. 

Even though Loe has a few practice rides under her belt, “I still have to think: which leg do I start with? Where am I going to shift my weight? Am I going to fall? Do I get off on the right or the left?”

Cascade is excited that Loe is working on her skills and planning to do more shopping by bike. We are also thankful to Loe for participating in our panel discussion on May 12 about the impact of land use and community planning on climate justice and climate resilience.

Learn about and sign up for our adult classes including Urban Cycling Techniques, Fix-a-Flat, Learn to Ride, and more.

Thank you, Laura, for pledging to pedal!  

Starting this week, construction work to replace the old Bainbridge Island Ferry Terminal walkway will cause some changes to how biking on the ferry works. The biggest change is that folks may need to wait in lane 6 rather than the covered area near the ferry ramp.

The new elevated walkway will pass right over the previous bike waiting area, so there will be construction activity there for a while. Later this year during the off-season, there will be some significant closures for a couple weeks including a week with limited walk-on-only service. You can sign up for the project newsletter to stay up to date on changes going forward.

From Washington State Ferries:

Construction work brings changes for pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles

Construction crews are onsite at the Bainbridge Island terminal to replace the overhead walkway leading to the ferry. That means changes for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists, along with intermittent lane reductions. The first lane reduction will happen the week of July 11 as crews remove part of the barrier between the exit lanes and lane 1.

Pedestrians
The pedestrian ramp and stairs leading to the current overhead loading structure will be closed starting July 18 to create a construction work zone. All pedestrians must use the enclosed overhead walkway to board and exit the ferry throughout construction. The green line above shows the pedestrian route, which is a change for many.

Bicycles
All cyclists must use the designated bike lane (above in blue) to access and board the ferry. Bikes will stage and board from lane 6. The area below the terminal building where the bike rack was located will be closed on July 11. That bike rack has been moved to the eastern part of the parking lot near the motorcycle parking.

Cascade’s Seattle to Portland ride returns this weekend for the first time since 2019. The legendary double century leaves UW starting at 5 a.m. Saturday with most riders finishing Sunday in Portland.

If it’s your first time riding such a long event, Hanoch Yeung posted a great video on Best Side Cycling looking back on a video he made during his first STP. It’s full of useful advice.

But if 206 miles sounds like a bit much or if you want a little warm-up, Bike Works is hosting the less ambitious Seattle to Bainbridge Thursday, a 6.80-mile ride across Bainbridge Island to Eleven Winery. You’ll have to pay for your own ferry fare, and 10% of what you spend on wine will go to Bike Works. Register online.

More details from Bike Works:

Join Bike Works for a relaxed, no-drop ride on Thursday, July 14th, from the Bainbridge Island Ferry to Eleven Winery at 7671 NE Day Rd W, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110.

All cycling styles are welcome. You can expect to ride 6.8 miles each way with 448 feet of elevation – you will need to be able to ride up and down some hills. (See the route here.)

Please plan to meet at the Coleman Dock Ferry terminal in Downtown Seattle by 3:30 to catch the 3:50 PM ferry to Bainbridge Island. 

Suggested donations will help cover the costs of pizza, salad, and non-alcoholic beverages, but not ferry fare or wine purchased by the glass or bottle (valid ID required). 10% of all bottles purchased at the winery will support Bike Works programming, as will any registration donations beyond the cost of this event.