|
Week of May 12, 2008
Bicycling gains popularity as King County commute option
As gasoline prices continue to soar, a lot of attention is focused on alternate forms of commuting – such as buses, trains, and carpools. But here in King County, many people are also turning to two wheels for travel to and from work.The local Cascade Bicycle Club – the largest bike club in the nation – estimates that there are approximately 10,000 regular bike commuters in King County. The number has been growing recently, not just because of gas prices but also because more people are realizing that biking is a great option for getting around. This Friday, May 16, is the annual “Bike to Work Day,” and there are several events throughout the week to help people get started. The goal for Friday is to have more than 20,000 people commute by bike. King County Metro Transit is one of the sponsors for the group ride on Friday, but the sponsorship is more than a one-day thing. Metro and many county departments and agencies are involved in supporting safe biking every day of the year. One of the best ways to get started is to bike with a friend or a co-worker who is already doing it and can teach you the ropes. If you don’t know anyone like that, then hook up with the Bike Buddy program sponsored by the Bicycle Alliance of Washington.
Even with a co-rider, not everyone is ready to tackle a 40-mile round trip commute by bike right away, so Metro offers ways to combine biking and busing for a totally green trip. Many commuters bike from home to a park-and-ride lot, where they lock-up their bikes and hop on a bus for the freeway portion of the trip.In the past nine months, Metro has installed new bike lockers at five park-and-rides: Issaquah Highlands; North Seattle; Renton Highlands; South Bellevue; and Newport Hills. Also, the number of existing lockers has been increased at: Bear Creek; Eastgate; Federal Way; Kingsgate; Tukwila; the Montlake freeway stop; Redmond Transit Center; and Renton Transit Center. There are now more than 200 bike lockers in these locations, along with freestanding bike racks. Bikes can also be loaded to the front of Metro buses and vans, if you want to take your ride with you for another leg of the trip. Metro is in the process of updating its popular online Trip Planner to include more information about biking and walking options. Until that happens, one of the best resources for planning a bike trip is the King County Bicycling Map, a comprehensive guide including information on roads, trails and facilities throughout the county. With good weather in the forecast for the middle and end of this week, now is a great time to get started with bike commuting. Leaving your car at home will reduce your impact on the environment and traffic congestion, and pushing those pedals may also help improve your health.
The King County Road Services Division recently completed at safety project at the intersection of 244th Avenue Southeast and Southeast 216th Street near Tahoma Junior High. There had been several collisions at the intersection over the past four years, and Road Division engineers felt the best solution was to convert it from a two-way to all-way stop. In addition to the stop changes, the overhead flashing light was upgraded and rumble strips were added to alert motorists approaching the intersection.
Metro – Transit agency to the stars Already planning how many different movies you can see during the Seattle International Film Festival that kicks off May 22? Why not also plan how to use Metro to travel to all the venues? The festival runs through June 15 at 13 different theaters in Seattle. Each is easily accessible using regular bus service. Metro has set up the online Trip Planner with links to each movie house in the festival, so film fans can “autofill” the destination point to obtain route information. See Metro Online for more details. |
|
Drivers and mechanics from Metro finished fourth in the overall competition at the recent International Bus Roadeo sponsored by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). Metro’s team missed finishing in the top three by just .01 point. The overall award is given to the bus operator and maintenance team that has the highest combined score. Metro Operator Michael Grady was second in the Customer Service Challenge Awards, which judges professionalism, customer service skills, and problem-solving creativity. Metro’s Vehicle Maintenance team of Ryan Stringfellow, Leonard Emry and Larry Fitzpatrick also finished strongly, with a first in one contest and eighth overall in the maintenance competition. The APTA roadeo is held annually to recognize the men and women who keep North America’s bus systems safe and efficient.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently honored the staff at the King County International Airport with a “Project Excellence” award for the rehabilitation of the long runway at Boeing Field. KCIA won the award for flawless execution reconstructing Runway 13L/31R while minimizing service interruption to customers and tenants. The overall runway project was very complex in scope and involved: an overlay of the 10,000-foot long, 200-foot wide asphalt runway; complete reconstruction of six major connecting taxiways; installation of perimeter drainage; replacement of the entire runway electrical system; installation of new runway safety guard lights; as well as replacement of airfield signs and edge lights. It was completed in just 19 days, and came in under budget. The award was presented at the annual FAA Northwest Mountain Region Airports Conference. The region consists of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, and Utah. | Subscribe to DOT DashSign-up to receive an e-mail text version of "Transportation Today," along with other significant DOT news by sending an e-mail to us with subscribe King County DOT Dash in the subject line.
|
