The Rising Bike Commuter in Tacoma!
This morning I had the opportunity to bike commute into downtown Tacoma with a variety of Tacoma residents. Our group included Tacoma Wheelmen, Tacoma City Councilwoman Lauren Walker, several individuals from the Public Works, and a few other City employees. We started from the Top Foods/Target parking lot on Union. At the same time, groups were leaving from South 56th and McKinley and Metropolitan Market at North 25th and Proctor. Councilmembers Rick Talbert, Lauren Walker, Julie Anderson, and Jake Fey all rode in this morning.
The ride was organized the Chamber of Commerce and the City of Tacoma to highlight the challenges bike commuters face when riding in Tacoma.
Our riding packs all converged on the Tacoma Municipal Building to debrief the experience. What did we learn? The consensus seemed to be that making Tacoma a bike friendly place will need a diverse and multi-pronged approach that includes biker and car-driver education, infrastructure, and time. The roads were rough. The drivers didn’t know what to do with us. Many of the new bike riders didn’t know what to do with the cars … or the roads.
It was great to see so many people in the same room talking about bikes. I will admit that I’m not used to sitting in city meetings clad in reflective technical fabrics …
The proposed City budget includes bike/pedestrian master plan development. Does biking matter to you? Make sure your elected leaders know.
In the short-term, however, what would make you bike more? What next steps could the City or the Chamber help champion to make Tacoma a more bike friendly place?
FINALLY – to all the folks that rode this morning. Thank you.
Filed under: biking-tacoma
20 comments
J Joe Izenman October 17, 2008
I bike commute daily from a point a few blocks from where you started down to Pacific. If most of the people in the conversation don’t usually bike commute, then they’ve only got half the story. Biking home from downtown is a drastically different experience that biking to downtown from home, because downtown is at the bottom of the hill in nearly all directions, you’d probably better have another conversation after they have experienced biking up, as well as down.
D Derek staff October 17, 2008
Joe – I completely agree and this definitely came up. It led to discussions about the potential link between public transit and biking. In particular, folks wanted to know about “Free rides up the hill.” – at least to MLK from Pacific.
It also opened up a discussion about the less steep ways home – St. Helens (the wrong way) or some of the other angled streets on the south side of downtown. It’s a longer ride, but easier to climb.
I intacoma October 17, 2008
I ride nearly every day as well, if the lightrail went up the hill I would be so much happier. Biking home is the worst part about downtown Tacoma.
Here is another issue you should bring up, with the Lightrail growing in popularity taking your bike on the lightrail is getting harder, some sort of outside rack is needed
J Joe Izenman October 17, 2008
@it: I only see that as an issue if/when it expands up the hill… at this point the light rail doesn’t really go anywhere that is hard to get to on the bike (unless you are uncomfortable in traffic, of course).
J Joe Izenman October 17, 2008
@Derek: When I was first starting to commute on bike, I experimented with a few routes. The best I found from where I am (about S 27th) was up Delin to Tacoma (a little longer but shallower than going straight up something like 21st) and then up Center. Center is a remarkable nice road to ride on, as it doesn’t get a massive amount of commuter traffic, has multiple lanes so cars can pass easily, and is not terribly hilly.
What I really want to see is a bike route formalized there. There is more than enough room for a bike lane on both sides, especially if they ditch the left turn lane that goes all the way up the street for no reason. It’s one of the few streets than can pull off a bike lane with just line repainting, and very little actual construction. And if people follow Jefferson it is a great way to get out of the core of downtown, as well.
K kbce October 17, 2008
First of all, I think this was an awesome thing to do and would like to give props to those who planned and participated in it.
I wholeheartedly agree that both rider and driver education can go a long way to improve a community’s relationship with cyclists. We are exceptionally lucky to be so close to Portland and I hope that those involved with developing a master plan for cyclists and pedestrians are in touch with their cohorts in PDX. We’d be fools to miss an opportunity to learn from their decades-long efforts.
I ride throughout the city regularly, and if there was one thing I’d wish for (aside from attending to the abysmal state/quality of the roads), it’d be a cohesive, connected bike route plan. None of these two-blocks-of-bike-lane jokes. Put into place something that resembles a mass transit plan… where people can access a route easily from their home or place of work and then use that route to connect to other routes that get them where they need to go. If you can’t lay down an actual bike lane, put up routing signs, sharrows and other compromises. It doesn’t have to be an either/or situation.
A big question that pops up is why aren’t there any bike routes that funnel down to the Tacoma Dome transit center? The “path” along Schuster is supposed to be an option, but it’s so poorly maintained (overgrowth, mudslides, glass) that it’s hazardous to ride. What about bike lanes along Ruston Way? Center St.? Fawcett? Has anyone tallied how many people use St. Helens as a bike route into/out of downtown?… now it’s planned to be a one-way (down the hill, right?), effectively killing one of the most-used routes to get out of the core toward the N. End.
But before any of that, why not put up a PDF of what bike lanes are already available? Nestle it in with the other transportation links on the city homepage. Pretty simple step.
C Chelsea Levy October 17, 2008
The turn out for this event was excellent. Hopefully the council will remember the comments they heard today when they consider funding for the the bike and ped master plan next year. Let’s keep building the momentum for bike infrastructure. I encourage everyone to talk to your favorite council memeber and city staffer about biking in Tacoma.
M michael g. October 17, 2008
I used to hate biking uphill downtown, but now it’s one way I stay in shape on days I’m too busy to do other exercise.
I’d like to see Tacoma put down some “sharrows” (little bike symbols painted on the road that don’t require bike lanes). Seattle has them everywhere now. They’re only a small step toward making a city bikeable, but they don’t cost much and they signal to drivers that bikes actually belong on the roads.
J Joe Izenman October 17, 2008
Yeah, I’ve actually stopped taking Center and started barreling up 27th, because I got to the point where I was strong enough to, and now I am using that to get stronger for some other, hillier rides I want to do. But I’d love to see bike lanes on the flatter routes, because those are the ones that the less experienced traffic riders would be taking, if they could be convinced to bike at all.
T Thorax O'Tool October 17, 2008
I used to bike daily from my humble abode near Tacoma General to my work down in the port.
Mind you, going UP the Murray Morgan kicks your ass.
I don’t bike anymore because some idiot stole my bike… again.
Despite replacing my ride 2x this year already, I still really enjoy riding. It’s good to see city councilfolk getting out there and seeing the issues we face.
E Elliot October 17, 2008
THANK YOU! Getting city officials out on the roads is a wonderful way to raise our issues. Rumor has it that Greg Nickels biking from West Seattle to downtown with someone from Cascade was one of the biggest things that spurred Seattle’s recent investment in bicycle infrastructure.
Also, awesome to hear folks talking about this here. One of the biggest things I’ve felt bike commuting for the last year has been loneliness on the road. It’s great to hear that there are others out there, we’re safer as drivers get used to seeing more cyclists.
L Lisa WildCelticRose October 17, 2008
I don’t bike commute often, because riding downtown at rush hour is a bit scary.
I did do a bike commute (to the Sounder station) for bike to work day. There’s not a lot of traffic at 4:30 AM, but you can get an idea of road conditions.
the video is here (not sure if your comments take html so it may need to be cut and pasted)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNje7e9RAUI
J jamie from thriceallamerican October 17, 2008
@Elliot: One of the biggest things I’ve felt bike commuting for the last year has been loneliness on the road
After 3 or 4 years of bike commuting in Tacoma, I’ve actually noticed a drastic increase in the number of other bicyclists I see on the road.
T Tacoma (A)roma October 17, 2008
Ive been a huge bicycle enthusiast for several years..which includes riding to/from work. I live in North Tacoma and work on 15th & Pacific. Both ways are pretty horrible, but right now coming home is nearly impossible. Half of my ride home now consists of dirt/100 year old cobblestones and closed roads.
@13: Ive also noticed more people on their bikes, its great!
D Douglas Tooley October 18, 2008
Bike stuff is happening, many of the routes have already been figured out.
As to dealing with the slope of downtown, I just walk up, and it works great. Tacoma is a great North South route and the climb up to MLK north of 9th is pretty easy. Delin/Jefferson/Center street are all great routes – I can almost all the way from my house to Cutter’s Point without even turning a pedal.
More important are currently planned trails. The Water Ditch trail (through the Nalley Valley) and the Prairie line trail are great – some sort of connection to the Pierson trail along Hwy 16 is needed – it now dead ends near the TNT at 25th and Pacific.
The walk the waterfront folks have another route planned Connecting the Thea Foss to Ruston Way and the Vashon Ferry – walking up the hill from there is still recommended!
Perhaps the most important current issue is the Sounder crossing of Pacific. The Water Ditch trail will need to cross somewhere between the Sounder Line and 25th in order to connect to the 705 Gulch extension of the Thea Foss and the Puyallup extension of the very popular foothills trail.
Sound Transit is just now looking at that issue – hopefully a solution can be figured out that cleans up the mess of the Sound Transit/Pacific intersection, not making it even worse.
A Andrew October 18, 2008
Derek,
Thanks for raising awareness on this event and reporting on it. Chelsea-thanks for pushing on this!
I think everyone’s points about biking up out of downtown is very valid. It is important to realize that one has to be in pretty good shape and comfortable on a bike in order to safely ride outside of downtown. This in unfortunate. I think the simplists way to give folks a ‘free ride’ out of downtown would be by extending the LINK to Stadium and TG. Then folks could hop on that running every 10 minutes and be up the hill, then ride to 6th and all points south, stadium, all of north tacoma much more comfortably.
I love biking up the hill to the parkway which takes about 20 minutes…then the 2am ride home only takes about 4! :)
J Joanne Buselmeier October 18, 2008
I enjoyed being part of the ride and discussion afterwards. My ride started on the eastside with Rick Talbet. It was great to bring some attention to the eastside roads and conditions. There has been great conversation concerning bike riding and we would like to continue it with the City. Thanks to Derek for blogging about it and the City staff and council for participating. Oh yeah the weather was great. I guess you could say we had a “Chamber Day”.
R RichG October 18, 2008
@kbce. Pierce County’s newly revised bicycle route map is available hardcopy and online here http://www.co.pierce.wa.us/PC/abtus/ourorg/pwu/tpp/nonmotor/bicycle.htm
I see no reason for the city to duplicate the work already being done.
As for the trails (Water Ditch and such), they are more linear parks filled with traffic at varying speeds (walkers, 5 year olds learning to bike, rollerbladers, and such) and usually do not go where commuters need to go. They are better for recreation, not commuting. I haven’t looked at any recent studies but in the book Effective Cycling by John Foerster there are statistics that show the separate bike paths have a much higher bicycle accident rate than on-street riding for experienced riders (not for the 5 year old learning to ride). But these paths are better than our common design of zero shoulder 4-lane roads that force the bicycle into traffic.
A problem I encounter is the lack of safe East-West routes south of Center St, particularly for crossing I-5 and Tacoma Mall Blvd. The expensive pedestrian overpass ~35th takes you to an island surrounded by unsafe roads on the West side (maybe OK to get to Costco or the car dealership). I use 48th instead (Best Buy).
H Hyacinth October 21, 2008
I think that its cool that many people are riding bikes in Tacoma. It makes me wanna ride too..But the thing is that there should also be more bike racks in the area…
C Chelsea Levy October 21, 2008
Contact the City about bike racks, they may be able to help you get one at your work place.