Update: The press packet on the mayor’s new initiative is here. The plan talks about some things that are already under way, such as putting bike lanes on Roosevelt Way Northeast and Greenwood Avenue North, and suggests some future possibilities such as light rail to Ballard.
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This afternoon Mayor Mike McGinn is expected to announce his Walk, Bike, Ride initiative, aimed at encouraging people to get out of their cars.
But as this map shows, Seattle has a lot of elevation gain. It’s a GIS analysis by Adam B. Parast, posted at the Seattle Transit Blog. The orange represents, among other things, hills, and Maple Leaf is the third highest hill in town.
McGinn hasn’t released any details in advance of the 2 p.m. announcement. What do you think would help commuters move around town?
Maple Leaf is hilly, but because of that, it’s a fairly easy commute in to downtown in the mornings. Fortunately I have a shower at work, so I can ride hard and my commute is only slightly longer than a bus ride (or even driving and having to find parking). On the way home it’s longer and sweatier, but that way I’m integrating workout time with commute time and killing two birds with one stone. It’s all good. As for improvements, the ones Seattle has made in the last few years certainly help, but anything further to increase safety and acceptance of bikers I will applaud.