Category: Policy, Politics, & Advocacy

Thoughts on public policy in biking and active transportation, elected officials and candidates and their stands on bike issues, and opportunities to advocate for a bike-friendlier world

Go Ahead, Make My Day

This post isn’t about what you think it is. It has nothing to do with Clint Eastwood, Dirty Harry, or hand guns. Or anime, for that matter, if you’re thinking of a different movie/TV reference. And it’s not about the…Continue Reading

No Thanks for No Sidewalks!

You know what people who drive can take for granted 100% of the time? Having a system of roads connected all the way from starting point to destination. I can start from my driveway in Olympia and go all the…Continue Reading

Photo of octagonal green wire bike cage. Inside several bikes hang vertically. One door is open with a peach-colored bike sticking out at an angle with a blue bag on the front handlebars.

First Ride of 2024

Today I pedaled along East Bay Drive, smiling because I was riding my bike in the sunshine. So far this month we’ve had days of rain interspersed with sun and I’ve been getting in some long walks in Squaxin Park.…Continue Reading

Wheeling Sea to Sound, Day Three

Day three: A delightful finale to a thoroughly delightful Sea to Sound ride! One notable difference between this and many large bike events: There wasn’t any emphasis on finishing quickly, or first, or at all, if that wasn’t within your…Continue Reading

Wheeling Sea to Sound, Day Two

A longer, harder day, and a new perspective from which to view a trail: That was Day Two. Longer and harder meant 27 miles with a lot more climbing. That’s where Zelda the e-bike shines, though. Both yesterday and today…Continue Reading

Photo of folding bike with bags on back rack parked in front of giant metal sculptures of a banjo. In the background, stairs and escalator in front of glass walls and a high cement ceiling.

Setting My Own Pace

Bicycling offers a unique combination of attributes in the array of transportation modes: The ability to choose your pace while getting places efficiently. This came to mind as I pedaled slowly home from an appointment that I had pedaled toward…Continue Reading

Photo of a man and two children with darker skin walking down a dirt road lined with trees on either side. All 3 are wearing dark shorts and light-colored shirts and the sun is shining. At the bottom, text with a quotation from Ram Dass: We are all just walking each other home.

Why I Walk

This post first ran on my personal blog, BikeWalkBake Barb, where I’ve been chronicling my walking habits. Since I’ve been writing about multimodal transportation here, I thought I’d add the post to these archives as well. Walking, like riding my…Continue Reading

Bike Books I Recommend: Policy Edition

For obvious reasons (if you know what my professional life has been since 2012, that is) these types of books take up a fair amount of shelf space at my house and occupy memory on my e-reader. Buy these at…Continue Reading

Graphic of swirling gray and black curls expressing concept of wind

Riding Thoughts: Privilege Is a Tailwind

I’ve written before about the many ways that privilege I’m not always conscious of underlies my bicycling. Riding my road bike Sweetie and thinking about how that differs from riding my e-bike Zelda gave rise to these thoughts about structural…Continue Reading

Photo of a man and two children with darker skin walking down a dirt road lined with trees on either side. All 3 are wearing dark shorts and light-colored shirts and the sun is shining. At the bottom, text with a quotation from Ram Dass: We are all just walking each other home.

How Am I Going to Get There? Why We Need Each Other

Thoughts on why we all need a fully multimodal transportation system to support our independence and quality of life.

Photo of two people holding giant double-scoop ice cream cones in front of a wall packed with glass-front cases holding a wild variety of memorabilia from various old science fiction movies and other topics. The white woman on the left is wearing a blue and white striped sleeveless dress that buttons up the front, a light straw hat, and blue glasses. The brown-skinned man with silvering hair standing next to her is smiling and pointing at the ice cream cones. He is wearing blue jeans, a charcoal gray short-sleeved collared shirt, and rimless glasses.

Broken Wrist, Dang It! No Riding for a While

Ever tripped over something on a sidewalk and broken a bone? Spoiler: It hurts. Story of a broken wrist with a dose of public policy thoughts about why we need to create dedicated in-street parking space for foot scooters, bicycles, and other micromobility devices. We leave lots of room for cars–why not for these more space-efficient transportation devices?