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?

Shadow on the road of a person on a bike.

In These Strange Times

Your life is not normal right now, no matter who you are or where you live. COVID-19 is sweeping the planet and affecting everything from whether your grocery store has toilet paper in stock (it likely doesn’t) to whether you…Continue Reading

Black and white image showing bus at left, African American riding bicycles and walking at right, during the Montgomery bus boycott.

Once upon a time in 2012 before I worked as a professional in bicycle advocacy, I became the first person to ride a bicycle on the newly dedicated Martin Luther King, Jr. Way in Spokane, Washington. Back then I wrote,…Continue Reading

Ian Mackay (in power wheelchair with red awning) finishing his trip east to west across Washington state in 2018 with friends riding, rolling and running on the Olympic Discovery Trail.

Every Thursday night since 2010, bike-friendly people have gathered on Twitter to attend an hour of “#BikeSchool”. Participants follow the hashtag and answer questions asked by a guest “professor.” No academic credentials required to serve as guest prof, mind you.…Continue Reading

I’m taking liberties with this title. Day 6 didn’t exactly overflow with magic on the bike. Sweet Hubs tuned up Tessa the Folding Bike to get her road-ready for a trip to Spokane. I rolled her through the garage, confirming…Continue Reading

In my work at Washington State Department of Transportation, where I’m Director of the Active Transportation Division, I put out an e-newsletter 2-3 times a month. If you subscribe (everyone welcome!) you’ll get two types of emails: A news round-up…Continue Reading

Side view of white cargo bike made by Urban Arrow with black front cargo box.

I’ve been developing this theory for a while now. The longer I ponder it the more I think it makes sense. Stay with me while I work through this line of reasoning: We’d dramatically improve transportation safety if we all moved…Continue Reading

We showcase our assumptions, biases, and default settings every day with the words we choose and the choices we present to others. Sometimes we can’t see it when we’re looking straight at it. Here, for example, is how not to wrap…Continue Reading

Day Three: Port Townsend to Port Angeles

“It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and can coast down them…. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motorcar…Continue Reading

Green apple on the outside, orange sections on the inside

Slice and Dice Data Rant: Who’s Really Number One?

If you haven’t read A Bit of a Rant on Data and Data Rant Continued, they’ll provide additional context for this. You wouldn’t think a place would vie for the title “Most Dangerous Intersection in the US.” But somehow a…Continue Reading

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