An eclectic quest for more comfortable bicycling
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
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
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
“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
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
I like a good infographic as much as the next person. They’re eye-catching, they get passed around a lot, they’re more readable than dense academic papers full of footnotes (sorry, academics). So when I saw one highlighting “the most dangerous…Continue Reading
I’m a wee bit active on Twitter, where I find many resources, experts I can quickly question on a fine point of transportation policy or design, and inspiration. By now we all recognize the dark side as well — the…Continue Reading
The kind of text you DO NOT want to get from your sweetheart: “Car turned left in front. Hit car. Bike effed up. Phys. OK. Going to work.” — Barb Chamberlain (@barbchamberlain) April 8, 2017 This text set my heart…Continue Reading
This post is a lightly edited version of my storytelling at the 2017 National Bike Summit. Pedal Love founder Melissa Balmer organized several members of the Pedal Love Culture & Lifestyle Council to tell stories for the opening plenary session…Continue Reading
A 2012 version of this post appeared on this blog. I updated it in 2014 for the Washington Bikes blog. This is yet another light update with some “as of 2016” notes. The way I used to tell the story of…Continue Reading
Attending the Women’s Bicycling Summit September 2012 was a great experience: Hundreds of women energized and energizing and remaking the face of bicycling. And now we get to do it again! March 4 the National Women’s Bicycling Forum features a…Continue Reading