Tag: biking

Also known as cycling, bicycling, or riding a bike

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

Hand-drawn upright turquoise bicycle with lettering that reads Happy April! #30daysofbiking. By Melissa Balmer, PedalLove.com

Just Ride. Every Day. It’s that Simple.

The title of this piece echoes what the great bike racer Eddie Merckx said: “Ride as much or as little, or as long or as short as you feel. But ride.” As March wraps up I’m looking ahead at April and…Continue Reading

Page from program labeled WOMAN OF THE YEAR. At left, photo of a smiling white woman with short blond hair wearing dark blue glasses, a light grey dress, and pearl earrings. Text: BARB CHAMBERLAIN, ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION DIVISION, WSDOT Barb Chamberlain is a tenacious champion of building pedestrian and bicyclist networks that serve all ages and abilities. As WSDOT's first-ever Active Transportation Division Director, she raises awareness about active transportation safety, equity, and accessibility across the state and at the national level. Barb led the development of WSDOT's award-winning Active Transportation Plan, which is grounded in equity analysis and serves as a decision-making tool for active transportation projects across the state. The effects of her leadership are seen in the historic levels of active transportation funding in the 2022 Move Ahead Washington package. Barb shares her wisdom and expertise through multiple national organizations, raising the bar for transportation plans, standards, guidelines, and professional practice.

A Thrilling Night

Tuesday night brought an incredible event I have to capture: The Women in Transportation Seminar Puget Sound chapter named me Woman of the Year! I want to share my comments from the stage, or at least the version I had…Continue Reading

Black and white photo of two black couples. The women wear white blouses with long sleeves and high necks and dark calf-length skirts. The men wear dark suits and flat caps. They're standing with four bicycles looking straight into the camera.

Bike Books I Recommend: Women on Wheels

Women’s emancipation* and the history of bicycling go hand in handlebars. I’ve had the privilege of meeting so many outstanding women leaders in the movements for better bicycling and safer streets; I just wish each and every one of them…Continue Reading

Photo of a beautiful new-looking sidewalk at the left-hand side of a street. The sidewalk comes to an end at some bushes and gravel. Nice low Landscaping bushes in a buffer strip between sidewalk and streets. Bike lane painted in the street starts up out of a patch of gravel.

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

Shared Streets: A Vision

Years ago in Spokane, I saw the future of bicycling and human-centered transportation on an outing with my family, and it looked great. Here’s what I saw: Where did I see this? Pattison’s North Skating Rink, during the free New…Continue Reading

Thank Heavens for Kind Strangers and Transit

Ride #1 of 2024: Sunny, happy, delightful. Ride #2 of 2024: The reason I’m glad Olympia has transit. A few days after ride #1 I set off in the sunshine for a trip to a meeting with Lee Lambert, executive director of Cascade Bicycle Club. The very…Continue Reading

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

Photo of a penny farthing bicycle (the kind with the giant front wheel and tiny back wheel) and the words Hello January! above

Riding Down Memory Lane: January

Some blog posts are evergreen, some a flashback to events I haven’t thought about in quite a while. Rolling back through the archives, month by month, yields this round-up of posts written in Januaries past. This isn’t every last January…Continue Reading

2023 Greatest Hits (and ones that should be)

Some posts roll, some get a flat tire not long after they head out into the world. I write to share thoughts and information, not to try for a huge following, but it’s still instructive to review which posts gain…Continue Reading

Alas, you can't see how the two peachy pieces on top complement each other. But you can see the snow on the ground. Luckily I don't have to ride in it with my skinny tires!

Riding Down Memory Lane: December

Don’t assume December will be too wet, cold, icy or snowy to ride. Even living in the four-season climate in Spokane I often rode on bare, dry roads in md-December. If you have the right clothing to go for a…Continue Reading