Your editorial was so bad that I had to respond to it.
Your glass is not half empty but completely empty. The examples you gave were pathetic.
I commute to work every day on my bicycle. I ride a small portion of my commute on the sidewalk to stay out of the heavy traffic for two blocks so that I can reach the trail I use without slowing traffic.
Every day that I pull up to the crosswalk and wait for it to give me my walk signal.
I don't see anything wrong with the idea of providing training and issuing license documents to bicycle riders, per se.
What I object to in your editorial ("Time for licenses to ride bikes on streets," May 9) is the conflation of the story about the city of Seattle's Bicycle Master Plan, with automobile drivers' feelings of "fury, intimidation and upset" about sharing the road with bike riders.
I'd like to commend you on finally speaking out about the awful driving experience brought on by cyclists. They are in fact a nuisance, and make my two-mile drive in to work much slower than need be. I think that while you are at it, you should bring up the pain that busses cause, stopping every so often, causing drivers to swerve around them- a very dangerous maneuver. And their bus lane? Clearly they don't belong on the streets either.
Yes, Jack, there are bicycle riders out there on the city streets who show no more common sense, courtesy or inclination to obey the law than many of the licensed drivers who share those streets. If "proper training" means you can pass a test, then why is it that so many cars speed on Beach Drive or force their way into traffic on Fauntleroy from northbound 35th against their red light?
I've tried to solicit favor for a University of Washington annex in the Sodo area. Specifically the Immigration and Naturalization building now empty at Airport Way South and Fourth Avenue South. It's my understanding, to other branches of government, the building would be free.
The building has been empty since 2004. It's a five-story building built in 1932 with 77,000 square feet of space.
Inquiry to the governor's office brought a response from the U. of W. Real Estate Office.
Hundreds of West Seattle families face financial crises every day - from losing jobs and the ongoing challenge of single parenting to medical emergencies and other unexpected situations.
So, how can you keep your day job, have fun, and lend these families a helping hand at the same time?
Tuesday, help fill The Hall at Fauntleroy for the Taste of West Seattle - a chance to celebrate a night out with your neighbors, dine on great local fare and sip fine wine all while supporting a noble cause same time: the West Seattle Helpline.
Since 1989, the West Seattle Help
The city of Seattle released a plan to make West Seattle streets more inviting for bicyclists, with painted bike lanes, hill-climbing lanes and stretches of road for bicyclists to share with motorists.
The Seattle bicycle master plan recommends 5-foot-wide bike lanes be painted on the sides of arterial streets throughout the city to designate they are "for preferential use by bicyclists." That includes many West Seattle "ways:" Admiral, Fauntleroy, Delridge, Avalon and Sylvan.
Other candidates for bike lanes are 16h, 35th and 48th avenues, plus Roxbury and Barton streets.
Like everything else, ferry tickets have gone electronic but there's been little effect on traffic around the Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal.
Ferry commuters and other frequent-ferry passengers used to buy discount paper tickets by the book. On May 9, the Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal changed to Washington State Ferries' new "Wave2Go" electronic ticketing system. Passengers can now buy online bar-coded, multi-ride tickets printed at home and swiped through a scanner.
The state ferry system also sells cards electronically loaded with 20 rides.
Who are the Trusted Advocates? If you're an average White Center-ite the term "Trusted Advocate" may not ring a bell.
But chances are you've met at least one of them and that you're already aware of the work they've been doing here. One of their jobs is to help individuals and families deal with some of the nitty-gritty details of life in America.
Seattle Public Schools is hosting two community workshops and a series of drop-in meetings from May 16 to 30 so that parents and community members can offer their ideas and learn more about the Board's review of the Student Assignment Plan, a policy that determines where students attend school.
The review process was initiated at a school board work session last September and has been discussed at several committee meetings.
