I’m not sure what the purpose of them is supposed to be, but reminded me a little bit of the BELIEVE graphic I made a little while ago.
One very prominent feature of Seattle’s cycling infrastructure are its sharrows. While Portland primarily reserves these shared lane markings for their Neighborhood Greenways, Seattle has applied them liberally to many different types of streets. Take a look for yourself in the photos below.
With the exception of the occasional trip via car on a freeway there seemed to be sharrows on every road I traveled on. This is in stark contrast to the two lonely sharrows installed by the City of Tigard on a newly renovated street in their downtown.
Over the weekend I visited Seattle and was pleasantly surprised at all the infrastructure for people on bikes. Coming from Portland I’m used to having a network of quiet, bicycle friendly streets that can be used to travel all around the city, away from most motor vehicle traffic. While Seattle didn’t seem to have quite as many bicycles as Portland, I did see plenty of sharrows, bike lanes, and people riding bikes nearly everywhere I went.
It was remarkable to see how prevalent bicycle usage was considering the volume of motor vehicle traffic that was sharing the roads. The drivers on a whole were very aware and considerate of bicycles. I certainly felt more comfortable in Seattle, riding my bike in the same lane as cars, than I do in Tigard. Riding with cars this weekend actually felt safer than riding with cars in some parts of Portland that lack complete streets.
Have a look below at some of the signs, markings, and lanes for bicycles that I ran into. You’ll notice one thing is absent from the gallery below: sharrows. That’s not because Seattle doesn’t have sharrows. In fact, there were so many around that I decided it would be best to talk about those in a separate article, so stay tuned for more.
My trip to Seattle was a blast, and I am now back home in Tigard. The train ride home was as pleasant and stress free as the ride North. Getting the Brompton onto the train was again a cinch, despite it finding a home on the top of three luggage racks this time around.
Along with riding my Brompton around, the weekend was full of fun times with friends, spectacular weather (for the most part), and chances to see plenty of bicycle infrastructure. I saw a good deal more bicycles on the road than I though I would, some in unexpected places. Seattle has grown and changed since I last visited years ago, mostly for the better. Even with all its hills and freeways, it’s a simple task to get around on a bicycle.
It was easy to visit Seattle without needing to pay for parking, gas, or any other car-related expenses. Throw in a decent network of bicycle friendly streets and I both hope and expect to be back soon.
Today I’m coming to you from a seat on Amtrak Cascades. I decided to stick with a Coach seat and not upgrade to Business Class, and that’s worked out very well. Although the train is sold out and every seat is taken, we all have plenty of room to move about. There’s WiFi and a power outlet next to my seat, everyone around me is in a pleasant mood, and my Brompton is safely stowed in a luggage rack just a few steps from where I’m sitting.
When I originally purchased the tickets online I bought a separate “bike ticket” for my Brompton. I had heard that Amtrak only requires one for standard, full-size bicycles but I wanted to be on the safe side. After arriving at the train station in Portland, the ticket agent confirmed I didn’t need the bike ticket and refunded that portion of my fee.
There are a few other folks with bicycles on the train today. As they were waiting to board in Portland I noticed that each had a few panniers loaded up, looking like they’re getting ready for a longer ride once they step off the train. Coincidentally, their bikes ended up hanging out in the baggage car just on the other side of a door from me and my Brompton.
Full size bikes are stowed in the baggage area, but folding bicycles can be brought on board and placed in each train car's luggage racks.
Access to the baggage car is limited to Amtrak personnel, which means their stowed bicycles are very safe. Of course, when they reach their destination, they’ll have to wait for baggage handlers to remove and deliver their bicycles. In contrast, my Brompton was as easy to bring on board as a piece of luggage.
In Portland I confirmed with one of the station personnel that it was alright to bring my Brompton on board as a carry on. As I asked, they pointed at the bike, folded up sitting next to my feet, and said “Is that it?” Clearly they didn’t have any problem with me bringing something so small on board; instead they seemed a little surprised that I’d bothered to even ask.
The next leg of my adventure today will be traversing Seattle streets from the train station to a friend’s apartment. I’ve mapped out the route online and I’m hoping the ride is as pleasant as Google Street View makes it seem.