John’s Ramblings

It may just be that I’m more sensitive to the issue because of the number of hours I’ve spend riding my bicycle over the last year, but it seems like there has been a spate of auto-bicycle collisions in the greater Seattle area in that timeframe.

I chose to participate in the Seattle version of the Ride of Silence, a group ride to honor those injured or killed in bike-car accidents. There were a couple of other locales I could have chosen that would have been closer (Renton or Tacoma) but I figured that the biggest turnout, and the most unique experience, would be the Seattle iteration.

I connected with my friends Kevin and Nina at their house off 35th Ave. We rode the few miles down to the start point at Gasworks Park. We were a good 30 minutes before the start time, but there was already a large crowd forming. Several Cascade ride leaders were directing traffic. They were having folks queue up down the walkway toward the restrooms from the parking lot.

We met up with friend and ex-coworker Julie at the start, and the group got rolling a little after the appointed hour of 7PM. We were near the front of the pack, so we didn’t experience the trickling funnel effect that Jim Carson experienced, althought the light at Stone Way was tedious, to say the least. This was the one intersection that could have used a bit of traffic control as it fragmented the group by a lot.

We headed across the Fremont Bridge, my first big-city grated bridge deck experience. Not so bad, but it’s not something I’ll seek out in the future. From there we went right, past Seattle Pacific University and around Queen Anne Hill via Nickerson / 15th / Elliott Avenue.

Then it was up Western & Denny to 2nd Avenue. The stops for red lights were frequent until the point where we passed the Moore Theater. The ride at this point was packs of 20 or so riders per block, bunching and rolling through each stoplight. It being a beautiful evening, there were folks out on the sidewalk at several venues watching the parade. We were asked several times what we were doing, but this being a Ride of Silence, there were few responses from the cyclists.

We rode all the way down 2nd to the Pioneer Square area, then doubled-back and heading north on 4th Avenue. The route back was then Olive (or thereabouts), Westlake, Eastlake, a quick loop through the U district, and back to Gasworks. I stopped and saw Julie pass by one more time, then I grabbed Kevin and Nina and we headed back to their place from the University Bridge, rather than doing the last little run into, and out of, Gasworks. The ride was running late, and we had a way to go in the failing light. We got our hill-work in on the way, then capped the night off with a fresh ale at the Fiddler’s Inn on 35th.

I’m glad I decided to go to Seattle and do this ride. First and foremost, there are far too many car-bike collisions and anything I can do to help raise awareness is time well spent. Second is the fact that I may not have another opportunity to do a ride of this nature through downtown Seattle. Unless I start commuting downtown again, the logistics of getting up there for Critical Mass or anything makes the chances remote, at best. Lastly, what is better than going out and riding with friends, and making a few new ones along the way?

Tags: ride_of_silence

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