Spotlight of the Month:   Back to School  

Heading back to school? Why not walk or bike to school?  Safe Routes to Schools promotes healthy, active lifestyles from an early age. Kids learn how to navigate streets and sidewalks safely, how the transportation system works, and how to influence that system. Need a little inspiration?  Watch 180 kids from Bryant Elementary start their day by biking to school.

Bike safety tip for kids and parents: Make sure bikes are in good repair, fit and are working properly.  SPD reminds drivers and pedestrians to be extra careful at the beginning of the school year and offers these additional safety tips.  Check brakes and tires regularly, and make sure bike helmets are adjusted correctly.  Watch this video on how to fit a helmet. 

Safer routes near Highland Park Elementary School in West Seattle make walking and cycling safer and easier for everyone. Four-way stops slow traffic and make it easier for buses to turn, which improves speed and reliability for transit riders. New signs and markings make cyclists and pedestrians more visible to drivers.  Curb bulbs reduce the crossing distance at intersections and provide safe places for student patrols and crossing guards. Ramps help people with disabilities or strollers and kids on bicycles get on and off the sidewalk. The street improvements will be complete in time for school.  Watch for them at these locations:

• 11th Avenue S.W. and S.W. Holden Street
• 11th Avenue S.W. and S.W. Trenton Street
• Tenth Avenue S.W. and S.W. Trenton Street
• Ninth Avenue S.W. and S.W. Henderson Street

Options to Get Around

We're tipping our hats in appreciation to SDOT crews who are making bicycling safer by filling and sealing cracks in roadways during August and September, including sections of S. Genesee Street, 11th Avenue N.E., 32nd Avenue E., and W. McGraw Street. To see if one of the roadways is in your neighborhood, click here for a list of all 13 streets.

Tools to Help You Walk, Bike and Ride

Downtown Seattle's ride free service area ends, and other Metro service changes start September 29. These changes will make Metro's system simpler and easier to use. You pay for every ride the same way - when you board the bus. See detailed information on changes to the ride-free area here,  Save time boarding by using an ORCA pass. Get one here. 

Learn about other route changes, which might include yours. Timetables that reflect all transit changes will be available in print and online via Metro's online trip planner in mid September.  To see the new information, be sure to enter a date that's after September 29 or call the customer information phone line at 206-553-3000.

New RapidRide lines connect West Seattle and Ballard to downtown and offer full service seven days a week, every ten minutes during peak hours, free Wi-Fi and air conditioning. Traveling to or from West Seattle? Everything you need to know about RapidRide is right here. Traveling to and from Ballard?  Click here!  

Mercer Street Opens August 27 with some major improvements to pedestrian and bicycle traffic. Although there is a lot of construction left to do, don't let it keep you from walking and biking in the area. Click here for project details; then scroll to the bottom for updated maps that show how to navigate safely through the area. Walkers and bicyclists will appreciate intersection improvements along Mercer Street between Fairview and Ninth Avenue N, wider sidewalks, landscaped medians and urban design features.

Inspiration to Walk, Bike and Ride

Cycling while pregnant can be exciting and empowering, and it beats a white-knuckle drive or a hot, crowded bus any day. Read one woman's story. 

City employees save time and money by van-pooling to work.  Seattle City Light's North Service Center employees recently formed a 15-passenger vanpool, and SDOT's Traffic Shop formed two five-passenger vans. Vanpools are best for commuters traveling from areas with minimal or infrequent transit service. Save money and save time with this Vanpool Starter Kit. 

Get Your Child's School To Take the IWALK Challenge. Make going back to school healthy and fun.  Feet First makes it easy for schools and communities to participate in IWALK.  Take the IWALK Challenge by organizing an IWALK event at your school.  Besides the joy and exercise of walking, you get a chance to win valuable prizes for your school.

Upcoming

Create your own park Friday, September 21 between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.!  PARK(ing) Day happens every third Friday in September and is an opportunity for artists, activists, and community members to make parking spaces into temporary parks. The event raises awareness about important issues like creating a walkable, livable, healthy city. Partner with SDOT free of charge, or apply for your own street permit before September 4.

Undriving Does Bumbershoot. The Undriver Licensing Station will draw crowds at the famous music and arts festival, August 31 through the Labor Day weekend. Help license "undrivers"and receive a free pass for that day, a $45 value, plus eight free METRO bus tickets. Sign up to volunteer by direct E-mail. To get to Bumbershoot, ride the monorail from Westlake, take Metro, or bicycle via the Lake to Bay Loop and Elliott Bay bike trails.  Bring your bike lock and park free at Fifth Avenue and Thomas Street between the Experience Music Project and the Space Needle, or use the Parking Squid bike rack created by local artist Susan Robb.  

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