McGinn is Mayor
SAM Remix Hits Its Stride
Can't Miss It: Wednesday
Ye Olde General Store
Requiem For a Dream Season
We showed up to the Westlake area just in time to wedge ourselves onto the 2nd streetcar out of downtown today. There was a smallish crowd out and by our unofficial measurement it was comprised of 10% reporters and photographers, 10% supporters and Vulcan employees and 80% smartasses in S.L.U.T. shirts, including the guy who wrote the S.L.U.T. song who we had the good fortune to ride along with a little later on.
These are the people who actually showed up beforehand riding away on the first trolley out of Downtown.
And here's the S.L.U.T. song guy.
In addition to the reporters, supporters and smartasses there was one earnest protester. Something to do with bikes... Her sign says "Watch for injured cyclists."
Here's some kind of official-looking guy quietly asking some of the Kapow troublemakers for "I rode the S.L.U.T." pins.
Above is the view from inside. "No straps!" people kept calling to a reporter who was talking to a woman who is nearly five feet tall.
Below are some carolers at the stop by the Center for Wooden Boats where we got off for a leg stretcher and realized that we could conceivably get home to Wallingford via the S.L.U.T. to the Wooden Boats where we'd catch a water taxi up Lake Union to Ivars. It would only take us about an hour, if we timed it correctly, which beats the bus on a bad day.
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There's a water taxi from The Center for Wooden Boats to Ivars?
I know, right? It's a secret. http://www.lakeunionwatertaxi.com/schedule.html
I have high hopes for the streetcar eventually a) being timed with the lights and b) annexing its lane as streetcar-only (during rush hour at least) in the name of safety after it crushes a few cars. That should speed things up nicely.
It was slow, but it looked like there were some obvious ways to pick the pace up a bit. Better timing with the lights and a more aggressive hand on the throttle would help a lot.
The bike protester was there because the rails are spaced so wide apart that bike tires can easily get caught in them. Apparently some bike lobby was working to get the city to deal with it by putting rubber between the rails which would squish down when the SLUT runs over it but not when bikes do. Instead, the city put up warning signs.
The rails ARE scary to ride your bike over. But I'm not sure that protesting the city's only new rapid mass transit option is really the way to go on this one. Seems like us bike riders could find a way to get our message out without pissing off every constituency out there.
Speaking of hand on the throttle, can you imagine being that guy/gal today? Talk about nerve wracking. With the city's undies in a very tight bundle about all things *public transport*, I'd be white knuckling this job for weeks. Buy that SLUT operator a beer!
@ Charles (#5)...
I'm not sure bike riders in Seattle know how to do that. To the average person, they come across as rude, angry and overly aggressive.
I'm originally from the Netherlands; lots of bicycles, and tram systems in several major cities (one of which I lived in). The risk of getting your wheel caught in a tram rail is just one of the things you become aware of and deal with by looking out for it. I don't see why Seattle cyclists couldn't learn to do the same.
@8: Where in the street are Dutch trams placed? The only part of the Netherlands I've been to is Amsterdam, and there I seem to recall a lot of separated roadways, keeping trams, bikes and cars apart. Where they weren't separated, I think the trams tended to be in the middle of the street, which also minimises clashes with bikes.
I guess the $52 million wasn't a complete waste, Seattle got some slut jokes and a song.