05/02/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/02/2024 15:28
Blog stats: 1,500 words | 7-minute read
We hope you can join the celebration and enjoy biking as part of your everyday trips to work, school, parks, and countless other destinations in Seattle and beyond. Read on for a variety of resources and tools to get ready to roll, as well as events to check out this month.
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Whether you're pedaling to get somewhere quickly or enjoying a leisurely ride along our city's many scenic routes, be sure you're prepared to enjoy your bike ride by reading our Seattle by Bike Guide. The guide offers a detailed breakdown of all things biking, from preparing for your ride, to planning your route, to bike maintenance basics, and everything in between.
Don't own a bike? Seattle offers bike and scooter share options for your trip. Visit our bike and scooter share website for all the details on how to get started. If you don't have a smartphone, each company provides other ways to access bikes and scooters.
How much does it cost to rent a bike? Each company's rates differ, but most include a $1 unlock fee and charge approximately $0.42-$0.45 per minute, plus taxes and fees. If you have ORCA LIFT, a Regional Reduced Fare Permit (RRFP), Apple Health (Medicaid), or you receive discounted utilities, discounted housing, or nutritional assistance (e.g. SNAP), you likely qualify for rides at a reduced cost.
More information on renting equipment, correctly parking, and safely using a scooter or bike can be found on our website.
Protect yourself - please wear a helmet! Make sure you stay safe during your ride by wearing a helmet. You can receive a free helmet at any of these six Seattle Customer Service Centers: Ballard CSC, Lake City CSC, University CSC, Central CSC, Southwest CSC, and Southeast CSC. For all the details about free helmet resources, visit our website.
Stay safe by ensuring your bike is in good condition and knowing how to navigate through the city. Before your ride, make sure to do an "ABC Quick Check" - Air, Breaks, & Chains.
If you need to buy a new or used bike, a bike part, or get bike repairs taken care of, below are a few of the many local bike shops in Seattle that offer these services.
Make yourself known. When making any changes to your biking speed or making turns, use hand signals to let others know.
Vision can be challenging at night for everyone, so if you plan to bike during the darker hours, protect yourself by using equipment like bike lights, a red rear light, a helmet light, and reflectors. Bells are handy accessories to have on your bike when passing other cyclists and pedestrians. If you do not have a bell, use your voice to signal you are passing other people.
No matter your skill level, we hope you can participate in Bike Everywhere Month. Below are a few resources to help you start your biking journey.
Biking is not only a physically and mentally beneficial activity for our health, but it also benefits our city's health. Transportation is the largest contributor to Seattle's greenhouse gas emissions, but with every new bike trip, we eliminate an average of 366 grams of carbon dioxide for our city.
To reach our goal of carbon neutrality as part of our Climate Change Response Framework SDOT has been working to support biking by building protected bike lanes funded by the Levy to Move Seattle as well as healthy streets and neighborhood greenways.
Seattle offers many scenic routes for you to enjoy your bike ride! Use our trail maps to explore some beloved bike trails in the city. The maps also show landmarks near or on the trails.
A few examples include:
Plan your trip before you go by checking the locations of various bike facilities throughout Seattle with our interactive Bike Web Map and Printable Bike Map.
Check out these Apps for more bike routes around the city:
This month is also the perfect time to kick start the day right by rolling to school. You can read more about biking to school in Seattle on the Seattle Public Schools website. You can also read about our Safe Routes to School program here.
During the summer, Outdoors for All offers FREE adaptive bike and trike rentals at an Adaptive Cycling Center in partnership with SDOT. The program is located at Building 406 in Magnuson Park and it offers one of the largest selections of adaptive bikes in the country!
There are options for riders with physical, developmental, or cognitive disabilities and for folks who used to ride a standard bicycle but no longer feel comfortable for balance and safety reasons. Ages 7 and up.
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