Category Archives: events

Speaking of Portland…

The Towards Carfree Cities conference is a week away!

In case you missed the first mention back in April, here are the relevant details:

What: A conference that “brings together people from around the world who work to promote practical alternatives to car dependence”
When: June 16-20, 2008
Where: Portland. Oregon (You can take the train!)
How much: Check the registration rates on the conference site.

Some stuff I forgot to mention the first time around:

1) The conference’s cool motto (a good enough reason to attend, as far as I’m concerned): “Live Free or Drive.” Props to the person who thought that up.

2) The free “Public Day” on the 17th:

We are committed to making this conference as inclusive as possible. If you are unable to attend for the entire week, please consider participating in our free events, such as Public Day on June 17th which features our keynote speakers, programs on Carfree Family Living and Portland’s Freeway History. Public Day is free and open to the entire community…

See you on TriMet!

And one more…

Elliott Bay Water Taxi opening day festivities
What: A “community celebration” of Seattle’s only floating bus
When: Sunday, April 27, 12 PM – 2 PM
Where: Seacrest Park
How much: The party and rides are free on the 27th. (The Water Taxi usually costs $3 but is free with a bus pass of any denomination.)

As most of you know, I am a huge fan of the Water Taxi, both for selfish reasons (my dad lives across the street from Seacrest) and because it makes people feel good about leaving their cars at home. Why drive when the alternative is a lovely cruise across the bay?

See you at the party!

Upcoming events for transit types

Earth Day Expo
What: “…King County’s fifth-annual Earth Day Expo… to “learn easy ways to recycle, green-up your ride, volunteer for Earth-friendly activities, reduce your carbon footprint and make your home and garden more environmentally sound”
When: Tuesday, April 22, 10 AM- 2 PM
Where: Westlake Plaza
How much: Free!

Green My Ride
What: An “alternative transportation fair” to “learn how you can take the next step toward a greener ride”
When: Saturday, April 26, 9:30 AM – 3:30 PM
Where: Phinney Neighborhood Center
I’m going to give a short presentation about bus culture at noon and then spend the afternoon learning from all the alt-transpo experts who’ll be there.
How much: Free!

Sustainable West Seattle
What: A festival (a la Sustainable Ballard) “to educate and advocate for urban sustainability in our local community”
When: Sunday, May 4, 10 AM – 3:00 PM
Where: Wells Fargo lot, Alaska Junction
How much: Free!
I grew up in West Seattle, so I’ll be there, reppin’ one of my original buses, the 55. (I’ll also be participating on a panel about car-free living.) I might even drag my dad and baby brother, both West Seattle types, out for the occasion.

Towards Carfree Cities VIII
What: A conference that “brings together people from around the world who work to promote practical alternatives to car dependence”
When: June 16-20, 2008
Where: Portland. Oregon (You can take the train!)
How much: Check the registration rates on the conference site.
Stay tuned for more about this one.

Upcoming events for transit types

1) Post-Proposition 1: The Future of Transportation in Seattle

What: A panel discussion sponsored by Friends of Seattle
When: Thursday, March 20, 2008, 5:30-7:30PM
Where: Spitfire (2219 4th Ave)
How much: $10 suggested donation (includes a drink)
RSVP: events@friendsofseattle.org

After the failure of Prop. 1, we’re all asking: what’s next?

Join us for introductory remarks by Mayor Greg Nickels, and stay to hear from our panel of speakers:

Members from both sides of the Prop. 1 debate, including…
*Seattle City Councilmember Jan Drago, Chair of the Transportation Committee
*Tim Gould, the Sierra Club’s Transportation Chair
*Rob Johnson, Transportation Choices Coalition’s Regional Policy Director
*Greg Walker, Sound Transit’s Policy and Planning Officer
*Moderated by the Seattle Channel’s C.R. Douglas

2) Ride the Lunch Bus

What: A bus tour of Sound Transit’s light rail construction
When: Friday, March 28, 2008, 11:30 AM – 3:00 PM
Where: Meet at the southwest corner of 5th Ave S. & S. King Street
How much: Free, but you have to buy your own lunch
RSVP: To Wilbert Santos (206-398-5300; linkconstruction@soundtransit.org)

Take a guided tour of Link light rail construction on Sound Transit’s Lunch Bus. Tour the Link light rail initial segment followed by lunch at a local eating establishment. Next tour:
SODO, Beacon Hill, Rainier Valley, Tukwila and Airport

I’ve taken this tour, and I found it profoundly interesting–worth the 3+ hours it cost me. If you can’t make it this time, check Sound Transit’s site to find out the dates of future tours.

Upcoming events for transit types

Thursday, January 24th

Metro is hosting a class to help employers lower employee commuting costs.

The law allows employees to set aside up to $115 per month in pre-tax income for purchase of a transit pass or ticket book. Because pre-tax benefits lower an employee’s taxable income, the employee saves federal withholding and FICA payroll taxes on the amount deducted. The employer also saves paying FICA on the amount deducted. Employers can also choose to contribute to the cost of their employees’ public transportation fare and still allow employees to use pre-tax dollars for the employee share.

Metro staff offers free training classes for employers – the next one is Jan. 24 in Seattle – tool kits to start the program at individual worksites, and assistance in carrying out the program.

If you don’t work for a company cool enough to buy your bus pass, you should encourage your boss (or HR rep) to go.

Details:

Time: 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
Location: Mezza Cafe Conference Room, Third Floor, Starbucks Center, 2401 Utah Ave. S.

Tuesday, January 29th

The Transportation Choices Coalition is hosting Transportation Advocacy Day.

We’re heading down to Olympia on Tuesday, January 29, 2008 to advocate for action on climate change, better transportation choices, and healthier transportation. Last year more than 150 citizens like you advocated for better transportation alternatives. At Advocacy Day you’ll have the chance to learn more about transportation issues, meet with legislators, attend hearings, and be a professional lobbyist for a day!

Last year this event was extremely successful. If you can make the time, it’s worth it to attend–if only to be part of the bike/Flexcar caravan.

Details:

Times: 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM
Meet at: The United Churches of Olympia, 110 11th Avenue SE, Olympia

Friday, February 1st

As part of their First Friday Earth Forum series, the Rainier Valley Unitarian Universalists will show the documentary Bus Riders Union .

This film by Academy Award winner Haskell Wexler traces three years in the life of Los Angeles’ Bus Riders Union as it forges a powerful multiracial movement to fight transit racism, clean up LA’s lethal auto pollution, and win billion-dollar victories for real mass transit for the masses.

Does the Seattle area need its own union to fight for more transit to better serve both the needy and the environment? Come and be part of this conversation.

I’ve been wanting to see this film, so I’ll be there.

Details:

Time: 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Location: Rainier Unitarian Universalist Center, 835 Yesler Way (Yesler and Broadway)

Another bus-chick-friendly weekend event (or, First Ballard, then the world!)

Sustainable Ballard’s annual festival is happening this weekend at Ballard Commons Park (17, 18, 44). It’s all about celebrating sustainability and educating folks about how to “live more lightly on the earth.” Last year, I gave a short talk at the festival’s transportation tent about my experience living without a car. This year, SB’s making car-free advocacy a major focus of the festival, with “Undriving Ballard: A place for people to explore alternatives to car travel, and get inspired to make an Undriving Pledge.”

I’m going to be there, sharing some of my knowledge and learning from others…maybe you?

P.S. – If you “undrive” to the festival, you’ll receive, in addition to the admiration of all the good-looking people attending, two free bus tickets from our friends at Metro.

Still more reasons to get on the bus

1) On September 21st, city residents across the country returned parking spaces to the people. From parkingday.org:

Conceived by REBAR, a San Francisco-based art collective, PARK(ing) Day is a one-day, global event centered in San Francisco where artists, activists, and citizens collaborate to temporarily transform parking spots into “PARK(ing)” spaces: temporary public parks.

StreetFilms posted a couple of videos:

Park(ing) Day, NYC
Park(ing) Day, San Fran

2) Sprawl counteracts fuel efficiency gains. From the Detroit Free Press:

An expected 59% increase in the number of miles Americans drive between 2005 and 2030 will outpace any reduction in greenhouse gases from better fuel efficiency of cars and trucks, said a report issued Thursday.

If there is any hope of reducing carbon dioxide emissions, a key component of greenhouse gases, the nation needs to slow sprawl and build more compact housing, such as lofts atop commercial buildings in downtowns and taller buildings on less land, the report said. It was compiled by the Urban Land Institute and issued by the Michigan Environmental Council.

Smart Growth America has the full report.

And on a related note…

3) A new study by the APTA finds that:

…when compared to other household actions that limit carbon dioxide (CO2,), taking public transportation can be more than ten times greater in reducing this harmful greenhouse gas.

[…]

The research points out that due to increases in vehicle miles traveled, the problem of pollution from vehicle emissions is accelerating. Greenhouse gas emissions from mobile sources have grown 27 percent from 1990 to 2004. Autos and light duty trucks represent about 61 percent of the total mobile source of greenhouse gas emissions. The report says single occupancy drivers switching their work commute to public transportation is one of the more effective ways to reduce the nation’s vehicle miles traveled while reducing harmful carbon dioxide.

Speaking of work commutes…

Tomorrow I’m going to try out the Connector. It doesn’t stop anywhere that’s convenient for me (and plus, I’m happy with my current bus commute), but I want to see what it’s all about. I’ll report back.

Celebrating Seattle’s floating bus

Today, bus nerd and I attended the big Water Taxi celebration. Apparently, so did everyone else in Seattle.

12:30 ride from Pier 55:

Celebration at Seacrest:

2:00 Seacrest boarding:

Coolest parts of the day:
• The view from the deck of the taxi. (Our city is sexy, no?)
• The view from inside the taxi. We even saw a sea lion:

• Free drinks on the ride west. Both were non-alcoholic, juice-and-syrup concoctions: a Seacrest Sunrise and a Dow Constantini. (Apparently, Dow Constantine is a big Water Taxi booster. Last summer, he had ads all over the boat.)
• Prizes! I won an Argosy lakes cruise for two. (That’s two in a row. When’s the next transit fest?)
• Hanging out with my dad and my brother Joel. They both came to the park, ate fish and chips (not provided by the transit fest), and hung out in the warm(ish) weather. My dad even accompanied us on our boat ride back downtown, taking the opportunity to regale us with stories of his 30 years as a Coast Guard reservist.

Uncoolest parts of the day:
• Free balloons at Seacrest. Every kid in the vicinity (and there were many) had at least one, and there was a clown making balloon animals on demand. Have I mentioned my fear of balloons?
• Crowds. There was a great turnout for the opening day celebration, and the EBWT was a victim of its own success. The boat we rode to Seacrest was completely full–so full that some people couldn’t find seats. By the time we got to Seacrest (at around 12:45), all of the refreshments–even the coffee–had been consumed. On the way back, there wasn’t enough room on the boat we wanted to take, so we had to stand in line for an hour to wait for the next one. (We couldn’t leave to go do something else, or we would have lost our place.)

My dad had the same problem trying to get back from downtown. All in all, we spent a lot of time waiting. I’m hoping that folks who were trying to the Water Taxi for the first time don’t think it’s usually like that. It’s not.
• Missing Mom. It was the first time I’d ridden my favorite boat without the promise of seeing her on the other side.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming

Starting Sunday, the Elliott Bay Water Taxi (of September Golden Transfer fame) will be back in business. Service is free all day, and there will be a party (with refreshments, folks) at Seacrest Park.

From Metro’s site:

You are invited to the Water Taxi Kick Off event on Sunday, April 29th at Seacrest Park from Noon to 2:00 p.m. Enjoy entertainment at Seacrest Park in West Seattle, balloons and face-painting for the kids, free posters, refreshments and more! Service is FREE ALL DAY during the celebration event, so bring the family and friends!

I am so there. And since my dad lives across the street from Seacrest Park (and has never been one to turn down free food), I’m guessing I can talk him into going, too.

Time to step it up!

Tomorrow, Saturday, April 14th, folks across this fair land will participate in Step it Up, 2007, “a day of community events across the U.S. where citizens will demand political action on climate change.”

From Grist‘s invitation:

Who: You, and everyone you know
What: Rallies, parties, parades, sit-ins, hikes, climbs, dives, and much more
When: Saturday, April 14, 2007
Where: More than 1,000 spots around the U.S.
Why: Because it’s getting hot in here

Here in Seattle, the main event is an all-city march that starts at 2:00 PM at Occidental Park, a very bus-chick-friendly (read: bus accessible) location. The mayor, County Kingpin, et al will be there.

Marching not your thing? Here’s a list of all the events in the area.