There is a "war" escalating in Seattle between pro-cycling forces vs. "others." The "others" is tough to pin down -- opponents of Seattle's mayor (who is so pro-bike they call him Mayor McSchwinn); business interests; the pro-road lobby; the anti-transity lobby; etc. It's all wrapped up in local transit politics, left vs. right, proposals to build a new tunnel downtown, etc.

Last year, our local cycling club, Cascade Cycling (which claims to be the largest cycling club in the country), was torn apart because even local cyclists are split on whether cycling organizations should be about recreation and fun or political advocacy. The executive director left and went to work for the mayor.

Meanwhile, the bodies keep piling up -- at least 10 cyclists killed in Washington this year so far, vs. 10 in all of last year. There have been 3 deaths recently, including a long-term commuter hit and killed by a hit-and-run driver, that have gotten a lot of publicity.

The Mayor's opponents claim he has declared a "war on cars." After several recent deaths, the local alternative weekly, The Stranger, had this interesting story this week, "OK, It's War."

http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/o...nt?oid=9937449