Article from the Seattle Times...
 

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...enways13m.html

Never mind the comments, haters show up at any open forum on cycling. I would venture to guess that if a reporter feels like they're lacking comments/hits on their articles, they figure out a way to do an article on cycling: Boom, problem solved.

Don't know what to say about this set-up. I can't tell, but it could be an electric assist. If not, someone's gonna cook in that full face motorcycle helmet.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABP...2017418169.jpg

I could have told him that. The Arboretum sucks on a bike. The lanes are too narrow to share, and it's heavily traveled because it's one of the main ways to 520. (Maybe that's changing now with the toll?) I always hate, and I mean HATE, riding there, and go out of my way to find alternatives.

I never ride through heading south, but riding north you can go just as fast as the cars (most times faster). From Madison Park to the University of Washington there is already a cyclists bypass so I'm not sure why it took him so long to figure it out. There are signs that directs one through from Madison Avenue to the Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI).

It's an electric-assist according to the article. May as well just get a moped and keep up with the traffic. It's kind of like those people at the gym that you see pedaling slowly on the bicycle while reading the newspaper - what's the point?

I definitely spend time optimizing my route around a variety of criteria, but what passes for 'greenway' non-arterial streets in my neck of the woods is the place the 'savvy' cagers take to speed past the traffic lights on the arterials. You really can't win no matter what.

I haven't ridden there since the tolling started, but I agree that the Arboretum is a crummy section to ride. Aside from the narrow lanes and traffic, you forgot to mention needing a 8" travel full suspension DH rig to cope with the horrible pavement.

And if you *do* find a good route, sooner or later the city will foul it up. I used to take the NE 10th Ave bridge over 405 in Bellevue to get from 116th to 110th or vice-versa. Now that bridge sucks hard both ways because they moved they moved the 520 entranceway up there from down on 405. :(

But he claims:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABP...2017418169.jpg

And he is worried about his route being too hilly:
Next he will be in BFs telling us how he smoked some roadie on a steep climb.

PS - I do not hate electric-assist bikes. It is pretty clear this guy is not likely pedaling at all during his 16 + mph commute, so calling it cycling is a touch off. Especially when writing a fear mongering article about it.

Why not write an article about the cyclist in the left part of the picture?

For what it's worth, I still am not comfortable with "designated" bike ways. To me it is a possible slippery slope to mandating that cyclists use these routes which would limit how and where we ride our bikes. I also believe that we are already marginalized when there are bike lanes painted on the streets. Venture out of the bike lane to take a left or to avoid the myriad debris that accumulates there and be prepared for the wrath of the car driver to rain down upon you. I can't count how many times people have made a point to pull up next to me in their cars to tell me to "stay in the bike lane", or "you're supposed to be in the bike lane", or "why don't you obey the law and ride in the bike lane". ....etc.

+1 my thoughts exactly.