This Saturday, join Feet First for a nature walk at Thornton Creek at 10 am:
This two hour walk is guided by Ruth Williams, Thornton Creek Alliance and Chas Redmond, Boardmember of Feet First. The walk begins at Meadowbrook Ponds and ends at Mathews Beach. Enjoy two parks, the creek, and the learn about the many creatures that call the watershed home.
There is a $5-10 suggested donation and the walk begins and ends at Meadowbrook Community Center, 10517 35th Ave NE:
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Almost 70 parking spaces around the city will be turned in to temporary parks this Friday for PARK(ing) Day this Friday. According to the PARK(ing) Day website, “PARK(ing) Day is an annual, worldwide event that inspires city dwellers everywhere to transform metered parking spots into temporary parks for the public good.”
If you’re able to be out on foot this Friday between 9 am and 3 pm, you might see some of these miniature parks. There will be several downtown on 2nd Ave at University St and others throughout the city.
Afterward, the organizers of the event, Feet First, Streets for All Seattle, and the People’s Parking Lot will be hosting an after-party from 5 – 10 pm at 500 E Pine St.
In case you missed the Walk and Talk with Councilmember Rasmussen on Tuesday, there’s a write-up on Seattle Transit Blog:
Last night Feet First (great pedestrian advocacy group) hosted their second Walk & Talk tour guided by Tom Rasmussen. The tour started in the Triangle of West Seattle (bounded by 35th, Alaska, and Fauntleroy) and headed east stopping at destinations along the way, ending at a casual reception.
The first stop was the YMCA followed by the new “Link” development. The Triangle is an interesting area. Up until just a year or two ago the whole area consisted mostly of light manufacturing and auto dealership, a large number of which are out of business now. The area is prime for redevelopment, due to its location and underlying zoning. As a casual observer of developments in this area over the last few years it’s interesting how omnipresent the themes of transition and parking are.
There are also some more details over at STB about the implementation of RapidRide bus service.
Streets for All Seattle is having an event tonight in Fremont at 7pm:
Please join us Thursday, July 29th, 7pm, at Nectar Lounge in Fremont for the Streets For All Seattle Kickoff Party and Fundraiser as we rock out before the City’s budget season begins.
Over the past three months our Streets for All Seattle coalition has grown in strength and size: over sixty organizations have endorsed our campaign, we’ve trained over one hundred volunteers, and thousands of people have signed on in support of our vision. Just as important, our elected leaders have reiterated their support for our goal of $30 million dollars in annual dedicated funding for pedestrian, bicycle and transit investments, but we know that our voices will need to be actively engaged in the budget process, which is why your support is so valuable.
The mayor’s office has organized several community engagement forums as part of the city’s Walk Bike Ride initiative. Walk Bike Ride is an initiative towards making it easier for people to get around Seattle without driving.
Last night, around 50 people gathered at REI’s flagship store in South Lake Union to design a better city for walking, biking, and riding transit.
The room had several informational displays, including basic facts and information about transit, bicycling, and walking, as well as displays showing a proposed redesign of Kinnear Park.
Representatives from the mayor’s office and King County spoke briefly about the Walk Bike Ride initiative and its goals.
In addition to residents from around the city, representatives from many local transportation-oriented groups were present, including Seattle Transit Blog, King County Metro, and SDOT.
There were several tables, each with its own map of a Seattle neighborhood, including First Hill, Pioneer Square, Downtown, and Capitol Hill. For most of the session, participants worked on redesigning their neighborhood to make it easier to get around by foot, bike, and transit. Ideas ranged from the cheap and easy (e.g. improving signal timing for pedestrians) to the more ambitious (e.g. building a pedestrian bridge over I-5).
People had a chance to see the ideas shared for all neighborhoods. At the end, the city took the results of these working sessions to incorporate in their planning as the city moves forward with this initiative.
There will be another Walk, Bike, Ride forum this coming Tuesday in South Lake Union. From the event description:
When it comes to getting around easily without a car, the City wants to know what is – and what isn’t – working for you. The Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plans help guide the City’s improvements for biking and walking, and Mayor Mike McGinn is currently updating the Transit Master Plan. Join us to learn more about these plans and talk with representatives from the Department of Transportation about where you think there is the most trouble – and the most potential – for transit, pedestrian and bicycle enhancements.
The South Lake Union Seattle PI blog has more details on this event and on other projects in the neighborhood that affect pedestrians.
This currently appears to be the last Walk, Bike, Ride event on the calendar, however more may be scheduled.
