2021 was the deadliest year on Seattle’s streets since 2006 with 31 lives lost. Vision Zero is the city’s adopted goal that no one should be seriously injured or killed while traveling on our streets. In response, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) has just released their highly anticipated “top to bottom” Vision Zero review.

While it contains much needed recommendations to reform SDOT’s internal culture and practices, it fails to propose an action plan to create safe streets for all. Seattle Neighborhood Greenways released their plan containing equitable and proven solutions to get Vision Zero back on track last November.

On Tuesday, March 7th, SDOT’s report was review by the City Council’s Transportation & Seattle Public Utilities Committee. Head to South Seattle Emerald’s page to read more about the issues facing South Seattle.

Ed Ewing, executive director of Bike Works in Columbia City, a “social justice minded organization that centers on racial equity,” said bicycle safety and pedestrian safety are deeply intertwined, and traffic fatalities and injuries for pedestrians and cyclists are greatest in areas that have the least biking infrastructure.

“(In) South Seattle you have the most fatalities, you have the most injuries, you have the most car accidents and then you have the least amount of bicycle infrastructure,” Ewing said. “There’s a direct correlation, and again that lines up with our intention of focusing on the South End because we know that there is a huge need for safety improvements.”

Local groups like Bike Works, Smash the Box, and Seattle Neighborhood Greenways have been reaching out to and meeting with SDOT officials to advocate for safe streets in South Seattle in light of historic racism and discrimination in governmental decision-making, Ewing said.

“There’s history. There is a tremendous history of divestment, of underinvestment in the South End and pretty much any city that has a Community of Color,” Ewing said. “Our goal is to really amplify and increase the awareness of those folks who are making those decisions. Here’s the cumulative effect of divestment in this area, here are the opportunities, and now that we know, let’s do something about it … But if there is reluctance and a desire to stay in the same place, then we have a problem. We have a problem.”

Please watch this video on how we can get Vision Zero back on track at Seattle Neighborhood Greenways.

Bike Works needs volunteers to help us run our alleycat race in celebration of spring, the second annual Tour de Fleurs coming up on Sunday, March 26th.

Sign up to volunteer here

Volunteer roles

Opening & setup (1-2 ppl)

• Shift time: 12-2pm
• Meet at the Bike Works Shop at the start of your shift (3709 S Ferdinand St)

Checkpoint hosts (10 ppl)

• Shift time: 1-4 pm
  • Meet at the Bike Works Shop (3709 S Ferdinand St) at 1pm to get supplies and head to checkpoints
  • Remain at checkpoints from 2-4pm. Checkpoint locations will be shared on the day of the ride. 
• Facilitate checkpoint activities and sign rider manifests + assist riders as needed. Most checkpoints will involve arts and crafts, but the details will remain a surprise until the day of!

Closing (2 ppl)

• Shift time: 3:30-6pm
• Meet at the Bike Works Shop at the start of your shift (3709 S Ferdinand St)
• Role: help tally scores at the end of the ride and support as needed with clean up 

What to expect

Volunteers can expect to carry some light supplies and to bike up to 3 miles to reach their checkpoints (locations will be shared on the day of the ride). Please bring a backpack or a way to carry things on you/your bike. 

Volunteers will be at outdoor checkpoints for 2hrs+, and should dress appropriately for the weather.

• Restrooms: at Bike Works at the beginning and end of the ride. You are welcome to stop into nearby businesses or use public restrooms as needed
• Food: provided at Bike Works at the end of the ride ~4pm. Please bring your own snacks if you need them
• Breaks: you are welcome to sit or rest while waiting for riders at your checkpoint station. Feel free to bring blankets, chairs, water, snacks, etc. anything you need to feel comfortable for your volunteer shift
• Optional Dress Code: Floral Spring Awakening

For additional access needs, or questions about volunteering, contact Lena Kabeshita at lena@bikeworks.org

Learn more about the event at the registration page

What is an alleycat?

An alleycat is a bike race modeled after a day in the life of a bike messenger; the checkpoints will be kept secret until the day of, and the ride will take place on city streets amongst traffic. There is no set route, and it is up to the rider to navigate their own path from checkpoint to checkpoint.

We recognize that all sorts of people of varying abilities ride bicycles. The one thing we all have in common is that we find cycling fun. So we’ve planned the ride to celebrate and encourage fun with a wide array of jovial checkpoints and challenges based on non-bike related talent and luck. Prizes given for mini-game challenges, best dressed, fastest, slowest, etc. Food and drink will be provided.

On February 21, 2023, we hosted an online community report-out about the progress we have made towards our Strategic Plan goals over the last two years and a discussion about next steps.  

During the last two years, we also progressed our goals to deepen community engagement, promote job access, and enhance our physical space as a community resource. Those focus areas were also covered in the report-out.

You can watch a recording of that event below.

View the event slides

We explored two discussion questions during this event: what else would you like to see from Bike Works, and what can we learn from you? We wanted to hear about the racial equity and social justice initiatives that our community members have experienced or spearheaded in their own workplaces or community organizations.

Check out the notes from that discussion here

A recurring theme throughout the night was how do we navigate decision-making while also striving to be more equitable and non-hierarchical? This is an ongoing discussion at Bike Works. One of the ways we have begun to address this is by creating a “Criteria-Based Approach to Equitable Decision-Making” tool as a reference guide. This is a “living” document that is subject to change, but we wanted to share it with our community.

Check out Bike works’ equitable decision-making tool

Finally, we discussed the need for bicycle education materials in languages other than English to increase accessibility. We do have this Spanish-language resource and terminology guide. If you have additional resources, especially in any other languages, please send them our way!

Click to access our spanish resource & terminology guide 

You can view the complete Strategic Plan document here, and watch a recording of the initial roll-out of the Plan in March 2021 below.

In late November, our courageous Bike Works youth showed up and participated in two Cyclocross races. This was a first for most of them and definitely a first for Bike Works. 

Our crew received quite the warm welcome from the Cross community. They all did an AMAZING job on the course and we even have a few students in the top ten of their category! Most of the youth that participated expressed the desire to do it again which is a win for us. For those that decided it wasn’t for them, we commended them for trying something new for the first time.

Big shout out to Monika, Tom, Tommy, for all their leadership and planning. Also props to R&R, Cascade Bicycle Club and volunteers for their help with getting the bikes ready for each race.

Our team is looking forward to next year’s Cross season and bringing more POC to the Cyclocross races in the future!

-Rich Brown, Program Manager

Edie Perkins was struck by a car and paralyzed from the chest down in 2017. Today, she is still an avid bike racer, member of a national women’s paracycling team, and Executive Director of the Kelly Brush Foundation, who provide support & opportunities to athletes and folks with spinal cord injuries and other disabilities. In an evening of storytelling, Edie shared her vulnerability and positivity as she described her experiences with adaptive cycling and disability. Also featured is Ed Brondson, Executive Director of Outdoors for All, a Seattle-based organization providing recreation opportunities for people with disabilities including one of the largest adaptive cycling fleets in the country.

Do you, or someone you know, have a unique cycling story to share? Please get in touch with Elise to discuss presenting at a Bike Works “Bicycle Stories” event.

Isaac Dyor, Tyler Callaghan, & Ashton Breer are sophomores & juniors at Interlake High School, and Alex Wright is a junior at O’Dea High School. They are friends from the same recreational soccer club who recently decided to work together on a service project, both to meet their school requirements, and to give back to their community. 

So far they have collected over a dozen bike donations from their friends & neighbors, and delivered them to the Bike Works warehouse for use in our shop, programs, & giveaways. Below is an interview with Isaac and Bike Works Development & Communications Manager, Elise, about this wonderful project to get bikes back on the road and into the hands of those who need them most!

Q: How did you hear about Bike Works?

A: I wanted to get involved through biking. I found Bike Works’ website through online research. I saw that you take bike donations, and I thought, well, a lot of people have extra bikes laying around. Instead of sitting in a garage, maybe they could be donations.

The two most important aspects of bikes are freedom and fun.

Isaac Dyor

Q: How did you come up with the idea of collecting & repairing bike donations for your community service project?

A: We wanted to provide as much value as possible for our community service project, not just checking off the requirement. Since I had knowledge of bike repair, I saw that as an opportunity to use my skill set to provide more value. I figured we’d get more bikes if we went and collected them too. We started with our neighborhoods, and are now expanding to the families in our soccer club.

Q: Where did you learn about bike repair?

A: I started mountain biking last summer and slowly learned more tricks over time by reading online articles and watching YouTube videos. But I am still a beginner. So this is also an opportunity for me to keep learning. I’ve learned that anybody can start repairing bikes with a little time and a little effort.

Q: What does riding bikes mean to you?

A: For me, the two most important aspects of bikes are freedom and fun. As a kid, you can’t drive, so bikes give you the freedom to go to a friends’ house or to the park by yourself. I believe that is important for growth and maturity of kids. For me, it was always more fun to ride a bike with friends than get a ride from my parents. I also think bikes are fun, they give people the ability to bond over something and get exercise.

It only takes a little bit of work to make others really happy.

Isaac Dyor

Q: Why is community service important?

A: Community service is a way to give back and learn lifelong skills. And it only takes a little bit of work to make others really happy. We’ve donated twelve bikes so far, which I hope means we’ve made twelve people happy. I’m hoping we can keep collecting more bikes to make more people happy. 

Bike Works processes between 6,000 – 8,000 bike donations every single year! We accept any and all donations of bikes, parts, and accessories for use in our youth & adult programs, bike giveaways, and for sale in our social enterprise bike shop. Bike donors are vital to our organization. Thank you to everyone who donates bikes to Bike Works, and to volunteers like Isaac, Tyler, Ashton, & Alex for helping get the word out and harnessing the power of their communities!