Meet up in Denny Park on Dec 12th @ 5pm.
ride route from 5:30 to 6:30.
----------------------------------------
I propose we ride bikes on the SLUT's opening day.
Why? Because the city created an unsafe situation for cyclists by installing train tracks along Westlake in the right most (curb) lane, the place cyclists are recommended to ride according to RCW 46.61.770.
The city has refused to improve Westlake's safety by painting sharrows in the left lane and/or putting up "biker falling in tracks" signs.
I've been plotting this for a few days, so I have some pre-made content stashed in this wiki that shouldn't be too hard to move over to the official site. Highlights include tips for writing letters and a media gallery which includes the pwnage of an King County In Motion poster by a parking sign.
Please note that my ride plan involves a wheelchair-bound Santa riding the SLUT. Volunteers?
Last edited by ksep on Wed Dec 12, 2007 10:30 am; edited 2 times in total _________________ -Kevin
n_claw
Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 8:03 am
Joined: 02 Jul 2007Posts: 517Location: the only hill: Beacon
holy hell, this is terrific, Kevin, I'm totally down! when i get a chance I'll start linking your wiki to the SLB mainpage.
the SLUT tracks have already taken a rather significant gouge out of my knee (the day of the first SLB ride, actually), if you bring a camera you're welcome to put a pic of the scar up on your wiki images.
i've been marked by the SLUT.
Seven
Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 9:26 am
suddenly quite whiny!Joined: 24 Aug 2007Posts: 345Location: Cap Hill
The Slut threw my chain and bound up my rear wheel in rush hour traffic. If I didn't know how to skid like a ninja I would have been totally fucked.
I'm in.
mos6502
Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 11:13 am
Joined: 20 Sep 2007Posts: 21
Is there any reason the tracks are in the curb lane, and not in the center lane? Since it's pretty much been general practice for the last 150+ years to put streetcar tracks in the center of the street and not at the edge... (I've heard that Seattle is supposed to be the "smartest" city - I've always wondered then why they make so many dumb choices)
I would also like to note (for maximum nerdage) that the SLUT is not technically a "trolley" since it does not use a trolley pole or wheel, but instead uses a pantograph for current collection. Luckily, one could still correctly use the word "tram" to describe the streetcar, so the amusing acronym can remain in tact.
DJStroky
Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 2:16 pm
Joined: 25 May 2007Posts: 356Location: Downtown Tacoma
The signage definitely needs to be improved for all of the people who don't know how to ride their bike between the tracks. Hopefully y'all can inspire the City of Seattle to continue their middle lane alignment on Fairview Ave all the way along Eastlake to the U District once they expand it.
_________________ Tacoma isn't that bad... well maybe it is
Oldmesenger82
Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 4:43 pm
Joined: 30 Jun 2006Posts: 204Location: Fremont
Sounds like a worthwhile ride. I will try to make it.
langston
Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 4:57 pm
Joined: 25 Jul 2005Posts: 5547Location: Columbia City
I'm going to put over/under on people who actually crash DURING this ride, due to train tracks at 5.
Also fun? I found out the hard way Saturday night that the concrete center island ends halfway down Mercer and turns into six inches deep gravel. I nearly pulled a Lee.
laura
Posted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 10:06 pm
Joined: 22 Jun 2007Posts: 1050Location: wherever the dance party is
Count me in, but damn it, I don't want to fall in the tracks. Left lane rider all the way.
Love the t-shirt ideas.
vaticdart
Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 6:42 am
Joined: 02 Aug 2007Posts: 649Location: Inside a Bell
Mr. 75 Dollars wrote:
I'm going to put over/under on people who actually crash DURING this ride, due to train tracks at 5.
I will bring enough 2nd skin bandages to wrap a water buffalo. Oh, and I plan on being there.
_________________ If the river was whiskey I'd turn myself into a duck, I'd dive to the bottom and never come up.
DOUG.
Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 7:58 am
Joined: 29 Jan 2007Posts: 117Location: Wallingford
I work in that neighborhood, so I am definitely in. Should we hand out condoms to the general public so they can protect themselves from the SLUT?
Do we have an official date/time for this ride? I am definitely game to ride all over that bitchy little SLUT. I enjoi the condom idea- I like to ride Safe.
- If anyone forgets a condom, Peter Jr. will probly have extras in his hat.
n_claw
Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 9:07 am
Joined: 02 Jul 2007Posts: 517Location: the only hill: Beacon
G*retch wrote:
Do we have an official date/time for this ride? I am definitely game to ride all over that bitchy little SLUT. I enjoi the condom idea- I like to ride Safe.
- If anyone forgets a condom, Peter Jr. will probly have extras in his hat.
Much like the thread title: 12/12/2007, 5pm--unless they move the SLUT opening day, in which case we'll move our ride date to that day.
Should I perhaps bring dental dams, as well? female condoms? cheese cloth? (you'll only understand the latter if you've been in my kitchen...)
In addition to my various prophylactics, I'll also have a first aid kit and perhaps something adult and sippable to take the sting off of any wounds.
I'm still working on updating the SLB site but it's slow going--something about the templates (I think?) won't allow my text formatting to show up. *grumble* CMS made simple my ass, I had an easier time editing a web page back in the 90s when it was all HTML script!
pete jr
Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 11:29 am
Joined: 13 Dec 2005Posts: 1930Location: balls deepx
only if i'm wearing my jimmy hat hat
lantius
Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 11:33 am
1337Joined: 22 Jul 2005Posts: 6705Location: right over
what's the law regarding the SLUT, anyhow? if i'm riding downtown in the SLUT tracks it's actually pretty much impossible for me to move over, so does it just have to go as slow as any cyclist it gets behind? or do you have to get out of the way for it?
alyson
Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 12:06 pm
Joined: 06 Sep 2006Posts: 114Location: Queen Anne
A friend and I were riding by the tracks, and he warned me to look out for the SLUT slots.
_________________ Swervin' and pervin'!
Beck
Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 9:46 pm
Joined: 13 Nov 2007Posts: 5Location: out there
I will so be there on a very slow bike. The SLUT tracks have got me pissed the city would install such crap in the streets we ride on.
_________________ Veni, Vidi, Velo
laura
Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 9:53 pm
Joined: 22 Jun 2007Posts: 1050Location: wherever the dance party is
G*retch wrote:
I like to ride Safe.
spoken like a true .83er.
mcrawfor
Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 10:55 pm
Joined: 09 May 2006Posts: 1039Location: Ballard
Chalk up one more victim of the SLUT - my housemate Carla went down on the tracks too.
_________________ -miles
laura
Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 11:28 pm
Joined: 22 Jun 2007Posts: 1050Location: wherever the dance party is
A la ghostbike, we need something visual to track the tally of riders who tangle with the SLUT and loose.
Or, we should just tally this info for someone ... Kevin in his fanatical planning against the SLUT or Lord of the Fries who reports interesting information back to the Seattle Bike Advisory Board meetings.
Bikes and bodies are being sacrificed along Westlake will not be tolerated!
snyd3282
Posted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 11:42 pm
could suck the fun out of a blowjobJoined: 23 Jul 2007Posts: 588Location: Ballard / Fremont
laura wrote:
A la ghostbike, we need something visual to track the tally of riders who tangle with the SLUT and loose.
Or, we should just tally this info for someone ... Kevin in his fanatical planning against the SLUT or Lord of the Fries who reports interesting information back to the Seattle Bike Advisory Board meetings.
Bikes and bodies are being sacrificed along Westlake will not be tolerated!
Hmm, a "Blood on the Tracks" submission form / guestbook page sort of thing?
It would be great to be able to walk into the meeting on Dec 5th and plop down a list of dates, people, injuries, and locations along the track where people were caught. It would also be great to include that list in our communication with SDOT, the mayor, and the city council.
If you wanted a compelling visual, doing a chalk outline of a cyclist splayed out on the tracks for each injury would be a strong image...though maybe too strong with the memorial ride still in our conciousness?
ksep
Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 1:07 am
Joined: 27 Jan 2007Posts: 1879Location: Westlake
all victims & friends of... please go here and tell SDOT about it. and if you'd like to sign our victim guestbook that'd be cool too. n_claw, Seven, pillocelot, dennyt i made up stuff, correct it please.
mos6502... dammed if I know why it's not in the center lane. The tracks going to the storage barn are in the center like the old streetcar in pioneer square so it's not as if the city doesn't have "install it in the middle" technology.
langston... huh? is this gravel pit a temporary thing while it's under construction? i can only make it out to take daylight pictures on the weekend, but i'll keep this area in mind. and give ben is damn money already.
laura... credit goes to snyd3282 for the slogans, I can't do this all alone :)
lantius... i browsed the laws and it's not an emergency vehicle, nor do the lane the tracks are in have any sort of "you're not allowed to drive here" white lines on the sides, so it seems to me that we can block it. probably best to check with a john duggan type figure pre-ride. speaking of which...
..."but it's just a tandem, officer." who thinks we can build a rail cycle or a skinny wheel granny bike to ride the rails properly. :)
edit: fixed link, thanks miles
Last edited by ksep on Wed Nov 14, 2007 9:17 am; edited 1 time in total _________________ -Kevin
teressaj
Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 7:48 am
Joined: 06 Sep 2007Posts: 40Location: Capitol Hill
mcrawfor wrote:
Chalk up one more victim of the SLUT - my housemate Carla went down on the tracks too.
Am I missing something?
When switching lanes, I ride over the tracks at an angle or bunny hop.
I agree its dangerous but just wondering how everyone is falling victim of the SLUT.
Chalk up one more victim of the SLUT - my housemate Carla went down on the tracks too.
Am I missing something?
When switching lanes, I ride over the tracks at an angle or bunny hop.
I agree its dangerous but just wondering how everyone is falling victim of the SLUT.
Not everyone is as proficient a rider as that or expecting the tracks to be there. In the case of my roomate, she was distracted by another traffic concern I think.
_________________ -miles
mcrawfor
Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 8:28 am
Joined: 09 May 2006Posts: 1039Location: Ballard
abamfici wrote:
all victims & friends of... please go here and tell SDOT about it.
"Sorry, the page you were looking for is not available."
Looks like you just need to strip off a trailing quote, like this.
_________________ -miles
snyd3282
Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 8:57 am
could suck the fun out of a blowjobJoined: 23 Jul 2007Posts: 588Location: Ballard / Fremont
teressaj wrote:
Am I missing something?
When switching lanes, I ride over the tracks at an angle or bunny hop.
I agree its dangerous but just wondering how everyone is falling victim of the SLUT.
I am far too much of a fattypants to bunny hop.
I have enough crushed wheelsets, fatigued rims, and pulled-through spokes as it is just from hitting tree-root bumps on the burke.
zuvembi
Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 10:05 am
Joined: 24 Jul 2005Posts: 942Location: Little Addis Ababa
teressaj wrote:
mcrawfor wrote:
Chalk up one more victim of the SLUT - my housemate Carla went down on the tracks too.
Am I missing something?
When switching lanes, I ride over the tracks at an angle or bunny hop.
I agree its dangerous but just wondering how everyone is falling victim of the SLUT.
I didn't fall on the tracks, I fell on the 2" drop off on the side off the tracks where they haven't leveled the pavement yet. Lame I know, but it was dark and I was paying insufficient attention (talking to someone).
joeball
Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 10:39 am
Joined: 24 Jul 2005Posts: 6037Location: Ether
The engineers and builders are responsible for the design and construction of their project. Yes, being observant can help you not fall/wipe out but the streets should be different than the Colanade terrain park. The decision to stripe the bike lane within the tracks is seems ridiculous to me.
No need knock on those who have spilled or justify your spill if you fell. Unfortunately this hazard was not considered in the design phase but something needs to be done to remedy the issue. Until then I say stay left.
Finn
Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 1:57 pm
AlabamaJoined: 15 Sep 2006Posts: 303Location: Central District
Proposal for a t-shirt:
I WENT DOWN ON THE SLUT
Remington
Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 3:01 pm
Joined: 23 Jan 2006Posts: 457Location: Remington Country
Finn wrote:
Proposal for a t-shirt:
I WENT DOWN ON THE SLUT
I would buy one even though it's not true... yet.
lantius
Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 4:04 pm
1337Joined: 22 Jul 2005Posts: 6705Location: right over
Finn wrote:
Proposal for a t-shirt:
I WENT DOWN ON THE SLUT
hell yes. design us one, oh master of arts!
zuvembi
Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 4:49 pm
Joined: 24 Jul 2005Posts: 942Location: Little Addis Ababa
Joined: 20 Mar 2007Posts: 206Location: all dressed in yella
Drunkan wrote:
Nice image, but it is a glaring reminder that we are missing those signs!
Portland...
Also, this bike lane made me so happy...
Drunkan
Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 6:16 pm
Joined: 09 Sep 2007Posts: 95Location: Wallingford
Kinda why I used it. Wear the damn shirt and people will see the sign and then when wearing the shirt and the S.L.U.T. forces you to go down and you get road rash on your pretty face you can point at the shirt and say "If there was a sign I wouldn't have gone down on the damn S.L.U.T." Or anything else that may be fun to say at that moment.
Yes/No?
Seven
Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 6:28 pm
suddenly quite whiny!Joined: 24 Aug 2007Posts: 345Location: Cap Hill
Drunkan wrote:
Kinda why I used it. Wear the damn shirt and people will see the sign and then when wearing the shirt and the S.L.U.T. forces you to go down and you get road rash on your pretty face you can point at the shirt and say "If there was a sign I wouldn't have gone down on the damn S.L.U.T." Or anything else that may be fun to say at that moment.
Yes/No?
Y.
chunts
Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 10:31 pm
Joined: 18 May 2007Posts: 85Location: Cappy
mcrawfor wrote:
teressaj wrote:
mcrawfor wrote:
Chalk up one more victim of the SLUT - my housemate Carla went down on the tracks too.
Am I missing something?
When switching lanes, I ride over the tracks at an angle or bunny hop.
I agree its dangerous but just wondering how everyone is falling victim of the SLUT.
Not everyone is as proficient a rider as that or expecting the tracks to be there. In the case of my roomate, she was distracted by another traffic concern I think.
yeah, the first time I attempted that route I ended up between the tracks and almost shat when I found they turn abruptly.
Foo
Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2007 3:06 pm
Joined: 27 Jul 2007Posts: 583
*ding* I got SLUT-laid last night!
Dark and unfamiliar intersection turning onto Westlake, I misjudged the track layout and ended up getting herded towards the curb. I did something wrong when I tried to get back across the tracks and ended up sliding across the entire intersection on my side.
Mashed up shoulder, various contusions, bent up rear derailuer and hanger.
That girl's a tough cookie!
So, yeah, won't be joining you folks tonight, my bike frame's got a date with mr bench vice.
PBBBBT!
Eric_s
Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2007 10:16 pm
Joined: 07 Mar 2007Posts: 1691Location: the dirty south
daywalkerJoined: 09 Nov 2007Posts: 6108Location: Hatertown
I'm in. I got rutted by tracks in Ballard 4 months ago. I live in Eastlake and the SLUT drives me nuts. Here they had an opportunity to do everything right (including NOT build it) and to say they did it wrong doesn't even touch it - they were completely negligent.
I've personally witnessed two people get hammered by it. So frustrating.
_________________ GREAT UNITER / ORACLE / ELDER
MOOAAR DONGS
TrikerTrev
Posted: Wed Nov 28, 2007 7:53 am
Joined: 23 Oct 2006Posts: 2303Location: FOCO, MOFO!!!
snyd3282 wrote:
Hmm, a "Blood on the Tracks" ...
If you wanted a compelling visual, doing a chalk outline of a cyclist splayed out on the tracks for each injury would be a strong image...though maybe too strong with the memorial ride still in our conciousness?
how about red paint (and i mean gallons) splashed along the track/bike lane and random bike parts strewn about? Or even a crashed bike tick sheet (like old fighter planes did when they shot down an enemy plane) on the side of the SLUT?
I havent had the displeasure of riding that shitstain of pavement since they "finished" it. I think i'll just go up Eastlake and cut across whatever. Fuck em!
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