ZZzzz... Mayor to Propose Car Free Days in Seattle

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels will announce today, during a press conference, his plans for car-free days throughout the city. The move is meant to help combat global warming. While it's a cool idea, I think it's full of hot air.

Imagine if all the streets around Alki Beach were shut down. What a fun pedestrian friendly place it would be. Well... that's part of the plan exactly.

On Sunday, September 7, from 12 to 6 p.m. cars will be banned from a section of Alki for one afternoon. Bicyclists will be allowed -- of course. Hopefully, bus traffic to the area will be increased.

The details about other car-free days and locations, to be held in August and September, have yet to be announced.

While I like the conscious-raising aspects of the events, I doubt random car free days around the city is going to make a dent in Seattle's carbon emissions. It sounds more like a publicity stunt to bolster the Mayor's image as a leader in the fight against global warming -- which I think is a real thing (you go Al Gore).

Whatever the true reason, car free days can't hurt but big talk and small actions don't solve big problems. We need a bold vision for our region and we need someone who can convince even the most glutinous among us to join the fight.

Source: King5.com

Parks Dept. responsible for Green Lake spikes

The news was shocking: 50 metal spikes had been discovered in the shallows of Green Lake, a popular park in Seattle. The Seattle Parks Department suggested it was a malicious act. Now...

The Parks Department now says... oops... we are to blame for the fear and hysteria the spikes have caused local residents. The newspapers and TV stations ran interview after interview of people saying they would be reluctant to swim or boat in the lake ever again.

Parks spokeswoman Dewey Potter had said they suspected sabotage. I have had many dealings with her while working as a reporter for a local Seattle weekly and know here to be a true professional -- friendly, helpful, and reliable. So, you wonder where things went so horribly wrong.

However, unlike the long forgotten time capsule that occasionally creep up in the news, spikes in the shallow areas of the lake seem like something you may want to keep track of. Call me crazy... but a spike in the foot seems like a serious matter -- which is how these spikes were discovered in the first place.

The Parks Department says the spikes were placed in the lake more than 20 years ago in an effort to hold down plastic sheeting in an attempt to control water plants. Apparently, the spikes originally had curved tops that rusted off, leaving sharp points. Metal + water = rust. What a shock!

The Seattle Police spent man hours (ie. tax dollars) on their investigation. The Parks Department invested a lot of their own time and money as well. According to a July 25, 2008, press release, the Parks Department planned to hire professional divers to augment the volunteers already combing the depths of Green Lake. Let's hope the Parks Department puts a little more planning in their future improvements to our treasured local parks.

Source: The Seattle Times

No 'Reason' to Seattle's Mag Ranking

The libertarian magazine Reason ranked Seattle second only to Chicago on its list of American cities that limit personal behavior.

The magazine pointed to the city's ban on high-alcohol beers and fortified wines as one example of the city's ninny-nagging, finger-wagging ways.

The magazine says we have particularly restrictive laws in effect here in Seattle. It's hard to believe that the city -- the birth place of grunge rock -- would ever find itself on any such list.

While I've observed a shift in the 'tude of Seattlites, I think we are still fairly laid back folks. The flannel shirts and dirty jeans that once graced our closets are still a part of our collective culture.

I think the so called "restrictive laws" are just a part of the growing pains associated with an ever-expanding population in the region, a maturing of sorts. It's part of the reason why so many of those flannel shirts and jeans ended up in the bins at Goodwill.

Note to Fellow IKEA-philes

Hot off the PR News wire:

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) July 25, 2008 -- bCODE, a leading global provider of one-to-one mobile marketing solutions has teamed up with Valassis Interactive, the interactive arm of Valassis, one of the nation's leading media and marketing services companies (NYSE: VCI), to deliver a mobile-based loyalty program for the IKEA Seattle store.

Customers of the IKEA Seattle store can join the "IKEA Mobile" mobile loyalty program by simply sending a pre-selected keyword via text message to a shortcode (e.g. 12345). Members of the IKEA Mobile program receive personalized offers via SMS text messages to their mobile devices. These offers are then redeemed at the store using bCODE's innovate self-service mobile scanners.

Delivering offers via regular SMS text messages means that more than 98% of the population with a mobile device can instantly benefit from these personalized offers. Unlike other mobile marketing programs that require special software downloads, carrier subscription services, or special phones, bCODES simply work on virtually any device. The secure nature of scanned bCODE's means that high-value offers can be sent to program members increasing the overall attractiveness and value of the program.

Source links retracted as no longer working.

Time for Comprehensive Public Transportation

From the Seattle Times:

Sound Transit is putting a $17.9 billion rail and bus plan on the November ballot, in hopes that voters overlook this year's economic slowdown and think long-term.

More than two-thirds of the money would be spent to build 34 miles of light-rail extensions, reaching the Overlake Transit Center near Microsoft in 2021, and Lynnwood and north Federal Way by 2023.

Late next year, light-rail service begins from downtown Seattle to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport; a north line to Capitol Hill and Husky Stadium is already scheduled for completion in 2016.

Dear Fellow Seattleites,

With the cost of gasoline on the rise and with some analysts projecting that $5.00 per gallon gas may just be over the horizon, it is time for the citizens of the Puget Sound to take public transit seriously. Yes... It's expensive. Yes... Roadway and infrastructure construction can take a long time and put your blood in a boil due to congestion. However, the sad truth is that our current roads cannot support the population growth in the region.

We have two options... Pave over the last remaining green spaces in our cities and build a new bridge across Lake Washington... or... invest in public transportation. I can tell you which option I prefer: As a life long resident of the Puget Sound region, I choose comprehensive public transportation.

An investment today will help us to preserve the natural beauty of the Puget Sound -- which is what makes living here so enjoyable -- and -- just as important -- help us to retain our sanity.

Educate yourself about the proposal by clicking here!

Yours Truly,

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