Althouse: Urban mountain biking: Look what they've done with otherwise wasted land under highway in Seattle.

May 19, 2020

Urban mountain biking: Look what they've done with otherwise wasted land under highway in Seattle.

22 comments:

oldirishpig said...: Nice, but my question is: who did this? Something done by ‘the kids‘ (yes, yes, I know) themselves or a neat bit of creativity by the city itself?; 5/19/20, 7:11 AM
Ingachuck'stoothlessARM said...: done?
with dunnage?

Look What They've ? To My Song Ma

Melanie Safka!; 5/19/20, 7:13 AM
Big Mike said...: It wasn’t wasted. That’s where Althouse trolls used to live — under the bridge.; 5/19/20, 7:30 AM
gspencer said...: "otherwise wasted land under the highway"

What wasted land? Such places have been bum havens from the moment the construction crews left.; 5/19/20, 7:37 AM
Jamie said...: Outrageous. How many of Seattle's unhomed community were displaced just to provide frivolous entertainment for young white men?; 5/19/20, 7:47 AM
Rob said...: Biking through the encampments of homeless is going to be a challenge.; 5/19/20, 7:51 AM
TreeJoe said...: Ok, that's a seriously badass area and took alot of work with some cheap materials to build. Further, maybe I'm just totally naive to mountain biking, but those seem predominantly to be ADVANCED technical areas - not something the casual sunday mountain biker would necessarily tackle. Maybe it's just the video?

That makes me believe this isn't done by the city, who would invest in it only if it was aimed at a broader use demographic.; 5/19/20, 7:57 AM
William50 said...: It looks like it's over by the arboretum across the Montlake cut from the UW.; 5/19/20, 7:57 AM
Leland said...: How did they get the guys with tents to move out?; 5/19/20, 7:58 AM
wild chicken said...: What fun. I suspect the "kids" who built this aren't so young anymore.

Actual kids don't go outside.; 5/19/20, 7:58 AM
Cathypop said...: Seattle has no imagination so definitely not created by the city.; 5/19/20, 8:08 AM
Birches said...: How are there no homeless people in the video?; 5/19/20, 8:08 AM
Howard said...: Wild chicken it's just your morbidly obese deplorable children who don't go outside anymore. The skinny coastal elite Lily livered red diaper baby libtards are into the outdoors and physical activity because reasons.; 5/19/20, 8:37 AM
Daniel Jackson said...: According to the YouTube posting, the location is under I-5 to the east of Lake Union.

Indeed, thirty years ago it was a place the Homeless camped.

Of course, with such a "restored recreation area," City rules bar encampment use. The SPD is only too happy to clear away even the temporary sleep-overs.; 5/19/20, 8:58 AM
Krumhorn said...: What lawyer approved THAT??

- Krumhorn; 5/19/20, 9:03 AM
rcocean said...: Maybe its just me, but I have zero desire to fall off my bike, and so I'm completely uninterested in riding on narrow raises platforms, or doing wheelies, or flying through the air on my bike.

Glad someone else likes it, but I'll stay on the broad, safe, ground.; 5/19/20, 9:18 AM
Laslo Spatula said...: The homeless have relocated about a quarter-mile away, towards the Convention Center.

Still, not a park to wander after dark.

I am Laslo.; 5/19/20, 9:22 AM
tim maguire said...: My city has a ravine system running through it which makes for an unusual park system--it can feel quite secluded despite being only a couple hundred yards wide, and it's many miles long so, if you're not in a hurry, you can walk or bike to many different parts of the city with little interaction with traffic.

My wife and I, while exploring it one day, stumbled across an extensive dirt-bike course in a section of woods that was off the path because it falls between a river and some train tracks. Clearly, it had been made by teenagers riding in with shovels and picks and was quite impressive. We've been careful who we tell because if the city finds out about it, it's only a matter of time before they destroy it.; 5/19/20, 10:10 AM
Patrick Henry was right! said...: Trial lawyer's wet dream!!!!

Also, the funds to build this could have been spent on COVID treatment or research!!!!!!; 5/19/20, 12:04 PM
KellyM said...: Yikes, there's some serious skill-building stuff there. Looks like fun. You do learn the fine art of using your brakes at the same time as pedaling to maintain balance and control speed. The one skill it helps with is in remaining stationary on the bike while staying clipped in. You use this a lot when you're on the trail and you stop to survey your options.

I think the tilt of the camera makes it appear that the park is on a downhill grade - is that the case? I'd tackle most of it, although the tight switchbacks give me the yips.; 5/19/20, 12:32 PM
Wikitorix said...: I think the tilt of the camera makes it appear that the park is on a downhill grade - is that the case? I'd tackle most of it, although the tight switchbacks give me the yips.

Yes, it's on a fairly steep hillside. Google street view actually has a good view in the middle of the park:

https://www.google.com/maps/@47.6348242,-122.323391,3a,75y,354.89h,85.82t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sdq7Sk9Dg-nWmL_u89WitqA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656; 5/19/20, 3:14 PM
Wikitorix said...: oldirishpig said...

Nice, but my question is: who did this? Something done by ‘the kids‘ (yes, yes, I know) themselves or a neat bit of creativity by the city itself?

Neither, really. The Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance https://www.evergreenmtb.org/ did it. They build and maintain a number of mountain biking rails in Washington.; 5/19/20, 3:57 PM