Bob Svercl (he/him)
@bobco85.bsky.social
960 followers 1.5K following 430 posts
Love to explore, make bike vids at https://youtube.com/@bobco85 , lead history rides, enjoy outdoors. Co-Chair @bhsafestreets.org, organize @rvgreenways.bsky.social @seastreetfixers.bsky.social. Uncle & 🏳️‍🌈bi. Compassionate, curious, corny, smart-ass. He/him
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bobco85.bsky.social
Ride the historic route of the Seattle-Everett Interurban Railway and hear interesting stories in my latest video: youtu.be/ZVvHoDFQsBg
Bike the Historic Seattle-Everett Interurban Railway
YouTube video by bobco85
youtu.be
bobco85.bsky.social
As someone who followed the project for the past year, I noticed that the project page had changed, dropping the pinch point widening (yet keeping photos of the pinch point in the project’s image carousel). It’s disappointing that it will be another couple of years until this is addressed
Reposted by Bob Svercl (he/him)
erininthemorning.com
1. Yesterday, the press gave Gavin Newsom favorable coverage for signing pro-LGBTQ+ bills.

Little noticed, however, was that he vetoed one of the most important ones: a bill allowing trans people 12 month HRT stockpiles, protecting them from federal threats.

Subscribe to support our journalism.
Gavin Newsom Vetoes Important HRT Stockpiling Bill For Trans Californians, Signs Other Pro-LGBTQ+ Bills
The bill would have allowed transgender people to maintain a safe supply of medication in the era of government crackdowns on care.
www.erininthemorning.com
bobco85.bsky.social
Ride the historic route of the Seattle-Everett Interurban Railway and hear interesting stories in my latest video: youtu.be/ZVvHoDFQsBg
Bike the Historic Seattle-Everett Interurban Railway
YouTube video by bobco85
youtu.be
bobco85.bsky.social
This is a separate incident. In the current case, the rebar linking the pieces was broken (see pic)
2 links of a mini jersey barrier have been broken apart, and the rebar embedded in the concrete is visibly broken
bobco85.bsky.social
It’s been 4 years since I last did the Kitsap Color Classic, and I had a blast combining biking with light rail and ferry all through the day. The colors shone through with the flowers, trees, & cyclists. I took a detour to visit the Chief Sealth gravesite which I found meaningful
@cascade.org
An orange acoustic bicycle sits along a white picket fence next to a green acoustic bicycle in front of a view of a bay A garden of dahlias sits in front of cyclists wearing a variety of colors at a rest stop under colorful trees Selfie with Hanoch & Nick in front of a stone sculpture with 2 swords sticking out of it Gravesite of Chief Sealth featuring a round enclosure, a traditional white granite gravestone with a cross at top, and 2 wood carved panels on either side of the gravestone
Reposted by Bob Svercl (he/him)
bobco85.bsky.social
/2 and for fun, here’s a bicycle-eye view timelapse of crossing Elliott Bay on the West Seattle Water Taxi
bobco85.bsky.social
Wonderful time riding as a trio with our bikes on West Seattle Water Taxi & back to Waterfront via trails & brand new bike infrastructure along East Marginal Way on this crossover between @cascade.org & @kingcountymetro.bsky.social
We took a couple fun detours because we wanted to see more stuff
My orange chinook bike with buttons on a pannier for being a Cascade ride leader and a King County Metro one saying “Where to? Bike Transit” A yellow bike, an orange bike, and a Carolina blue e-bike sit at bike racks aboard the West Seattle Water Taxi Selfie with fellow cyclists aboard the West Seattle Water Taxi as it crosses Elliott Bay with the Seattle Waterfront in back Newly constructed bike path runs underneath a viaduct along East Marginal Way south of downtown Seattle
Reposted by Bob Svercl (he/him)
mhgreen3000.bsky.social
Who do we mean when we say “Black Seattle”?

This mayoral race isn’t about personalities—it’s about whether symbolism becomes substance. What do “seats at the table” mean if the rest of us go hungry?

My latest column for the @soseaemerald.bsky.social
COLUMN | What This Mayoral Election Owes 'Black Seattle'
From City Hall to the Central District, Seattle's mayoral race raises deeper questions: Who speaks for "Black Seattle," and what does real representation look like beyond the ballot? Marcus Harrison G...
southseattleemerald.org
Reposted by Bob Svercl (he/him)
sarabkiesler.bsky.social
Bikes 🤝🏻 Transit

The partnership of my dreams 😍

@kingcountymetro.bsky.social @cascade.org
bobco85.bsky.social
I’m leading a few group rides in October that are part of a collaboration between @cascade.org & King County Metro to promote the combination of biking and transit! Learn more about the transit-themed rides that I & fellow ride leaders are hosting in my latest newsletter:
mailchi.mp/66e0811b92f9...
October Ride Leader News from Bob Svercl
Here's what I'm planning for group rides in October and more!
mailchi.mp
bobco85.bsky.social
I’m leading a few group rides in October that are part of a collaboration between @cascade.org & King County Metro to promote the combination of biking and transit! Learn more about the transit-themed rides that I & fellow ride leaders are hosting in my latest newsletter:
mailchi.mp/66e0811b92f9...
October Ride Leader News from Bob Svercl
Here's what I'm planning for group rides in October and more!
mailchi.mp
bobco85.bsky.social
When one-way Pike has a red light, the intersection essentially becomes a pedestrian scramble since Melrose drivers have stop signs, so taking advantage of that does seem to be the safest option
bobco85.bsky.social
It further incentivizes people to just merge across (if Pike is green) or cut through diagonally (if Pike is red) from the left side to the right. I fully admit that it’s rare for me to do the intended 2 stage crossover with the bike box, and I pass through it nearly every day
bobco85.bsky.social
UPDATE (October 6): I heard back from the project team. They couldn’t work out an easement with BNSF in time to be part of this project, but it will be addressed in the next couple of years as part of a bigger project to demolish the nearby building to the west.
@seattlebikeblog.com
bobco85.bsky.social
2/2 And bad news:
-pinch point, about 5 feet (1.5 meters) wide, remains
-widening pinch point was part of the project, yet Port of Seattle scrubbed the design from its project page

1st image is archived version from July 2025, 2nd is current version

I will reach out for info
@seattlebikeblog.com
Screenshot of an archived version of the project page from July 2025 that has widening the pinch point in the work area Screenshot of the current version of the project page claiming the trail was widened in places but no longer refers to the pinch point A tape measure is laid across a pinch point on a trail made narrow by chain link fencing on each side Close up view of the tape measure showing the pinch point is roughly 5 feet or 1.5 meters wide
Reposted by Bob Svercl (he/him)
wilsonforseattle.bsky.social
A PAC supporting Bruce Harrell has now raised more than $1 million from wealthy donors, and soon they will use it to attack me so that our city stays unaffordable. With less than a month until election day, I want to make a few things clear. #thisisyourcity
bobco85.bsky.social
2/2 And bad news:
-pinch point, about 5 feet (1.5 meters) wide, remains
-widening pinch point was part of the project, yet Port of Seattle scrubbed the design from its project page

1st image is archived version from July 2025, 2nd is current version

I will reach out for info
@seattlebikeblog.com
Screenshot of an archived version of the project page from July 2025 that has widening the pinch point in the work area Screenshot of the current version of the project page claiming the trail was widened in places but no longer refers to the pinch point A tape measure is laid across a pinch point on a trail made narrow by chain link fencing on each side Close up view of the tape measure showing the pinch point is roughly 5 feet or 1.5 meters wide
bobco85.bsky.social
1/2 I heard that the Elliott Bay Trail near Terminal 91 had reopened, so I checked it out, and I have good news and bad news.

Good news:
-trail is open again
-awkward bridge has been replaced with a nice flat wide paved trail
Newly paved wide trail between chain link fencing where the north end of a narrow bridge used to stand Newly paved wide trail between chain link fencing where the south end of a narrow bridge used to stand A cyclist rides through a pinch point with a warning sign overhead as chain link fencing on both sides gets very narrow
Reposted by Bob Svercl (he/him)
gravelinfluencer.bsky.social
E-bikes are an absolute game-changer in terms of giving more people the option of going car-light or car-free, but adoption is threatened by the ongoing moral panic. As the article notes, the solution is not restrictions on e-bikes, but creating more infrastructure to support e-bike riders. 1/2
brenttoderian.bsky.social
“The e-bike market is skyrocketing — and, according to some studies, outpacing electric cars…The question now is: Do officials double down on deadly car-centric urban design, or do they rethink cities to encourage people to ditch four wheels for two?”

Via @grist.org grist.org/transportati...
E-bikes could cut carbon, congestion, and costs — if cities take them seriously
E-bike sales are booming, providing a clean form of transportation that also improves public health. Yet cities remain committed to cars.
grist.org
bobco85.bsky.social
Had a wonderful bike commute during which I saw some familiar faces, pretty scenery, and even some rain that caught me at the end. Bike more equals happy more
@gordonofseattle.bsky.social
Up to 10 people on scooters, bikes, and e-bikes waiting in the new protected bike lane on Pike Street at Boren Avenue Selfie smiling on my e-bike in front of 2 fellow cyclists whom I know who are riding in the 12th Avenue bike lane on Capitol Hill Sun rays shine through rain clouds over T-Mobile Park as seen from the distant José Rizal Bridge Wide angle view of a rainbow in the sky over a new protected bike lane on Beacon Hill
Reposted by Bob Svercl (he/him)
acyn.bsky.social
Priztker: if federal agents fired upon journalists and protesters, when unprovoked, what would we call it? 

I don't think we'd have any trouble calling it what it is. Authoritarianism. 

So let's not pretend it's something else when it happens in our American cities.
bobco85.bsky.social
I’m glad my late grandpa who served in the fight against fascism in World War II did not have to witness a standing President promote such dangerous fascist policies.

I will keep my distance from those who still support a president actively threatening me & my loved ones
www.npr.org/2025/09/30/n...
Trump defends use of the U.S. military against the 'enemy within'
Earlier, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the purpose of the department would exclusively be "war fighting."
www.npr.org
Reposted by Bob Svercl (he/him)
brenttoderian.bsky.social
NEW STARTER PACK! This time I’m hoping to encourage and support global urbanists from OUTSIDE North America here on Bluesky, so hopefully this will help! Who’ve I missed? Just joined? Let me know! I’ll keep updating, so please keep checking & sharing this pack! And let’s try using #GlobalUrbanists.
Urbanists OUTSIDE North America Worth Following!
Join the conversation
go.bsky.app
Reposted by Bob Svercl (he/him)
risabrooks12.bsky.social
It's easy to see this speech as just weirdly performative, but there's a lot more—and a lot worse—going on here.

The meeting & speeches are part of a larger project aimed at promoting the military leadership’s partisan alignment with the administration.

How? 1/
atrupar.com
Hegseth: "If the words I'm speaking today are making your heart sink, they you should do the honorable thing and resign."
bobco85.bsky.social
Thanks for joining us and sharing insight from your work on these projects!