---
title: "Biking and public transportation in Renton and Seattle: Solving the first-mile and last-mile problems"
date: 2021-10-07
description: "Bike commuting from Renton to Seattle Solving the first-mile problem Solving the last mile problem Conclusion: Car + Train +..."
canonical_url: https://idratherbewriting.com/blog/bike-commuting-from-renton-to-seattle/
---
# Biking and public transportation in Renton and Seattle: Solving the first-mile and last-mile problems
There are good commuter lines running north/south — primarily with the [Sounder](https://www.soundtransit.org/ride-with-us/routes-schedules/s-line?at=1633476258370&direction=0&view=table&route_tab=schedule&stops_0=40_S_KS%2C40_S_LW&stops_1=40_S_LW%2C40_S_KS), which is a train that runs on schedule, is clean, and rides smoothly. However, getting from my house to the Sounder station (the first-mile problem) and from the downtown station to my office building (the last-mile problem) are best solved by adding in a car and bike segment to the commute.

By the way, the terms *first-mile* and *last mile* are commonly used to describe these issues. See [Last mile (transportation): Usage in transportation networks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_mile_(transportation)#Usage_in_transportation_networks) on Wikipedia for more details. The article explains that as housing costs rise and people are pushed out further into the suburbs, it gets harder for them to reach transportation networks. As a result, they become dependent on cars, which adds to the congestion problems in cities.

## Solving the first-mile problem

I love the Sounder. But getting to the Sounder from my house involves going 6 miles west down roads that aren’t built with cyclists in mind. The shoulders on nearly every road are either nonexistent, fluctuate in width, or give you no more than 2-3 feet of room. Additionally, cars drive fast along these roads (going 45-50 mph), often veering into the shoulder (as they glance at their phones, I assume), and they don’t expect to see cyclists because cyclists are so rare in Renton. With the dark early morning and the frequent rain, the reduced visibility is a real safety threat to biking on these shoulders.

I have studied the map of my area for hours looking for safe east/west routes to the train. There are none that look safe.

![The first-mile problem is how to get from my house to the train station safely. There aren't any east/west cycle routes that provided protected bike paths. All the good trails (highlighted in purple) run north/south.](https://s3.us-west-1.wasabisys.com/idbwmedia.com/images/firstmileproblem.png)

I even tried riding on the sidewalk for portions of a route — it didn’t take long to realize that sidewalk cycling wasn’t going to work. Every interruption in the sidewalk (with an intersecting street) poses high risks because cars don’t see bikes on sidewalks, so every time you see a car at a cross street, you have to pretend you’re invisible, slowing way down and often going around their rear bumper.

Additionally, pedestrians (with earbuds in, so they can’t hear you) frequently walk on the sidewalks, especially students walking to school, so you have to go around them; dodging pedestrians might involve jumping off the curb into the street and then re-entering. Garbage bins, telephone poles, mailboxes, construction, cracks, and other random items make sidewalk riding a challenging obstacle course (it is actually legal in Seattle to ride on sidewalks, though). Running into a telephone pole might not be as traumatic as a car collision, but it could also be hospitalizing. Most experienced cyclists say that sidewalk riding is notably more dangerous than shoulder riding, even if the shoulder is marginal.

Experienced cyclists will recommend that you “take the road” in these situations (meaning, that you ride in the middle of the lane like a car). Or that you ride on the left edge of the shoulder, making you more noticeable. However, I find this approach unnerving for extended periods of time. Especially when drivers of big trucks can “roll coal” (output clouds of exhaust) and swerve into your lane and collide with you, and not even go to jail, it gives me pause. There doesn’t seem to be much punishment for drivers hitting cyclists. See [A teenager allegedly hit 6 bicyclists with his truck, sending 3 to the hospital. A biker says the driver was harassing them](https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/09/30/texas-teen-coal-rolls-hits-bicyclists/). Or this one: [Driver Who Hit Jets Assistant Coach Greg Knapp Won’t Be Charged Following His Death](https://people.com/sports/driver-who-hit-jets-assistant-coach-greg-knapp-wont-be-charged/). These recent news stories makes me think that a careless driver could hit me, then say he or she didn’t see me, and there would be little or no punishment.

Although there’s no direct east/west route in Renton that provides a safe bike route, what about taking a bus from the nearest bus stop to a transit hub, and then taking another bus from the transit hub to the Sounder or even directly downtown? In short, what about taking two buses to get where I want to be?