#bike

grist.org

Trump wants to open nearly all national forest trails to dirt bikes and ATVs

There are many ways to enjoy the outdoors, but thrill-seekers visiting the nation’s national forests often turn to motorized recreation. They might ride ATVs along dirt trails, snowmobile down winding tracks, or go off-roading in 4x4s. The United States Forest Service’s approach to all such forms of recreation on trails can be summed up in four words: closed unless designated open. Unless a trail is explicitly designated as open to off-highway vehicles, such as side-by-sides and dirt bikes, it can only be used for non-motorized recreation. Most national forests have “travel management plans” that outline when a trail is open for non-motorized use like mountain biking, horseback riding, or hiking, and when it’s open to off-highway vehicles. These plans tend to be exhaustive and list which types of motorized or nonmotorized access are allowed on every trail, two-track, and road. The strict guidelines are a result of a Forest Service policy called the Travel Management Rule. But the Trump administration wants to turn the current rule on its head. In late August, the Forest Service announced its plan to revise the rule so that trails are open unless designated closed. It would mean forest managers would be expected to prioritize...

www.kuow.org

Seattle had record-breaking bike traffic this summer. What's behind the numbers?

More people than ever biked around Seattle this summer — and one cycling advocate says this could be just the beginning of a new normal in the city. Seattle Department of Transportation data show a combined 435,802 bikes or scooters crossed the Fremont Bridge in June, July, and August 2026, beating the pre-pandemic summer record of 412,640, set in 2019. And this year, July and August both surpassed the previous one-month record of 142,414 bike and scooter trips, set in August 2019. The numbers come from a single bike counter, but Seattle Bike Blog founder Tom Fucoloro says it’s a good bellwether for the city as a whole. “ The Fremont Bridge is the best bike counter location we have, because there's a lot of different bike routes that are both regional and within the city that all converge,” Fucoloro told KUOW. “ If a lot of people are biking across the Fremont Bridge, that means that people from many different areas of the city are doing bike rides that are fairly long. You don't usually cross the Fremont Bridge unless you're going somewhere. You're not just going to the grocery store.” The bike counter, installed in 2012, shows a...