By the late 1980s, bicycles had begun to be a recognized part of Seattle’s transportation system. Seattle had even had a bicycle coordinator since the 1970s. Transit planning had begun to shift its focus to include more mass transit, carpool and bus lanes, and bike lanes.

The low bridge to West Seattle was being replaced during the summer of 1989. The high West Seattle Bridge lacked walkways, making it difficult for cyclists to use it. Here, cyclists Butch Batt and Di Szillaggi wait at First Avenue South and Spokane Street for a shuttle to take them and their bikes across the bridge. Some 100 cyclists used the free van-trailer shuttle every day.

Caption information source: “The rush-hour bike brigade: Peddling to work grows more popular as the traffic jams build,” by Don Carter, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, June 10, 1989, pages A1, A4.