Tied to the tracks

Orin O’Neill photos

Ever since the SLUT went into service, there has been much chatter about the danger to anything 2-wheeled that might come near the tracks, or heaven forbid, cross them.

Huh?

A disclaimer: Seattle’s streetcar tracks are brand-new, as is the pavement around them. If there are steel rails for steel wheels where you live, they may not be in such good shape. Anything I have to say here applies to the city of Seattle ONLY, hokay?

I ride the PX, with its 3.5-inch wide tires, over the SLUT tracks all the time. Haven’t dumped it yet. Haven’t even come close, not in the dry, not in the wet. Heck, I even rode a whole block on one track, just to see what would happen. Nothing.

The other day I took my tape measure and sized up the relevant dimensions. The grooves into which the flanges of the SLUT’s wheels run are 1¾ inches wide. There is exactly four feet, five inches between the grooves.

The narrowest scooter tires I’ve found are three inches wide, a half inch narrower than the PX’s. A Genuine Buddy has 3.00 – 10 tires. But that’s still almost an inch and a half wider than the groove.

There might be a problem if your tires are not properly inflated. I see an awful lot of scooters, usually ridden by people wearing lots of Hi-Viz clothing, with really soft tires. Pneumatic tires are not so airtight that you can fill them once and forget them. Like Mario Andretti says, “check your tires.” The nice thing about scooter tires is they’re small enough that a bicycle pump will get them up to pressure in no time.

So, now that your tires are up to the pressures recommended in your bike’s owner’s manual, what do you do?

Well, 4½ feet is an awful lot of space for something that’s less than three feet wide. You should have plenty of room to maneuver, since your wheels are in the middle. As far as I know, streetcars don’t leak oil, and in Seattle, the tracks are set into textured concrete.

If you need to change lanes, do the same thing you’d do if there was a big, deep pavement groove—make your angle of attack as un-shallow as possible. Take advantage of your bike’s maneuverability! And make sure it’s safe to change lanes before you do it. In downtown Seattle, there’s a jog in the tracks on Westlake Avenue near Stewart Street (this is where the train positions itself for the return trip). I ride straight over these. You barely notice them.

If you put a wheel on the track, don’t panic! Treat the track like the aforementioned pavement groove, or a grated bridge deck. Slamming on your brakes will send you to the pavement, for sure. Slow down gradually, if you must, then ease off the track back onto the pavement.

Bottom line is, street railway tracks are like every other road imperfection, dangerous only if you are caught by surprise. Pay attention, learn to read the road surface, you’ll be fine.

The picture above shows old railroad tracks at the intersection of Fairview Avenue and Valley Street. Lots of people (many of whom I believe have never ridden a motorcycle or scooter) are quick to say these tracks are a potential deathtrap.

It’s not the tracks, it’s the hole. Seattle’s streets have way too many of those…

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