Amazon Begins

NBBJ

It was reported today in the Seattle Times that Amazon will be incorporating a two-block cycle track that will run alongside its future office buildings in downtown Seattle. Scheduled for completion in 2015, only time will tell if this is a vision of more to come or just a plan destined to fail.

Or you can scan the reader comments right now and hear from both haters and supporters.

In a nutshell, a cycle track is a bike lane that exists on the sidewalk but separated from pedestrians by a natural barrier. Obviously, wider sidewalks equals less space for motorists. I don't want to regurgitate the arguments either for or against such plans. I will say this: change is the only constant in life.

As creatures of habit, I think we have a long way to go with how we eat, how we communicate with one another, and how we travel. It wasn't so long ago when smoking was a normal part of everyday life. Today, you have to go to designated spaces to light up and still get dirty looks. I predict the same will happen with how we consume food. At some point in the future, you'll have to visit a specialty store to get Twinkies and Doritos.

And just maybe, alternative modes of mass transportation will be the norm and cities everywhere will have the infrastructure to support it. So what's the big deal about a two-block cycle track that only benefits a mere 3.5 percent of commuters?

What is an ocean but a multitude of drops?