Trail supporters to meet Thursday in Kirkland
The Cascade Bicycle Club is rallying support to preserve a future abandoned rail bed as a main link for off-road bicycle travel through Renton, Newcastle, Bellevue, Redmond and Kirkland.
In a scheme that gets more complicated as time goes on, the Port of Seattle plans to buy the 42-mile Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad right-of-way for future use as a commuter corridor with rail and a hike-bike trail. The devil is in the details, though, as the Port wants the rail line to have priority over the trail, while King County wants the uses “coequal.”
Cascade warns that the Port's position leaves the possibility of a trail in doubt.
“However, the Port of Seattle and the King County Council’s latest plan would give the Port of Seattle veto authority over a future trail, and subordinates trail construction to any “transportation use” – which does not include bicycle commuters on a trail.”
Meeting
The club's call to action last week resulted in a flood of e-mail messages to county and port commission members asking the trail not be subordinated, the Seattle Times reports.
The county council is expected to vote on a contract with the Port of Seattle on May 5. If you have something to say about the contract, public testimony will be heard that day.
The first meeting is a 9:30 a.m., May 5, at King County Courthouse building, 10th floor, 516 3rd Avenue, Seattle. If the committee approves the plan, it will be heard by the county council at 1:30 p.m., same day, same place.
In advance of that, Cascade is holding a meeting for trail supporters at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Houghton Firestation, 6602 108th Ave., Kirkland. County council members Jane Hague and Reagan Dunn have been invited.
More details about the current plan and its shortcomings can be seen at “No Trail, No Deal.”
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