The Seattle bicycle community enjoyed a huge victory this week, many thanks to Cascade and their work with the Burke-Gilman Legal Defense Fund. Finding in favor of a petition challenging the City of Lake Forrest Park’s Ordinance 951 (organized by Cascade), the Central Puget Sound Growth Management Hearings Board agreed that the route is an important part of the regional transportation and recreation facilities.
The Burke-Gilman trail serves as a vital non-motorized transportation artery throughout the City of Seattle and connecting residents to cities north and east. The current trail running through the City of Lake Forrest Park is horribly managed and in need of serious attention. Crossing many residential streets, trail users face poorly-placed stop signs every couple hundred feet in addition to severely cracked and dangerous pavement. This ruling allows King County to bring the current section of trail up to current safety standards, better serving walkers, runners, roller-bladers and cyclists alike.
An excerpt from the press release:
“The stakes were huge. Today, we closed the door on cities that want to apply unsafe or non-standard conditions to regional trails, thereby impeding the development and maintenance of trails according to accepted, uniform standards,” said David Hiller, Cascade Bicycle Club Advocacy Director. “This case sets a precedent for all future trail development and reconstruction.”