Comments on: Hundreds gather at ‘Missing Link’ in Ballard

By: LiltingMissive

LiltingMissive — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:22:26 +0000

The whole “taxing cyclists” thing has been discussed a million times on a million forums, threads and barstools.

Sure, let's go for it. My bike weighs 20 lbs, I weigh around 160, and I'm generally carrying between 10 – 30 lbs on my back. So that means my total vehicle weight is around 210 lbs, and since wear and tear on roadways is a function of weight, that's what? a tenth of a mid-size car? Less than that? Make me a license plate, come on over, and I'll give you $8.00 a year for my registration.

By: mangomango

mangomango — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 05:27:04 +0000

Now that event was F U N !!

By: motorrad

motorrad — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:24:36 +0000

Ah Sweet Denial. Except for the fact that the Shirk-Gilman starts again further down and goes to Golden Gardens. Gee, that could be how the missing link got it's name.

By: BallardBoy64

BallardBoy64 — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:46:33 +0000

Let's just say the Burke Gilman trail stops at Fred Meyer – then there is no missing link!

By: cdpenne

cdpenne — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 07:50:20 +0000

Thanyou Beatrice,
I've been trying to make that point all along. I'm afraid SPG takes me for a spokesman for the anti-trail crowd. I'm not, but I can see both sides, and Motorrad is correct- there is a whole lot of ego involved and two very entrenched sides.

By: beatrice

beatrice — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 03:44:16 +0000

I know, I was kidding. The city of Seattle isn't going to cotton to tourists having to dodge trucks. That whole area will be re-zoned. The trail will eventually go in. So will more retail, pocket parks and condos.

By: motorrad

motorrad — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 03:28:52 +0000

put on your spandex and go ride your bike upside down and fall on the tracks you industry hating white collar, suit wearing (figuritively speaking) DB! good god…hatefulness feels surprisingly good…feel the darskside calling…backfire effect at work…ignore facts…progress bar done. c-ya.

By: motorrad

motorrad — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 03:25:09 +0000

the hotel is coming with or without a bike trail. deal is in the works already.

By: motorrad

motorrad — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 03:18:28 +0000

I was told by a very reliable source close to the machinations that the owner of that boatyard is OK with the trail. Actually made some very interesting offers.

By: beatrice

beatrice — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 03:01:14 +0000

You know, you are just too serious. I am a cyclist and never once did I say or imply that this fear bizo is justified. Lighten up.

Get a life, do something other than read this friggin' blog. I have a kid home from West Woodlawn with H1N1 and the kid is sleeping. What is your excuse for exessive blogging? Are you old?

By: SPG

SPG — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:58:53 +0000

The wonderful benefit of my work is that I have lots of spaces of about 5 minutes at a time where the computer has to do it's thing and I have to wait. This keeps me from picking up smoking. or playing solitaire. or otherwise going stir crazy watching a progress bar creep across a screen.
…and done! Back to work.

By: SPG

SPG — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:56:24 +0000

So fear trumps reality and cyclists continue to get hurt in the real world while the industries cower in fear of the imagined.

By: jeezlouise

jeezlouise — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:55:38 +0000

SPG, you have an incredible amount of time on your hands. Go out and ride that bike or something, good god.

By: beatrice

beatrice — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 02:45:03 +0000

It's not the actual impact, it's the fear that once the trail goes in, what comes next? A Hotel?

By: bellie

bellie — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:05:06 +0000

Sure. I wasn't implying that there was one. I was hoping xacto would be a little more circumspect, however.

By: SPG

SPG — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:17:00 +0000

Is the way of life on the rocks the cyclists? Because there will be zero impact to any of the jobs along Shilshole once the trail is built.

By: SPG

SPG — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:13:27 +0000

My point is that an angry post about industry on the waterfront doesn't prove a conspiracy to get rid of it.

By: SPG

SPG — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:10:54 +0000

“An if they can't figure out how to cross railroad tracks maybe they should invest in some training wheels.”

If a giant sinkhole opened up on Shilshole big enough for a car or cement truck to fall into and kill the driver, would you tell people they need to learn to jump their car over it like them Duke boys? Of course not. There is a basic level of infrastructure that is expected to be safe to the average user. This is why we have traffic lights, lane markers, and road signs. If we were pulling drivers out of wrecks in the same spot on a daily basis because of something like this you'd bet that something would have been done about it. Frankly, I'm amazed that the Ballard RR and the city haven't been sued to bankruptcy over this spot.

By: SPG

SPG — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:06:09 +0000

cdpenne, By your twisted logic the city should look as crappy as possible so ugly industry doesn't feel out of place? If you look at a map the area is clearly zoned INDUSTRIAL. The area isn't under any threat.
I don't doubt that this entire city will look very different in 50 years, just as it looks very different now than it did 50 years ago. But completing a much needed bike trail isn't going to run these businesses out. It's a red herring meant to distract from the fact that they don't want to give up their use of the public right of way. PUBLIC right of way, which means it isn't theirs but ours, all of ours and should be respected as such.

By: SPG

SPG — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:59:05 +0000

Of course they know it. The whole plan is to obstruct and distract. Every time it gets closer they'll just bring up an “alternative” to try to restart the debate. “what about this route?” “what about this other route instead?” “what about our jobs?” “what about the children?”

By: beatrice

beatrice — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:02:11 +0000

This whole thing sounds like season two of The Wire. There is a way of life on the rocks here, and people are hanging tough. I hope someday we get to hear about ALL of the intrigue. I just hope I hear it all from Dominic West…in my bed.

By: bellie

bellie — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 19:50:23 +0000

I don't understand what you're trying to say, SPG, but I will say that I support the completion of the BGT.

By: bbb1

bbb1 — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:00:55 +0000

Here's a better link, directly to the segment (after advert), regarding the event.

Particularly distressing? The comments by the Chamber's Exec. Director, suggesting that we 'give the people what they want', a continuous uninterrupted trail, by building an 'overhead viaduct'
http://www.king5.com/news/local/Burke-Gilman-Tr...

This is going 10 steps backward and BM knows it -

By: cdpenne

cdpenne — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:10:38 +0000

As the neighborhood begins to look nice, there is mounting pressure to do away with the dirty old industrial businesses. An that pressure can come from many directions. Don't discount it until you look into it a little. It will happen. Also, those bicyclists don't have to go down Shilshole. They chose to. An if they can't figure out how to cross railroad tracks maybe they should invest in some training wheels.

By: Black_Sheep

Black_Sheep — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:49:01 +0000

Mallahan throws Obama in as well – better not vote for him, either.

By: SPG

SPG — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:45:02 +0000

Because a couple people on teh internets get annoyed by the actions of a handful of cranky industrialists and say something rash, it's proof that the trail is a conspiracy to destroy industry!

BTW, I accidently hit the “like” button. No undo…meh.

By: SPG

SPG — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:40:34 +0000

Soooo……a bunch of people get hurt every week because a few industrialists are afraid that the neighborhood might start to look too nice?

By: cdpenne

cdpenne — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:28:22 +0000

True enough. They will have to adapt to a different neighborhood, but thats true for any long time business. Adapt or go under. The fear is (and this is my own conjecture based on some limited involvement with one of the businesses) is that with the bike trail, will come added pressure to vacate (see xacto's comment above). The bike trail represents gentrification of an otherwise (shall we say) gritty industrial area, and thus the beginning of the end for businesses that won't be putting on any suits and ties (figuratively speaking).

By: Mondoman

Mondoman — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:16:56 +0000

How much are you willing to personally pay for “…a more naturalistic wetland”? Just curious as to whether it's an idle wish or something you really care about.

By: bellie

bellie — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:35:32 +0000

"Haven't we moved past the ridiculous concept that our waterfront must be used for industry?"

This comment is so ignorant it leaves me flabbergasted. Can you not tell, simply by looking as you ride by on your bike while longing for wetlands, how important the waterfront is to Ballard's livelihood? And to your neighbors who own or work on local vessels and the businesses who support them?

Just in case you jump to the conclusion that I do not own a bike nor ride on the Missing Link, you're wrong on both counts.