1. 

   VeganBiker
   

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   Lately I have been asked by many Ballard residents about the status of the Missing Link, here is the latest update.

   "Though the funding and the right-of-way have been secured and the majority of our community (including residents and businesses) looks forward to the vibrant, connected pathways the completed trail will provide, a small group of businesses continues to drag this out in court – costing Cascade and the City of Seattle tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees.
   For details on the legal back-and-forth, you can visit our blog at www.cascade.org. Suffice it to say, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and we expect the City to be able to break ground no later than next year.
   But we must keep the legal pressure on to win – and we need your help.
   The City is doing a great job defending the trail, but it’s crucial that Cascade represents the cycling community, too. Our lawyer, a cyclist himself, has been more than generous, but we still expect to rack up more than $15,000 in legal fees this year in our fight to complete the Missing Link.
   I’m asking you to stay the course with us and join me in giving to the Burke-Gilman Trail Legal Defense Fund to support this effort.
   As a community, in Ballard and beyond, we are making huge strides getting new people out onto bikes. More families than ever are biking to work and school. On weekends, families on cargo bikes, kids with training wheels and people of all ages and skill levels take to the trail to get around. Yet those families and inexperienced riders are being forced to navigate sidewalks, railroad tracks, and unsafe routes – often with devastating consequences.
   Let’s ride!"

   This is from one of the Cascade Board Members.
   I will be at the Farmers Market this Sunday and I will have envelopes that you can have to send in a donation to support this effort and a free sticker. :)
   Let's get together and make the completion of the Burke-Gilman Trail a reality.

   Posted 11 months ago #
2. 

   Mondoman
   

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   I'll just point out that the policy folks at Cascade voluntarily decided to spend its money and get involved with the legal proceedings on this. Shouldn't they be willing to pay the bill for their political lobbying activities?

   What you'll read about at the Cascade web site is only one side of the story; there is another side to the story, and no, it's not a simple "evildoers working to thwart progress" story. I'm especially disappointed when Cascade tries to portray the current proceedings as somehow morally wrong or a waste of money, when they're just the steps of due process working itself out. One of the advantages that America (and especially Seattle!) has is that the government doesn't get to just roll over citizens or their businesses without due process.

   Please educate yourself on the history of this issue, and think about whether you really want to volunteer your money for the political activities of a group that just recently tried to get Northgate parking garage spaces reduced or eliminated in order to force (sorry, "encourage") residents to walk or bike to the new light rail station instead of driving there. Sorry, Grandma!

   Disclaimers: I bike; I drive; I even walk; I'd love to see the Missing Link connected, but in a way that doesn't negatively affect the local businesses along the route. I have no financial or genealogical connection with any of those businesses, but I wish them well, as they are an important part of the character of Ballard that drew me here in the first place.

   Posted 11 months ago #
3. 

   great idea
   

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   Mondo-- I am in no way affiliated with Cascade, but I'm happy that someone is standing up to a small group of self-interests.

   when you say "due process working itself out", I see a few shifty lawyers in a room plotting to drag the process out as long as possible.
   there have been more than enough appeals; a project of this nature shouldn't take 10+ years to establish environmental concerns.

   instead of giving funds to Cascade, I will continue boycotting those businesses.

   ironically, I also think that huge parking garage at Northgate is a bad idea.
   maybe I SHOULD join Cascade???!

   Posted 11 months ago #
4. 

   Mondoman
   

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   Hey, if they represent your wishes well, go for it! :)

   Posted 11 months ago #
5. 

   Edog
   

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   Update its not. Fundraiser it is.

   Posted 11 months ago #
6. 

   great idea
   

   online

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   "there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and we expect the City to be able to break ground no later than next year"

   that sounds like an update to me.

   granted, they're also looking for cash.

   I'm curious how much longer (if at all) this would've taken if Cascade had not gotten involved and it was left to city planners.

   Posted 11 months ago #
7. 

   Edog
   

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   Sounds like platitudes to me. But hey their lawyer is a cyclist, so who cares about the real xs and os of this process.

   Oh, now I see Vegans link for those details.

   Posted 11 months ago #
8. 

   Sunset9
   

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   Funny the majority of residents and business owners I talk to are against it and are not "look(ing) forward to vibrant and connected communities".

   Are you looking forward to two major employers in neighborhood having to close? They have both been told by their insurance carriers that they will not be ablt to carry liability insurance for thier trucks if the trail goes past their businesses. They cannot relocate, they rely on the waterway for their business.

   One of the businesses is a cornerstone of the fishing fleet industry which adds millions of dollars to the Seattle economy.

   If you stand on the "missing link" for 30 minutes and see the truck traffic that goes in and out of Ballard Oil and Salmon Bay Sand & Gravel you will be amazed and wonder how anyone could think that is a good place for a bike trail.

   Maybe some of those monies Cascade is raising could be used to find a route for the link that doesn't require businesses that pay living wage jobs to shut down.

   It seems like we can find a safe route to accomodate bikes that doesn't ruin businesses.

   Posted 11 months ago #
9. 

   Mondoman
   

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   For those bikers who don't feel safe on the current railroad track and no-shoulder south side of NW 45th/Shilshole, there IS already a much safer route (IMHO) in place.

   Starting at the current end of the BG trail at Fred Meyer, just go north 1 block along 11th Ave NW. At the lights at NW 46th St, turn west onto that street and ride west, past the Ballard Blocks, under the Ballard Bridge, and the road merges into Shilshole. Remain on the right side (or the right sidewalk, which I prefer) and continue all the way to Market St. Turn west onto Market St (either sidewalk) and keep going until you reach Lockspot/Taco Time, the Locks, and the start of the last leg of the BG heading to Golden Gardens. No railroad tracks, no unpaved/gravel shoulders, no playing dodge-the-heavy trucking.

   Posted 11 months ago #
10. 

    great idea
    

    online

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    "They have both been told by their insurance carriers that they will not be ablt to carry liability insurance for thier trucks if the trail goes past their businesses"

    sunset9--are you certain about this? I would like to see a letter from the insurance company that they will be terminating the policy.
    I have a hard time believing anything spread word of mouth. in fact, I think this insurance ploy is just a red herring.

    is it possible that the rate would just be going up? why are other businesses with big trucks allowed around people?

    nobody wants to see a longtime local business close, but we also don't want to be bullied into letting people park their cars where a trail should be.

    mondo--your route might be a little better, but I still encounter plenty of people darting across the street in front of LA fitness. also it's strangely dark under that bridge and difficult to see pedestrians.

    Posted 11 months ago #
11. 

    GAM
    

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    I echo great idea - let's see this insurance declaration in writing. Documentation is something insurance agents can always be depended on, so it shouldn't be hard to come up with. If it exists.

    Reading between the lines, this sounds like it could potentially be an exaggeration of an insurance carrier saying coverage would be different if an accident happened on a public trail as opposed to private property. But that can't be any different than an accident in the roadway, right?

    Posted 11 months ago #
12. 

    Mondoman
    

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    gi, I agree that you have to keep your eyes peeled around the LA Fitness area, with people crossing the street, people parking, and cars driving out of the parking garage. I just go onto the sidewalk at the east end and ride slowly and carefully down that block. I also have a bazillion lumen LED flashlight for seeing under the bridge and other dark places at night.

    The other tricky part is that sometimes people park all the way onto the sidewalk on Shilshole, blocking the way. It happens so often that I printed up some business-card-sized polite requests not to do so in the future, which I leave on the especially egregious cars.

    Posted 11 months ago #
13. 

    bambooboy
    

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    Regarding the statment about businesses having to close (ala insurance cancelation).
    Have any of you ridding the Interurban trail north? All it does for mile upon dreary mile is run right directly in back of busindes after business for. I would really think that this would be no different than the situation in Ballard. And I wonder which "businesses" are being suggested as to having to close? Ballard Oil or Pacific shipyard? If so I am very skeptical about that statement.

    Posted 11 months ago #
14. 

    Ernie
    

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    I'm going to be a little less charitable than GI and GAM and just call BS on the claim that businesses are going to lose thier insurance coverage if the trail goes in along Shilshole.

    There is a gravel parking lot between 41st and 42nd where SBS&G parks their trucks. Every one of these trucks, when they come and go at the beginning and end of each day, cross the BG trail on 41st. Somehow they seem to be able to get insurance to drive these trucks across the trail (and all over the city, in every kind of traffic situation) every day, I just don't see how it would be any different if the trail went in front of the plant on Shilshole.

    Anyone interested in seeing how a bike trail and truck traffic can co-exist should go down to the south end of Harbor Island and watch as hundreds of trucks a day safely cross the busy Alki trail at the entrance to Terminal 18.

    Posted 11 months ago #
15. 

    djolliver
    

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    I think I can add some clarification to the insurance issue: about 10 years ago (before I sold my insurance agency), I had a client who owned a home fronting the BG over by Lake Washington who was asked by the City to provide a certificate of insurance holding the City harmless if, while crossing the trail to access his garage, he should happen to run over a trail user, or a dog. The particular verbage the City required was extremely generous with the insurance company's obligations and was beyond what many companies were willing to provide. Perhaps the same situation is occuring with the commercial entities abutting the trail-to-be?

    Posted 11 months ago #
16. 

    Sunset9
    

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    I'm not an employee of any of the businesses along the trail nor do I work for their insurers so I haven't seen any documentation.

    I have heard the owners site this (both at community meetings about the trail and when asked directly why they are continuing with the lawsuit) as the reason they are going through all the time and expense of the lawsuit requiring the City of Seattle go through the SEPA process.

    Posted 11 months ago #
17. 

    Oly
    

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    It is an industrial area. Get it?

    Posted 11 months ago #
18. 

    dsomers
    

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    Ernie,

    You are very right about the Alki Trail and trucks crossing it. That is my commuting route every day coming down Delridge from Arbor Heights and it is busy with both bikes and trucks, even at 5:45am when I go through. I have been impressed so far with the courtesy extended from both types of vehicles there and all along the water front on Alaskan Way.

    D

    Posted 11 months ago #
19. 

    dsomers
    

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    Vegan,

    You would know this as well as anyone else. Has consideration been given to a stop light or stop sign to control traffic at the sites in question? Would that give the businesses the cover they need to be comfortable with the BGT?

    D

    Posted 11 months ago #
20. 

    VeganBiker
    

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    Hi Dave - I have sent an email to our staff person that is specifically dealing with this case and was waiting to hear back from him before posting about the insurance issue that Sunset9 has brought up.
    But as to the signage, it is my understanding that most of the crossings along the Missing Link will be stop signs for the trail traffic and trail crossing warnings for the trucks.
    And Ernie is right on with the comments regarding ALL of the SBSG trucks crossing the trail every day near Hales and also the Harbor Island truck traffic, most of whom, as you noted, are cautious and aware of the bike traffic, no accidents at either of those locations as far as I know.
    And djolliver - seems to me the crossing that you are referring to is in Lake Forest Park and not Seattle, am I correct?

    Posted 11 months ago #
21. 

    Nutmeg
    

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    If you leave Fred Meyer at the end where the garden department is, toward the back of the building, the cars cross a railroad track and the BG Trail. Looking to the right is a big bunch of foliage on or next to the trail that obscures the bike traffic. Why is that there? It seems really dangerous to me.

    Posted 11 months ago #
22. 

    VeganBiker
    

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    Nutmeg - Are you talking about the exit from the Fred Meyer lot that heads onto 9th Ave. NW and crosses NW 45th Street, crossing the trail first and then the tracks?
    If that is where you are talking about all that foliage is on Fred Meyer property so they are responsible for it. I can see how that could be a bit difficult for a motorist to see what is coming along the trail from the right hand side, but there is a stop sign there for traffic exiting the parking lot, so all a driver has to do is stop , edge forward and look.
    And that brings up a very good point, there are two exits from the Fred Meyer store that have to cross the trail and both of those exits probably have on any given day more vehicular traffic crossing the trail than any of the crossing that are being contested on the Missing Link section! And as far as I know there have never been any accidents at either of those crossings and Kroger Foods have never complained about any insurance issues at that location! Very interesting.

    Posted 11 months ago #
23. 

    great idea
    

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    that Freddy crossing is an interesting comparison.

    I expect cars pulling out of that lot to not stop and they usually don't.

    I also consider it one of the less dangerous sections of the trail.

    @oly-- I don't think an area needs to be zoned so heavy-handed. industry can co-exist with recreation/residential as seen on Granville Island, BC and others.

    Posted 11 months ago #
24. 

    djolliver
    

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    Vegan: as I remember (or mis-remember as the case may be) it was a request from the City of Seattle for the certificate which required that the homeowner "indemnify and hold harmless" the City for any damage to anyone using the trail, and the property was between Matthews Beach and the city line. As I understand it, the City owns the right of way upon which the trail is built, and is therefore liable for what the legal folks would call "poor design" resulting in bodily injury or property damage resulting from a vehicle-user accident. The way they wanted it worded at the time was so broad that if someone got hurt on the Ballard Bridge, Seattle could conceivably use the collective homeowner liability policies of all who adjoin the trail, even though nothing happened in front of their properties. This, obviously, was not something any insurer was eager to provide, especially since most of these types of endorsement are given without cost. The commercial companies charge for everything they do, and are very cautious about what they are willing to take on, so it's a very different, more difficult situation. As for Kroger, it's entirely possible that they self-insure for everything up to 3 or 5 million, so it's not an issue for them.

    Posted 11 months ago #
25. 

    Mondoman
    

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    Larger companies (and Fred Meyer/Kroger is pretty dang large) often self-insure to save money, so FM may not be the best comparison. I'd be interested to know if SBSG opposes or supports this ML route, and whether or not they self-insure.

    gi - I'm pretty sure Canadia uses the British system of loser pays court and lawyer fees for *both* sides of a case. That makes for much less ambulance chasing and slimy midnight class action lawsuit ads. It also greatly reduces insurance costs.

    Posted 11 months ago #
26. 

    Nutmeg
    

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    Yes, VB, that's the spot that I'm talking about. But I don't think stopping and edging forward is enough. I can only see maybe a yard or so of the trail, and bikers can be going really fast. By the time I feel that I can see far enough, I'm already on the trail and if someone is coming I will be in their way. I'm surprised there haven't been accidents at that spot.

    Posted 11 months ago #
27. 

    marigold
    

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    Ballard Oil and Salmon Bay Sand & Gravel have been using public streets for their own personal thru-way for years. They are free to build a pedestrian and cyclist overpass if they wish.

    Posted 11 months ago #
28. 

    Sunset Hill David
    

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    Thanks, Vegan Biker for the update. I recently saw another woman get taken down by the railroad tracks. It's a continual problem.

    Incidentally, I much prefer riding my bike on Ballard Avenue to Shilshole.

    Posted 11 months ago #
29. 

    Edog
    

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    It strikes me as odd that the insurance issue would only come up now. Various business down there have those little propane powered trucks that zip back and forth across the street all the time. If you've ever encountered one in traffic, they wait for no one and drive recklessly operating under some sort of law of the jungle. That in and of itself always struck me as a huge liability that I doubt their insurers are aware of. I mean, I've toured factories where there was a strict adherence to the rules of the road on facility roads, as well as on public streets.

    Posted 11 months ago #
30. 

    Sunset9
    

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    Vegan - In regards to the crossing at Fred Meyer - Kroeger would have no reason to complain about the trail they wouldn't be held liable if there was an accident. The cars crossing at Fred Meyer aren't owned by Kroeger they are owned by shoppers. If a driver hit a bike rider the drivers individual liability insurance would come into play. And the risk is diluted, 100's of different shoppers cross the path every day.

    The insurance issue with the Missing Link is in regards to the vehicle liability insurance. The trucks that cross the proposed trail are owned the companies who have the potential issue with their insurance coverage. And the risk is concentrated 1 entity owns all of the vehicles going in and out of the driveway.

    Edog - The insurance issue isn't coming up only now, that has been the driving issue from the get go. I first heard about it at least 7 years ago from one of the business owners at a Ballard Rotary meeting.

    Posted 11 months ago #
31. 

    gurple
    

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    About once a week, I do a news search for the Burke-Gilman Missing Link. Nothing -- the latest news I can find is from early May, when the City declared themselves ready to go. Again.

    After that, there was a comment period when the businesses could appeal again. I was under the impression that it ended on May 21. Did they get an appeal in? Why isn't anybody talking about it? If Cascade is really fighting this fight, why isn't it on their blog?

    I give to Cascade, and I'll continue to do so. They represent me in this matter and others. But I'll be a lot more generous if they tell me what's going on and what, specifically, they're trying to accomplish right now. Is there a fight going on that I should support?

    Posted 11 months ago #
32. 

    VeganBiker
    

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    gurple - I totally agree with you. It is frustrating that there is no central place on the web that one can check the latest and current info about the Missing Link. I am going to badger the folks at CBC to get an online location specifically for current, accurate information regarding the Missing Link.

    Posted 11 months ago #

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