On February 13, Walk/Bike Burien (WABI) board members, Maureen Hoffmann and Rob Gala, attended the second meeting of the King County Regional Trails Steering Committee meeting on behalf of the City of Burien. The public engagement process, run by King County’s Department of Natural Resources and Parks, is a foundational part of the County’s efforts to engage stakeholders in the formation of a Regional Trails Coalition and the execution of the Regional Trails Summit scheduled for October 2018. WABI members were joined by 16 other local jurisdictions, the Washington State Department of Transportation and representatives from the Cascade Bicycle Club at the February meeting.
King County’s regional and backcountry trails accommodate a full range of uses including walking, cycling, hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. The system is full of excellent recreational and transportation resources, but some areas are better served than others. Large parts of the regional trail network are in poor repair and signage in some areas is inadequate. As our region continues to grow at a record-setting pace, King County DNRP staff working on regional trails is focused on providing better connections between more places, making our trails accessible to people of all ages and abilities and improving the experience of all users with things like improved ‘wayfinding’ signage.
WABI’s interest in this work stems from the desire to gain better access to regional trails for residents seeking both recreational and general transportation opportunities, such as bicycle commuting. Our hope is that Burien area residents will one day have safe, easily-accessible connections to the regional network, thus benefitting their travel through and enjoyment of the area. Currently, residents living in most of southwest King County who wish to access regional trails may do so only by driving to a trail or riding on city streets with little or no bicycle infrastructure along the way. While the most experienced riders may be comfortable in traffic and able to reach a regional trail by bike from the City of Burien, current access to the regional trails does not accommodate all ages and abilities.
(Click on the map below to enlarge it.)
The Steering Committee will meet twice more leading up to the Regional Trails Summit scheduled for October 18, 2018 from 9 am to 2 pm. The meeting next week on March 13 will focus on shaping the formation of the Regional Trails Coalition and planning for the Summit in October. Anyone interested in WABI’s work to improve bicycle and pedestrian safety is encouraged to further explore our web site here: http://www.wabiburien.org.
