Obey those stop signs.

On this first weekend of June, loads of people will be out playing on the trails, on foot and on wheels. This is a friendly reminder that you should play it safe. A little bird told me there might financial implications for bad behavior on our regional trails throughout the weekend. To avoid a ticket here are my top tips for trail usage:

TOP TIPS FOR TRAIL USAGE

1. Roll, ride and walk right.
2. When passing, alert the other person with your voice or a bell, slow down and give plenty of space.
3. Slow down when you are around a lot of other users. I don’t like being passed quickly by cars on the road. I am sure walkers don’t enjoy it when bicyclists pass super fast.
4. Riding your bike with others is fun, but be polite and ride single file when appropriate.
5. All users: unplug your ears. If you wear headphones, you will be surprised when that other bicyclist passes you.
6. If you are walking your dog, keep it close to you on a leash and walk your furry friend on your right.
7. Stop fully at stop signs.

Ultimately, we are all using these trails together. These rules and tips are meant to keep us all safe. Let’s slow down, smile, wave and make it more fun for everyone.

We know that you are a thoughtful, law-abiding trail user. So you might want to remind your friends who are a little more lax about the rules by sharing this post.

I’d been hearing through Twitter and Facebook that the north-end of the Burke-Gilman was being torn up (again), and some of our staff reported walking through a construction detour. We scrambled to check our inboxes and the King County website for notification, and finding nothing, we made some calls. It sounds like there were some communication sanfus on their end, so the construction alert didn’t go out until today.

All you new riders (and experienced regulars) getting out there for Bike Month, take care on the trail in Kenmore. And remember, this is no deterrent to riding on Bike to Work Day this Friday! The two commute stations set up at the north end of Lake Washington will be stocked with cheer to keep you smiling for your whole ride. And when the construction is complete on Friday, the fresh pavement will probably be worth it.

News Release
Date: May 16, 2012
Contact: Doug Williams – 206-296-8304
King County – Department of Natural Resources and Parks

Brief delays from work on short stretch of King County’s Burke-Gilman Trail near Kenmore

Work this week to improve a short stretch of King County’s Burke-Gilman Trail near Kenmore will likely cause very brief delays for trail users.

Tree root removal and a fresh asphalt overlay will improve safety on the 650-foot-long length of the trail near Log Boom Park, which is at the eastern end of the recently redeveloped 2.2-mile-stretch of the Burke-Gilman Trail through Lake Forest Park.

This short stretch of trail will not be closed to use during the work, which should conclude on Friday, May 18th. However, flaggers will be on site to regulate trail use at times when trucks and other machinery are on the trail.

Short delays of up to 10 minutes could occur while crews perform work or move equipment that won’t allow safe passage for trail users. Additionally, cyclists will be required to dismount and walk through the construction zone.

The construction project is funded by the King County Parks’ trails maintenance fund.

The Burke-Gilman Trail runs more than 18 miles from Shilshole Bay in the City of Seattle to the City of Bothell where it intersects the Sammamish River Trail. Part of the “Locks to Lakes Corridor,” the trail crosses Ballard, Fremont, Wallingford, the University District and View Ridge within the City of Seattle, as well as the cities of Lake Forest Park, Kenmore and Bothell.

The trail is managed by Seattle within the city limits south of Northeast 145th Street and by King County outside Seattle. More information is available online.