Snow tires weren’t needed by bicyclists in Seattle on Friday, February 3. If anything, the weather in Seattle was nearly the direct opposite of Wednesday, January 18. It was a banner day. Everyone who could be out, was. Seattle’s approximate 45 miles of shared-use paths were literally hopping. Whether bicycle commuters or leisure riders, Seattleites were taking advantage of the warm temperatures and sunny skies. According to the Seattle Department of Transportation, “36% of Seattle's 520,000 citizens engage in recreational bicycling, and between 4,000 and 8,000 people bicycle commute in Seattle each day, depending on the time of year and weather conditions.” It looked as though they were all out on Friday.
Friday's high exceeded the Seattle average of 50 degrees. However, it fell short of the record high of 70 that occurred in 1968. Among the many enthusiasts enjoying the day’s above average temperature were Leanne Clark and her sons Miles and Malcomb. Saying that Seattle is a great place to ride bikes, Leanne shared that she encourages her two young boys to ride their bikes. In fact, they ride to school whenever the weather permits.
As is the case of many of Seattle’s multi-use trails, the Burke-Gilman was once a railroad right-of-way. The original track for the Seattle, Lake Share & Eastern Railroad as noted by historylink.org by laid was in 1887 by the namesake founders, Judge Thomas Burke and Daniel Gilman. When the first 12.1 miles of the trail were dedicated in 1978, the right-of-way had been abandoned for several years. Through a cooperative effort by Seattle, the University of Washington and King County, the trail stretched from Seattle’s Gas Works Park to Kenmore. The Burke-Gilman now continues to Eighth Avenue NW in Ballard and eastward to connect with the Samammish River Trail allowing trail-users to continue into Redmond. One of these days thanks to the dedication and diligence of advocates such as the Cascade Bicycle Club, the trail will continue through Ballard connecting with the completed section at the Hiram Chittenden Locks fulfilling the dream of a continuous trail from Seattle’s Golden Gardens to Lake Washington.
If Friday was an indication of Seattleites enjoying their trails, Saturday should prove even more so. With a forecast of beautiful sunny weather through the weekend, it will certainly be a weekend for bicycling. A few cyclists and joggers were even shirtless yesterday so carpe diem!
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