Encouraging city dwellers to walk and bicycle instead of using cars would offer much greater public health benefits than increased used of low-emission vehicles, U.K. researchers have found.
The Port of Seattle will acquire a 45 mile railroad ROW and king County convert much of it to a bike trail.
Under this MOU, the Port would lease the corridor to King County, which would then develop a major public-access trail on the southern portion of the corridor that is within the County. The trail would connect to approximately 130 miles of existing trail.
The County will construct a regional trail on the Eastside corridor in a way that considers future transportation needs of the region. Trail development is estimated to cost $44 million.
"This once in a lifetime opportunity allows King County to assemble one of the premiere regional trail systems in the country," said King County Council Member Julia Patterson, who chaired a year-long process for the Puget Sound Regional Council to examine use of the corridor. "The Puget Sound Regional Council study and discussion on this topic were significant; all the local jurisdictions were brought together and determined that it would be impossible to re-assemble this corridor if it was not preserved today."
"This announcement establishes the greater Seattle region as a national model for the rest of America," says Rails-to-Trails Conservancy President Keith Laughlin. "By creating trails for people to walk and bike safely that connect them to the places they want and need to be, you are making an investment in more than a piece of land. You're investing in people and their future."
The Boulder, CO Director of Transportation has their own bike parking space.
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