Public comment on Kirkland’s Stores to Shores Greenway

Kirkland is proposing a new east-west greenway called “Stores to Shores” that would connect Lake Washington to Totem Lake, near the new mall. They are accepting public feedback in the fall with plans to go to construction early in the spring. I provided public comment about the middle section of the route, below.

Note: Below are my comments submitted to staff — I’ve added photos and figures to this version 😊 Only the topo markup was sent to staff. While I could have provided a lot more feedback on the greenway, I decided to focus on the most important element of the route to change.

For the route through the Highlands, I strongly urge you to route along 112th Ave NE instead of NE 97th Street. My reasoning:

• 97th has a nearly 14% grade. 112th has a 4.5% grade. (Calculated using length and total elevation gain.)
• Biking is at least equally important to walking on greenways, if not moreso given they are intended to allow mode switching for longer trips, not only recreation. Thus, routes must be bike accessible.
• 97th is basically impossible for anyone without an ebike to ride up — a 14% grade is extremely steep for a bike route. (It also would be terrifying to bike down.)
• 97th is not wheelchair accessible — the ADA recommends a maximum 5% grade for sidewalks.
• 112th is the route that the community already uses to walk and bike in and out of the Highlands. (I walked up 112th on Friday afternoon, and in the ten minutes it took to climb, five bikes rode past, including two teen/preteen riders.)

Greenways are advertised as “All Ages, All Abilities” routes, but 97th is not accessible for anyone not in top notch physical condition due to its steep grade. I’m relatively healthy but have a bum knee, and walking down 97th hurts. I’m not who people envision when they imagine folks with limited abilities, but my invisible injury does limit the steepness of hills I can comfortably walk.

Identifying a greenway route that is accessible only to those who own specialized equipment (ebikes are still pretty expensive) is exclusionary. Often, community members who rely on walking and biking have lower incomes.

While 112th does add distance, it makes the greenway more accessible to users of varied abilities. Greenway walkers who are not bothered by hills could simply continue straight on 100th down the stairs to the trail for a car-free alternate route. But the default route should be the most accessible option.

Thank you for reconsidering the routing of the Stores to Shores greenway through the Highlands to allow it to be accessible to residents of all ages, all abilities, and all income levels. It would be a shame to designate a route unusable by many and leave the accessible route unimproved.

 

Added 18 October 2023:

Below is the response I received from staff:

As you know, traveling east-west to reach the 100th St bridge is quite the topography challenge. To avoid the stairs on NE 100th St, NE 97th St was the closest through route to zig zag down the hill and provide a direct access to the CKC, but yes certainly folks can still ride the longer less steep route up 112th Ave NE. 112th Ave NE is also identified as another desirable greenway route in the Active Transportation Plan, so even if not completed as part of the Stores to Shores project, it is part of the long range vision of a connected network of greenways.

 

Added 2 August 2024

The route has been updated per my recommendation!