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"Missing Link" Lawsuit
7/16/09 Update: Back into appeals
We learned on Wednesday night, July 15, that Cascade Bicycle Club and the City of Seattle are being sued by a coalition of Ballard industrial businesses, industrial associations and the Ballard Chamber of Commerce. The lawsuit is an appeal to the Superior Court and challenges the city’s plans to complete the “Missing Link” of the Burke-Gilman Trail. The project would improve traffic management and allow for improved safety and access for all users -- pedestrians, bicycles, cars and trucks -- through the corridor.
We are deeply disappointed that the appeal has been filed, particularly since the prior decision was clearly in our favor. While that the Ballard Chamber of Commerce wastes its members’ dues, improved safety in the community is once again stalled.
The appeal process will likely cost Cascade tens of thousands of dollars, but we will not give up this battle for your safe access to the public right of way. Your financial contributions will help make a dent in those legal fees. Please sign our petition and give to the Burke-Gilman Legal Defense Fund today.
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6/12/09 Victory update: Read our Press Release
Cascade intervened in January the matter of the "missing link," as a few industrial businesses continued to stall construction of a new section of the Burke-Gilman. Their appeal claimed that further environmental analysis must be done by the City of Seattle on what is now already a paved area. We disagreed. The long-overdue project will solve numerous safety problems by creating a new, separated trail from the Fred Meyer to 17th Ave NW, fixing the infamous train tracks underneath the Ballard Bridge.
Oddly enough, the project was designed as a compromise for the very businesses that are complaining now, pushing traffic along a signed "Green Route" past retail shops along historic Ballard Avenue. Since there were no opportunities for public comment on this legal matter, Cascade intervened to be a third party in the hearing. This gave us the power to call and cross-examine witnesses about the importance of this project to Cascade Bicycle Club members. Can you help us cover our expenses? Contribute to the Burke-Gilman Legal Defense Fund.
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