Getting from one place to another along the Burke Gilman Trail is getting easier thanks to new signs put up by the Seattle Department of Transportation. SDOT has just installed 200 wayfinding signs along the entire stretch of the trail from Golden Gardens to the city limits at NE 145th. The new signs direct cyclists along the trail and point them towards other bike routes at important junctions. The signs are funded by Bridging the Gap and a state grant.
New wayfinding signs along the Burke Gilman Trail
![](https://www.myballard.com/wp-content/uploads/My-Ballard-ad-1.png")
Too bad the “missing link” is not yet completed. The missing section has been delayed in part by the actions of the Ballard Chamber of Commerce. Too bad the Chamber is not working for the interests of the neighborhood. This is why we are boycotting all Chamber members.
Who’s ‘we’ Timmy?
Atlas, I can only speak for myself, I do boycott all Chamber members.
However, I have talked to many others who will not do any business with Chamber members, some will approach the business and explain why they are the target of the boycott while others will take a more passive approach and just find another retailer, etc. I know there are many when you talk to a business and they say that others have discussed the issue with them.
There are many business options in Ballard, the majority of the businesses are not part of the Chamber.
Rumor has it that membership in the Chamber is declining.
I agree, boycott the bcc.
“Rumor has it …” Whatever.
i am part of tim’s “we”
The Chamber of Commerce is not to be confused with the Parks and Rec department. Their mission is to support COMMERCE, not bike lanes, which may explain why they are supporting the businesses, some of whom have been in Ballard 100+ years, far longer than the bike trail.
Boycotting local businesses means taking away jobs and income for our friends and neighbors in our community. How does a waitress or retail clerk getting laid off because of a drop in revenue get you a bicycle path any quicker or safer?
How’s this boycott working out? Is there any indication that its making any influence one way or another? The only time I “hear” about it is on this blog.
i’m a cyclist and would love to see the “missing link” of the BGT finished, but I also think there are far more pressing priorities than this in both ballard and the city of seattle at large…
i often ride my bike along the missing link from the ballard/fremont fred meyer all the way to golden gardens and i do just fine…
i pay attention for cars/trucks coming out of driveways and i’m mindful of the road surface which has potholes and train tracks…not very hard to avoid…
Wildernessbarbie, so standing around with candles being mad at BP is okay, but voting with our dollars for something we believe in isn’t? The chamber of commerce is wasting my money and time and taking focus off of more important matters just so a rich dude can keep his toy train.
if you want to boycott the Ballard CoC, you might want to also consider boycotting the park at the old safeway location and the library, both of which the Ballard CoC was instrumental in getting built…amongst other things they’ve done that have helped bring many new businesses (and jobs) to ballard…
gobigblue,
LOL, the Ballard Chamber of Commerce is now taking credit for Ballard parks and the library??
The Chamber is a business group that advocates for Ballard Oil. They could care less about the people of Ballard. It’s a PR and lobbying outfit, nothing more.
They do not even list the members on their own web site.
Stussy, the Ballard Terminal Railroad would run through the same area even if the “missing link” were finished, so clearly the opposition has nothing to do with the train.
The “Ballard Terminal Railroad” is how industrialists who hate Ballard let us know how tiny their penises are.
Penny they were here long before you… they care more about Ballard than you.. they are Ballard and what was once good about Ballard, they are part of our history and identity.
You are mistaken concerning BCC. Their mission is to advocate for Ballard business. To promote Ballard and make it a place for people to go to to spend money.
You must be a new arrival a native would understand the history of Ballard and support it.
ooh, the “you ain’t from around here” argument!
It appears you aren’t either.
Locals understand the history of Ballard and a vibrant industrial area is what built Ballard. The majority of the “missing link” supporters don’t live in Ballard. They only want their trail no matter what the impact is on our community.
Penny’s comment is the epitome if ignorance.
So if you are boycotting chamber members why are you posting on My Ballard?
. TIMMAAYY!!!!
“So if you are boycotting chamber members why are you posting on My Ballard?”
Game, set, match.
You “gimme my trail or I’ll boycott your businesses” losers need to back up your actions and quit whining here.
Children
Please stop your fussing and fighting.
Many of the Ballard industrial business owners do not live in Ballard, but many do, and they have businesses here.
Many Burke-Gilman Trail supporters do not live in Ballard and many do, and many have for many years.
This is not an either/or proposition, but a simple matter of can a trail co-exist with cars, trucks, businesses, both retail and commercial and industrial..? The answer is, of course they can, as they do now.
One has to ask onself why those opposed, including the Chamber, are so intent on spending so much time and money fighting something that was approved 7 years ago, and something that they, as stakeholders in the public process, had plenty of input into – the fact is they simply do not want to see this done (loss of parking, safety, are the most often mentioned reasons).
For those who feel powerless to convince opponents of the short-sightedness of their oppositional activities, a boycott is offered as one tactic for trying to express displeasure with that opposition – whether this is the correct action, or in fact is counterproductive remains to be seen.
But please, let’s stop the name calling and childishness, eh?
You lost me at children.
The industrial and retail business along with the chamber are fighting this because it was forced on Ballard by politicos trying to garner votes and the CBC lobby.
I ride and have nothing but respect for those commuting on a bike. Maybe it’s my age but when I did most of my commuting (on a bike) I actually rode in the streets, no need for sharrows, burke gilman and road diets.
Find another route that doesn’t go through an industrial area. It’s like putting a swimming hole in the everglades and getting pissed when a gator takes a bite out of your ass.
On the contrary, Crimson Floyd, completion of the Burke-Gilman trail along the rail right of way was the #2 priority established during the Crown Hill/Ballard Neighborhood planning process in 1997-98. Later that decade and in the early 2000s, it was through the efforts of homegrown Ballard activists, most of whom are not bicyclists, that the City was impelled to look at safe routes for completing the trail.
In 2003, the City Council supported the decision made by Nickels for the so-called Green Route- all of the folks who opposed this route were involved in the process leading up to that decision — but that decision was made, and that’s how democracy works.
The simple fact is that they didn’t like the decision and still don’t, so now they are using the courts to try to stop its implementation. That’s the way the system works. As a trail supporter, I believe their efforts are short-sighted and not in the best interests of ALL of Ballard.
Over a decade of BGT trail use as it winds through BINMIC between 3rd NW and 11th NW, with active industrial businesses, has shown us that a trail and rail and trucks and cars and people can mix – the future looks like we’ll need to get even closer if we want to get more people out of their cars and give everyone more safe choices for getting between A and B.
The South Side businesses have not sued to stop the trail right outside their doors…why not? And now it’s built. Why are the north side businesses different?