BALLARD — The decade-long debate over the “missing link” of the Burke-Gilman Trail rages on as workers piloting 40,000-pound vehicles continue to raise safety concerns.
“Things like this are a slippery slope,” said cement truck driver Josh Franklin. “We build a dedicated bike lane, and then what? We set up designated zones for people to walk across the street?” Franklin declined further comment after “crosswalks” were explained.
Others see issues that go far beyond Franklin’s “slippery slope” concerns.
“People forget that this road used to be almost exclusively for commercial use,” said Bob Staplefinger, a truck driver who primarily picks up bricks at one location and drops them blocks away down Shilshole. “It’s a safety issue. My truck is essentially one big blind spot, and I can’t be expected to learn how to use my mirrors, blinkers, or common sense just because people want to exercise their way to work.”
While there is no bike lane, many riders still treat Shilshole as their official route. Bike commuter Allen Cambridge has been riding up and down Shilshole twice a day for over eight years.
“If these truckers think they own the right to create nightmare-level traffic, they’ve got another thing coming,” Cambridge said.
City officials say they remain hopeful a compromise can be reached, though early proposals have already been rejected by both sides for being “too safe.”
Cyclists and truck drivers were reportedly close to an agreement that Shilshole should remain a confusing, high-stakes obstacle course, provided each side gets to keep blaming the other for it.
