by Jordan Adams
When I first moved to Seattle, I put my bike away. I had commuted for years in other cities, but here, wedged between fast-moving traffic and parked cars, every ride felt like a gamble I wasn’t willing to keep taking. The fear of being hit won out, and I let go of something I had always loved.
The Burke-Gilman Trail gave it back to me. With a protected path stretching across the city, commuting by bike stopped being an act of nerve and became simply a better way to get to work: quieter, healthier, and genuinely safe. The trail isn’t a luxury or a weekend amenity. For people like me, it is the difference between riding and not riding at all, and that makes it essential infrastructure for a city that wants people to choose two wheels over four.
But the trail has become more than my commute. It’s where I taught my four-year-old son to ride his bike. I can still see him wobbling forward, gripping the handlebars, looking back to make sure I was there, and then suddenly pedaling on his own with a grin I’ll never forget. I could only let go of that seat because I knew no car would come around the corner. The Burke-Gilman gave us a place where a child’s first ride could be pure joy instead of a parent’s worry.
That is what this trail means to families across Seattle. We will always have our memories of the trail, but we will always need the trail to make them.
Please join me in signing our change.org petition. I only takes a quick signature.
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