David Hiller, policy director for the Cascade Bicycle Club, says the organization, which sponsors and helps pay for the popular Bicycle Sundays program (which closes Lake Washington Boulevard to car traffic on weekend days during the summer to give cyclists unimpeded access to the road), was not included in the Seattle Parks Department’s decision to cut the program back from 18 days to 12.
“We’re disappointed that we got this information as late as we did in the spring, and it was information, not a discussion,” Hiller says. “This was not the way we expected to be treated as partners and funders [of Bicycle Sundays]. We think we deserved a little more head-up than we got.”
Yesterday, parks department spokeswoman Joelle Hammerstad told PubliCola that the department decided to reduce the number of Bicycle Sundays to accommodate five more charity walks and runs, including the Danskin Triathlon, the Race for Grace, and the Walk for Water—all of which, Hammerstad noted, are “good causes.”
However, Hiller says the difference between those races and walks and Bicycle Sundays is that “people pay a lot of money for participating in those events,” whereas Bicycle Sundays are free and open to everyone. “In this economic climate, this is a cheap way for people go get out and enjoy their community.”
Additionally, Hiller points out that many of the events that bumped Bicycle Sundays end by 10 am or a little later, when Bicycle Sundays closures start. “Why can’t they just keep the street closed?” Hiller says.
For example, the Race for Grace 5K starts at 8 am, and the Danskin Triathlon starts at 6:45 am and ends at Genesee Park at noon, and the majority of the events that will close Lake Washington Blvd. are in the morning, not all-day or afternoon events.
