Community Members Provide Additional Design and Safety Input

Last month, the City hosted two informal working sessions to collect additional community input on Bike Skills Area (BSA) design elements and surrounding trail safety. Each meeting is summarized below.

Meeting on BSA Design – March 21, 2023 | 4pm

On March 21, 12 community members joined staff and consultants to review the latest design, walk the BSA site, discuss preferences for wood vs. dirt features, and share any other feedback to help make the new BSA an attractive facility for Mercer Island bikers. Highlights from the discussion include:

• The BSA will be a destination hangout: Kids will cycle in and out, and the site will be great for beginners.
• Riders are open to wood features: The group supported trying out the wood banked turn, seeing how it rides, and exploring needs for skid resistance later. Riders are ok with wood features that don’t have gaps between wood and soil.
• Kids want to help steward the facility: The group wants to see the facility staked out before construction begins, and kids are also interested in opportunities to help with the installation in some way.

Participants were also supportive of adding a pump track to the facility, which they feel would open use of the facility for use by all ages and wheels – roller blades, scooters, bikes, etc. A pump track was considered early in the design process, but the current site does not have enough space to accommodate a pump track and the jump/return lines also requested by the community.

Meeting on Island Crest Park Trail Safety – March 28, 2023 | 4pm

The second session took place on March 28. Ten neighbors of Island Crest Park met with staff and consultants to further discuss concerns about safety and shared use on the Island Crest Park trails. The group discussed the trailhead entrance adjacent to the tennis courts, walked a few trails in Island Crest Park, and reviewed three trailheads along 84^th Ave SE. Key points from the meeting include:

• Neighbors want to see the City proactively address safety issues in Island Crest Park: Early actions could include studying trail usage before the BSA opens and improving sight lines throughout the trails.
• Safety concerns are not limited to trailheads: Concerns were voiced that bikers will expand outside of the BSA and into Island Crest Park to find more areas to ride, creating conflicts between riders and walkers.
• A physical barrier at the BSA trail entrance is preferred: Some neighbors continued to advocate for a trailhead stile or other gate to require BSA riders to dismount, slow down, and read trail etiquette signage before entering the Island Crest Park trails.

The group also discussed ways to educate and train users on proper trail etiquette, such as building off existing bike programs & camps and coordinating trail stewardship with the Mercer Island Mountain Bike Team.

What comes next?

American Ramp Company continues to finalize the BSA design, and the City will share updated visuals on Let’s Talk when available. Other next steps include:

• Consulting the City’s Transportation Engineer about safety concerns at the Island Crest Park trailheads on 84^th Ave SE.
• Conducting counts in Island Crest Park to establish a baseline for trail usage before BSA construction begins.
• Sharing more signage package examples with the community.
• Continuing to consult with WCIA, the City’s insurance provider, on the BSA design and safety measures.
• Securing project permits, including completing the SEPA process.
• Coordinating volunteer events to prepare the BSA site for construction.

Continue to follow along here on Let’s Talk!