It was a busy May on the Eastrail, and we are excited to share some of the highlights from this year’s Bike Month:

Town Hall on Bikes

Kicking off Bike Month a little early, we participated in a youth-focused bike ride through the city of Kirkland with Sustainability Ambassadors. Led by students from several high schools in Kirkland, our group from all over the Eastside rode throughout the city, talking about sustainable urban planning, conservation, and most importantly, how to encourage others to bike to school. We were joined on the ride by King County Councilmember Balducci, several Kirkland Councilmembers, city staff, and other community leaders. A highlight for us was the police bike escort through challenging intersections in Totem Lake, highlighting the importance of the Totem Lake Connector that spanned overhead.

Eastrail Bike Tour

The Eastrail is an important piece of the greater trails and transportation infrastructure for our region, and we were grateful to our friends at Mountains to Sound Greenway and Leafline Trails Coalition, who joined us on a bike ride to tour the trail, look at upcoming projects, and discuss future connections to the rest of the regional trail network.

Bike Everywhere Day

Eastrail Partners had a great morning celebrating those who travel by bicycle on “Bike Everywhere Day” (sometimes referred to as “Bike to Work” day), hosting two “Celebration Stations” in Kirkland and South Bellevue. We heard from many trail users about why they love Eastrail, what new sections they’re excited about, and how we can continue to make the Eastrail for everyone, every day. Check out this great video from Best Side Cycling for a recap.

Cross-Cultural Arts Project

In addition to Bike Month events, we kicked off an initiative with Eastside for All that brings together artists, trail users, and community groups to discuss Cross-Cultural public art along the Eastrail. We met several times in May, and will continue to meet throughout the summer, with the goal of unveiling a public art project along the trail this September for Welcoming Week.

As we look ahead to a busy summer, keep an eye out for more events and opportunities along the Eastrail!