Last week, I saw a child, 12 years old or so, riding a new pink bike along Old Evergreen Highway. She appeared to be very frazzled and upset because she was trying to keep her balance amidst the cars driving too close and too fast alongside her. She finally made her way to the grassy, uneven path by the train tracks. Her bike was not a mountain bike designed for trails. Shoved off the road by inconsiderate drivers, the weedy uneven path was the only place she could ride. She struggled to keep the bike upright. It’s amazing she didn’t pop a tire or lose her balance and fall.
Wouldn’t it be nice to live in a neighborhood where children could ride their bikes and not worry about being one of the 1,300 bicyclists a year who are run over by a car in Washington? Old Evergreen Highway supports more than 1,000 families along its corridor. Many of these families have children. Children who can’t safely ride their bike to their friend’s house. This needs to change.
