Trains are cool and all, but these new Redmond trail connections are amazing
Kelli Refer bikes across a new trail bridge over Bear Creek.New trail connections around the soon-to-open Redmond light rail stations have dramatically improved bike access into the eastside city center, shaving as much as ten minutes off many bike trips. Sure, the train stations opening Saturday will get most the attention, but I rode the new trail connections and am here to report that they are game-changing for bikeability in this already mostly bikeable city.
They are so new that your bicycle directions app may not even have them ready in time for your bike ride to the station opening celebrations Saturday, including this trailside party in downtown Redmond organized by my wonderful spouse Kelli and her team at Move Redmond. The official ribbon cutting will be at 10:30 a.m. at Downtown Redmond Station followed by parties from 12 to 4 near both new stations.
The new trail sections may be relatively short, but they required a new bridge over Bear Creek and new underpasses under SR-520. People will no longer need to route all the way through Marymoor Park and up onto Leary Way to get from the East Lake Sammamish Trail to the Center City Connector Trail through the heart of Redmond. I met with Rick Duong, the new President of Redmond Cycling Club, who estimated it saves him nearly ten minutes on his commute. Not only is it shorter, it is also more comfortable and easy to follow without getting turned around.
Biking under SR-520.But that's not all. Another new trail stub connects from the Central Connector/East Lake Sammamish Trail into the Marymoor Park trail network, passing directly next to the Jerry Baker Memorial Velodrome. Speaking of which, the velodrome will be open for a celebratory kids bike parade starting at 4 p.m. Saturday. There's a bunch of bike parking at both stations, including 20 on-demand bike lockers at Marymoor Village and a bike room at Downtown Redmond Station in case you don't want to try to haul your kid's bike onto the crowded trains.
New trail to the velodrome!The Eastrail Partners, Cascade Bicycle Club and Eastside Urbanism are hosting a series of group bike rides to the station celebrations Saturday morning. RSVP if you're interested so they know how many riders to plan for:
- Magnuson Park to Redmond: 20 Miles at a Steady pace (12-14mph), almost entirely on trails around the North end of Lake Washington
- Overlake to Downtown Redmond: 7 Miles at a Leisurely pace (10-12mph), exploring trails and bike lanes throughout Redmond
- Idylwood Park (Redmond) to Downtown Redmond: 14 Miles at Leisurely pace (10-12 mph) along West Lake Sammamish and NE Bellevue
- Totem Lake to Redmond: Join Eastside Urbanism as they lead a leisurely ride on the Eastrail through Kirkland and Redmond to the Downtown Redmond Light Rail Station.
If you've never biked to Redmond before, it's a great long ride from Seattle. The 520 Trail is also a lot less bumpy than it used to be thanks to some recent WSDOT work. Or if you want to take a shortcut, as of Saturday you will be able to bike to any of the 2 Line stations (such as bike-friendly Wilburton Station or South Bellevue Station just a short trail connection from the I-90 Trail) and take the train into Redmond.
Of course, the really convenient Seattle connection is still under construction. The project website still lists 2025 to connect the 1 and 2 Lines via Mercer Island and Judkins Park, but no specific date has been announced.