I have lived in Kirkland since 2000. I normally do not write emails like this, however, I am very passionate about this topic. I commute daily from downtown Kirkland to Seattle in the Pioneer neighborhood. I am a technical recruiter and bring people from all over the world to live and work in our state.

Our family has enjoyed the [Cross] Kirkland Corridor trail since it opened. We have spent many a weekend and weeknight walking on it. I do not see how spending money and turning the trail into a road will help with our traffic congestion. In fact, let’s just talk about the elephant in the room. The traffic in Seattle flat out sucks – especially 405.

My grandfather was on the committee for building out Sea-Tac airport. I remember being with him there in the late 1980s and he said that people laughed at the committee since they thought the airport was way to big when they were planning on building it. Just like the folks who planned Sea-Tac, we need to think big and truly build a [Bus Rapid Transit] BRT/rail system that is going to work. Destroying a beautiful trail and making another back road is only a band aid. It will soon be clogged like every other back road in Kirkland during commuting time.

I hope, unlike the current national political climate, our politicians will think in the long run, work together and build a system that works. After being in Melbourne, Australia; Sydney Australia; Bangkok, Thailand; Vancouver, BC; London, England; Montreal; Toronto and Ottawa, Canada; I always come home and shake my head about our traffic and the lack of vision we have had in our state for building out infrastructure.

Please save this trail and let’s get to the root of the problem.

Thank you for your time.

Fred Croson, Kirkland