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Home My WebLink AboutAudience Comment Submittal - Carol Simpson5’‘‘-t/f7tlc?/ tl “i 44(C YL.i1,11, Copy for city My name is Carol Simpson.I live in the Vineyards neighborhood in Newcastle.And I am a former Newcastle city councilmember 2008-2019. This comment is in response to the recent King Count action allowing E-bikes on paved public trails. ELECTRIC BIKES DO NOT BELONG ON SHARED PEDESTRIAN TRAILS A good man died Aug 2022 in Sausalito,California. Jim Gordon was a loving husband,brother,uncle,and son. He worked for many years in college and university libraries. He had written numerous short stories and was nearing completion of three novels.He and his wife were fixing up their first home,a houseboat on the Sausalito marina. Jim,age 63,was the victim of a hit and run.He was walking home just after sunset along the Mill Valley-Sausalito Pathway,a paved trail between Highway 101 and the waterfront, near to his houseboat.A man riding an electric bicycle hit him head on,throwing him to the pavement,and causing what doctors later described as a catastrophic brain injury.The rider recovered his e-bike,phoned a friend,and left the scene.Someone else walking along the trail found Jim unconscious and called for an ambulance.Jim was taken to a nearby hospital,where he died 6 days later. The e-bike rider was identified as a commuter,age 40.He sustained injuries and lived. Ironically,he went to the same hospital where the EMS ambulance took Jim.A police investigation did not yield enough evidence to support the prosecutor bringing criminal charges against him. Concerns have been raised about the safety of children and the elderly on trails shared with e-bikes.Jim was a physically fit adult man,an avid walker;and he was killed by an electric bike.Obviously electric bikes do not belong with children and older adults who cannot jump out of the way.I can’t jump out of the way.Jim didn’t get the opportunity to jump out of the way. Until e-bikes and pedestrians can be safely separated,please adopt a policy banning electric bikes on shared pedestrian trails. Please urge King County to reverse their rule allowing electric bikes on paved urban trails until e-bikes and pedestrians can be safely separated.Keep your Renton residents safe. Electric bikes can KILL people.Thank you. 1- LOCAL NEWS Sausahto pedestrian dies after e-bike coltision ByALEXN.GECAN I agecan@rn3rinhj.com I PUBUSI-ED:Spt&mb 20,2022 at 9:33 a.m.UPDATED:Saptn’ib 21.2022 at 5:3e am. A Sausalito man died after being struck by an electric powered bicycle,the Mann County Sheriffs Office said. A 911 caller reported the collision at 8:40 p.m.Aug.31 on the Mill Valley-Sausalito Pathway near Gate 6 Road.according to the sheriffs dlce. James Charles Gordon,63.was walking along the path when the e-bike hit him..The bike was raveling under power at a moderate rate of speed,the sheriff’s office’s sald in a statement. Gordon fell,hit his head and lost consciousness.Despite first aid at the scene and days oftreatment at a hospital.he never regained consciousness end died Sept.6.accorcng to the sheriffs ce.. The 31-mile path is open to class 1 and 2 c-bikes,but not class 3 e-kes,wiiich allow power assistance at higher speeds.The sheriff’s office could not immediately confirm what type of bike was inlved. lnestigaters have identilled the cyclist.Sheriffs Lt.Jesse Klinge.who supervises the agency’s investigations division,declined to release the cyclists name or other details,such as whether the cyclist remained the scene,saying the investigation is still open. Kfrige said there was no particular reason for the time gap between the collision and the department’s statement about it.which was released Friday. Gordon lived in the Richardson Bay houseboat corwnunity adjacent to the path,according to an article in the Floating Times,an online newsletter forthe Floating Homes Association. KING COUNTY RECENT ACTION — Seattle Times reported,King County approves electric bikes on regional trails — June 10,2024 at 6:00 am Updated June 10,2024 at 6:00 am https://wwwseattletimes.com!seattle-news/transportation/king-county-approves-use-of-e-bikes on-regional-trails! o Snoqualmie Valley Trail O Preston-Snoqualmie Trail --0 Issaquah to Preston Trail o Patouse to Cascades State Park TrailjEastLakeSammamishTrail SR 520 Trait Lake to Lake Trail tj Eastrait Cedar River Trait Lake Young Trait Soos Creek Trail South Interurban Trait BRA Trail Green River Trail Lake to Sound Trail .J Chief Sealth Trail Duwamish TrailAtkiTrail Elliott Bay TrailiNorthInterurban Trail Interurban Burke-Gilman Connector Snohomish County -‘0 Burke-Gilman Trail 0 Sammamish River Trait-OTott Pipeline Trail KENMORE 0 Cross Kirkland corridor W000INVIItE SHOREUNE rc iral •1 CARNATION S FAa CITY SNOQUALMIE PRESTON ——-\ NORTH BEND Pierce County A N MILES / ENUMCLAW a