Checking out what the other guy does or what the other city does, reminds me a bit like childhood sibling rivalry. Thinking back to my youth, when one of my siblings did something better than me, I wanted to do as well. I wanted to be just like them. I wanted to have what they had.

Flash forward to today and I can look at sibling rivalry in a different, better way. When one of my siblings does well, I’m thrilled for them. I also think about how I can learn from the experience. The same concept applies to cities. Each city, like each sibling in a family, has its strengths and weaknesses, its personality, and its culture. Sometimes we want what the other city has and sometimes we can learn from the experiences and opportunities each city provides to its citizens.

Redmond, our next door neighbor, has two things I want to see for Kirkland. I’m thrilled for the people of Redmond and I want to have what they have. They have a world class trail along the Sammamish River that’s just a pleasure to walk, bike, skate or stroll on. Redmond has dressed up its stretch of the trail, Riverwalk, which parallels the municipal campus and City Hall, with benches, native plantings, scenic outlooks by the river, and unique sculpture. It’s a peaceful, pleasurable place to relax or exercise.

It’s a place to enjoy the outdoors. It’s a great, “greener” way to commute to work and cut down on one’s carbon footprint. I would love to see a trail like Redmond’s Riverwalk along the BNSF corridor in Kirkland. I’d like to see the same opportunities for a trail here in Kirkland similar to what’s available in Redmond. I want to see people walking and biking to work down through Kirkland. I want to see people exercising and walking along a trail here.

Secondly, I want to see a ride sharing Web site or Web page devoted to commuters from Kirkland. Here’s what I found for Redmond, http://www.erideshare.com/carpool.php?city=Redmond&state=WA

Why can’t we do something like this in Kirkland? Truthfully, the e-rideshare site is not a city sponsored site, it’s a national Web site. However, I did not see anyone listed who commuted to or from Kirkland.

Do we need the city to be behind a ride sharing program? Do we need neighborhood associations promoting the idea? I’ve talked about ride sharing in Kirkland as a neighborhood based effort in a previous article in this newspaper, because I believe it’s an important way to improve people’s commuting experience, save gas, and minimize pollution.

Trails for walking and commuting and ride sharing are ideas whose time has come. Let’s learn from our neighbor city and provide some of these same opportunities here in Kirkland.