What are your thoughts on the Bike Boulevards? If given the opportunity, would you support adding more or not?

— Random 5th Ward Resident

Responses

Kathleen Herrera

At City Council tonight I plan to appear as a bike rider and public commentator and ask please, no more bike boulevards or bike lanes until we have a way to educate riders and hold them accountable for unsafe actions.  We’ve had two serious accidents recently on streets where bike lanes were in place but not used correctly.  It’s possible many riders don’t know the traffic laws because they are not drivers.  There’s no Driver Education in High School anymore and bike safety isn’t discussed in Elementary School as it once was.  

Jeff Leonard

I support bike boulevards. Whenever possible, I ride my bike to get around town.  I regularly use the C Street bike boulevard to get downtown. My partner and I have e-bikes and we enjoy riding the bay trail to Arcata or south to Humboldt Hill.

In order to meet the requirements of a housing grant, I understand the City is planning a bike boulevard connected to the project near the Eureka Inn. The project hasn’t been finalized. I’m hoping we can plan something for 8th Street, to help cyclists get across town.

With that said, before moving forward with projects like this, I would meet with residents to get their feedback.  When I was on council and a project like this would come up, I would go door to door to inform residents, hear their concerns, and answer questions.

Overall, I’m glad that the City has improved safety for cyclists.  Most people drive cars to get around town, so most of our streets support car traffic. However, many community members bike, jog, or walk. A lot of people depend on bus service. City policies should support the transportation needs for everyone in our community.

 

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