Welcome to Lincoln Ethan. I can see that you are already taking advantage of the abundant natural resources in the town. I am sure that you are a responsible bicyclist and I am delighted that you are introducing your children to the joys of the natural world.
Most cars are well behaved, but some drivers are idiots. Most bicyclists are well-behaved, but some are a little clueless. Most dogs are well-behaved, but some are not. As a card-carrying old person, I feel vulnerable to all those who are not well behaved. When I go into the woods to have some meditative peace, I don’t want to have some overly friendly or even threatening dog charging at me out of the bush. I’m sure you find that some dogs will chase anyone on a bicycle out of instinct. I walk frequently on the “bicycle path” across from my house, and once or twice a week some bicyclist will come up behind me and pass without warning, which is scary since I tend to wobble back-and-forth when I walk. To me, the best solution is to set aside certain paths and for certain uses to minimize the unhappy interactions. We have over 80 miles of trail - surely that shouldn’t be so hard too arrange. Ruth Ann Hendrickson (She, her, hers) > On Jul 12, 2022, at 9:20 PM, Ethan Healy <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > Our family moved to Lincoln in 2020, but I feel that my voice and opinion > have equal merit to any other resident, even those who have been here for > decades. > > As a cyclist who rides over 1000 miles per year on our roads in MA, more than > half of which are commutes to/from work, I take offense to phrases that > allude to cyclists feeling "entitled to use the roads" and people who "come > down hard against bikes". It is this line of thinking that can place cyclists > in harm's way on our roads. Since bikes are clearly looked upon by some as an > "inferior" mode of transportation, then why give them the common courtesy you > would give for any other vehicle? Frankly, this attitude is harmful and puts > lives in danger. This also has next to nothing to do with the subject at hand > - access for cyclists on 10 additional miles of Lincoln conservation trails. > > The debate over allowing bikes to access mostly flat, wide trails in > conservation land is a great opportunity to allow Lincoln residents to bike > more, drive less, with the additional benefit of avoiding narrow, non-bike > friendly roads. It has devolved into a series of ad hominem attacks against > cyclists in general, anecdotes and misinformation. > > I hope there are more areas in Lincoln conservation land to safely ride. > Similar discussions were happening in my hometown (30+ years ago) in northern > NY when I was getting into mountain biking. Thankfully, I had access to more > trails than I could ride in a lifetime, despite significant opposition from > some groups. It allowed me the freedom to explore the woods on my bike as a > teen, learn trail etiquette, basic trail maintenance, safety, and has > fostered a lifelong love of the most efficient form of human transportation. > I would love to pass on what I have learned to my kids, on our trails here in > Lincoln. > > Ethan M. Healy, MD, FAAOS > 148 Lincoln Rd > c. 585-820-4035 > > > -- > The LincolnTalk mailing list. > To post, send mail to [email protected]. > Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. > Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. > Change your subscription settings at > https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. >
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