At 04:06 PM 9/14/2000 -0500, Timothy Connelly wrote:
>...Councilmember Barbara
>Johnson of the 4th ward who seemed less concerned with
>the cost than with the priority, seeming to prefer we
>build a bikeway from the northern part of town into
>downtown. I shudder to think what that might entail!
>
> ...I find it difficult
>to justify the expense related to bikeways given the
>nasty Minnesota climate. Call me a wuss but I stop
>riding when winds start whipping and the snow falls
>and I am willing to make a small wager that many of us
>do the same. There are hearty souls. More power to
>them.
There are a lot of us. I don't commute at all now, I
telecommute instead, but when I did I biked downtown for
most of at least one winter. I would have done it more
often if there was a more direct route, that was well
maintained for bicycles. (The paths on streeets are _not_
safe when there's much snow out.) There are ways to keep warm.
It helps if your employer has showers. I hope to bike to
the state legislature often if elected.
But even "fair-weather" bicycle commuters are worth cultivating.
Every day that someone uses a bicycle instead of a car, we use
less oil and make less pollution. Our roads get that much less
use, so they last longer. If it becomes a seasonal thing,
we'll have cleaner air on nice days. Sounds like a win.
Other cities have shown that if you build decent commuter bike
paths, they will be used by a large number of former car drivers.
They're ridiculously cheap compared to the cost of road maintenance.
--
Steven C. Anderson 612-722-6658 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
The Independence Party Candidate for Minnesota Senate, District 62
http://www.SteveAnderson.org/
