Letters to the Editor

Better ways to promote bicycle use

I am sick and tired of hearing city leaders paying lip service to Bike to Work Week, such as in May 17th's article "Week to promote bicycle use in Ann Arbor".

Instead of getting local cafes to offer discounts on coffee, a better way to promote bicycling in Ann Arbor would be to create more bike lanes, install more bike racks, and find other types of incentives for people to ride.

For a college town, this is not the best environment for bicyclers. The hostility that drivers in this town have toward pedestrians and bikers is often frustrating and scary.

Drivers rarely stop at crosswalks, and they don't check sidewalk traffic before exiting driveways or turning right on a red light. Often they don't even allow pedestrians to cross on a green before turning.

Promoting safety and respect for bikers and pedestrians should be the first step toward creating a safer, cleaner environment.

Julie Herrada

University Staff

05-24-99