Bike lanes needed
Editor’s note: This letter is in response to one that appeared in the Aug. 18 edition questioning the need for bike lanes on Rt. 53.
Pam [Gregory], surely you jest.
Except for limited access highways, bicycles already have equal rights as cars, buses, and trucks on highways like Rt. 53. Power vehicle operators have an obligation to give bicyclists space. I don’t see how providing designated bike lanes makes travel less safe than now. Rather, it should make everything much safer for everyone. I believe the Board of Supervisors should also request bike lanes on the notoriously dangerous Boston Rd. as well.
By the way, the most dangerous part of Rt. 53, near Monticello in Albemarle County, is actually part of U.S. Bike Route 76 – and does not have a bike lane.
We should be rebuilding all our roads to make them safer for bicyclists. We should be encouraging bicycling as well as other forms of non-motorized travel.
Roger B. Carr
Lake Monticello
