The North Market Street bicycle lanes are too steep. I would like to propose a mechanism that would allow the large crowd of bike riders traveling up this hill to sit back and be pulled by some magical moving bikeway or have people stationed along the way to help push them up the hill. Cost is irrelevant.
I propose a tax on tobacco. Even better a three-cent tax per box of disposable diapers. Parents desperately need these things and three cents is so little to pay. That entire right lane should be painted the beautiful bright green that is being splattered all over town as well.
By the way, I have looked through the Tennessee driver's manual and, for the life of me, I can't find what a great big green "L" means. There is one at the corner of MLK and Broad Street. I think it means that pedestrians crossing there have to stop for bicyclists or cars stop for the peds but not the bikers or nobody has to stop, it is green you know.
Also what is the rule for car drivers who try to feed the Republic parking meters when they cross the bike lane to get there? A 20 mph biker could run down some of us old folks who are slow of step, hard of hearing and with limited eyesight and slow reaction times.
A pedestrian lane is needed so that we motorists can walk the length of the block without crossing the bike lanes until we reach the official crosswalks, then walk back to the Republic meters, by which time we will have gotten a ticket for not feeding the meter.
Paint the ped lane red for anger. Pay for that lane by an additional 25 cents in those meters restricted by the bike lanes....or, we can just avoid downtown altogether and let the bikers support the downtown businesses.
Harry Presley
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Mr. Presley,
I have read your opinion article and have found that the thing you are looking for is called a “sidewalk.”
Matt Craigge
Chattanooga