I always enjoy strolling through Roy's Garden.
I found one onion to be especially familiar...Roy's observation of the lack of bicycles in the bike lanes on Broad Street. Since those bike lanes were designated, I've heard similar remarks about the lack of bicycles on Broad Street and I am in agreement.
I work just off of North Market Street and cross the ridge twice each day between Hixson Pike and North Market, via Fernway and Dallas Road. Vehicular traffic on North Market from the bridge to the top of the hill at the school was already congested and is becoming more so as new development continues in the Northshore area. It is mind boggling that the city reduced vehicular traffic to one lane and added a seldom used bicycle lane. Since the bicycle lane has been in place, I've observed maybe three bikers.
After you have climbed the hill, once you go through the light at Mississippi Avenue, no one knows what to do. The bicycle lane is still on the right after you go through the light but mysteriously switches lanes with vehicular traffic somewhere between the light and the top of the hill where most vehicular traffic turns right on Dallas Road to cut over to Fernway. Drivers who are not familiar with that stretch go every which way but right....I've seen a couple of vehicles come to a dead stop as they try to figure out how they got in the bicycle lane which is now on the left and the cars that were behind them are not making the turn on their right. The only advantage the bike lane gives in that area is that no one has been killed since it is seldom used by anyone on a bicycle.
Coming down the hill from Mississippi towards the bridge, the vehicular lane completely disappears in the block of North Market somewhere between the Publix and Walgreen's. Drivers suddenly find themselves in a turn lane although they can't turn left on Frazier at the light. I see many drivers cut through the post office parking lot to Woodland Avenue, which creates more traffic in the parking lot than that facility is designed for and often bottlenecks, just because it takes away the guesswork.
In the meantime, traffic on North Market crawls, the bike lane is empty, and there is the distinct odor of onions.
Sue Miller