Editor:

I’ll admit, I don’t read your paper very frequently, but I did read the December issue and it felt like the issue was dedicated to bashing the Great Highway closure.

I thought the Great Highway closure was a good idea; however, I stopped using it shortly after the closure because there were too many people using it and no organization. Pedestrians and cyclists were going both directions on both sides.

Nevertheless, I still think the car closure is a good idea for a city that is very car friendly based on the amount of infrastructure intended for car traffic vs. bicycle or pedestrian traffic.

One solution would be to utilize the current two southbound car traffic lanes for bicycles and pedestrian traffic, and re-stripe the current northbound lanes for car traffic in both directions. Another solution would be to expand the shared bicycle and pedestrian path on the east side of the roadway. 

I didn’t see any solutions mentioned in the two commentaries, which provided phone numbers and email addresses for three individuals to complain about the closure, nor did I see a solution in the “Slow Ride” article, other than opening it entirely to car traffic. 

If you would like more consistent readers, I recommend tempering your opinions, publishing the facts, and offering potential solutions that may help the situation, rather than fanning the flames.

Shane Rankin