Why should Everett taxpayers foot bill for bike lanes?

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, November 23, 2022

So, despite the fact that very few residents of Madison Street wanted, or will ever use, bike lanes, the Everett Transportation Committee believes they have a mandate for “Full Steam Ahead!” to wipe out on-street parking to install them (“Madison Street project in Everett will include bike lanes,” The Herald, Nov. 18).

Look how well that boondoggle turned out for Seattle. Only a small handful of people ever use their multi-million dollar bike lanes downtown. I see it first hand every day. Even the few people who rent bikes there ignore the bike lanes, riding on the streets or sidewalks, instead. Their projected percentages of users never even came close to reality, and was a huge waste of capital for the city, not that they will ever admit it. It’s not their money, right?

Now I’m not some city planning genius like these committee people obviously believe themselves to be, but gee, couldn’t this money be better spent on something that the taxpaying citizens of Everett actually want or need?

Michael Neeley

Everett