To the Editor:

I am [Princeton Bicycle Advisory Committee member] Dan Rappoport’s “daughter” and we have been inseparable for 27 years: whether my bicycle frame was made by Trek; or after a crack was discovered, by Cannondale. To say “we have seen it all” on the roads of this country is putting it mildly. We have traveled through all levels of stressful conditions. The condition that produces the least stress is pavement that “is as smooth as a baby’s bottom” with a protected bike lane. Beggars can’t be choosers; so we will accept a bike lane with filled-in pot holes.

When we ride in a bike lane such as was experimented with in May on Wiggins Street/Hamilton Avenue, we do not need to fear vehicles moving into our lane. They can still cut us off at corners with no warning; but our place on the road is marked clearly. This also serves to lower vehicle speed. We are much more inclined to use the roadway rather than the sidewalk. There still remains no good way to escape road hazards but the law says we must ride “as far to the right AS PRACTICAL.”

Currently; the roadway has sharrows. This does not reduce the level of stress for me or make me feel safer than if the sharrows disappeared. I would support signs that say “Bikes may use full lane” as I have seen with my front wheel in Bordentown. That is still not as good a solution as a permanent bike lane. Those signs cause drivers to be caught off-guard.

Even though I don’t talk out loud and usually don’t make noise, I know that some of you are upset with the administration because your parking spaces were taken temporarily. I understand that you travel more than five miles to get to your jobs so biking to work doesn’t work. Hopefully, the administration can reach a deal with the Municipal Garage to give all of the gas-burners affected reduced parking rates. The man steering me and I both know how much safer it is for all users to have permanent bike lanes: small truck drivers, car drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists. Accidents and deaths will be reduced significantly. We wheely [sic] need to make bike lanes as much a part of the infrastructure as practical for everyone’s sake.

Please come to the town Council meeting on July 23 to show your support for the introduction of an ordinance to make these bike lanes permanent on Wiggins Street/Hamilton Avenue.

Julie Rosenthal

Daughter of Dan Rappoport, Copperwood