To the Editor:

I am a regular bicyclist in Princeton. I’ve both witnessed and lived the experience of bicyclists here. For the positive, to have a safe passage through and around town is a blessing. Writing as a pediatrician it is as healthful a way to counter the sedentary ways that affect children’s physical and emotional health.  

On the negative side, I’ve seen the consequences of halfway measures. Those bike figures on streets are more like collection stations for body parts than safe passages. Consider Harrison Street  just below where I live. There are figures on the street and then at Southern Way they stop because parking is required for houses built without driveways. I know enough to get off the street going east because the space is limited and cars going each way leave no room for a bicycle. This puts me on the sidewalk, and I become a hazard. That’s bad!

We need bike lanes with blockages so no one can park or deliver standing in the lane. That’s why I no longer take my bike on the bus to NYC for a ride to work in Brooklyn.

I appreciate what has been done. At the same time, much more is needed.

Robert Karp
South Harrison Street