Downtown street changes a problem

RE: Street changes discouraging shopping (Dec. 12)

Letter writer, Elizabeth Tick, has correctly identified one of the downtown problems. On one hand, the City is attempting to draw people from all areas to frequent the downtown area. On the other hand they are throwing up roadblocks. While travelling along Herkimer and Charlton streets for over a year, I have observed only ONE person on a bicycle. Most recently, there were two vehicles ahead of us on Herkimer. Obviously, they didn’t realize cars were legally parked in the middle of the road. As a result, both had to come to a complete stop and then work their way back into the actual car lane to their right. This would certainly not encourage folks to the city centre area.

I wonder how many people were travelling by bicycle on snowy December 12th? In their wisdom, the City has relegated vehicles to only one lane of traffic on a number of streets. It is extremely difficult to understand their reasoning. When I asked a City Councillor how they expected to handle ambulances or fire trucks if/ when there is an accident on one of these streets ... his reply was, ‘Well, they can go up onto the sidewalk.” I was disappointed in his offhanded retort, as he normally is a very common sense person. And if you happen to get behind a garbage truck travelling along one of these one-lane arteries, this, too, would be one more reason to discourage residents from outside the city core.

Does the City really think a vast majority of citizens will give up their vehicle to ride a bicycle? Jacquie Reid, Hamilton