HomeMy WebLinkAbout9/4/2018 Item 15, Swenson
Purrington, Teresa
From:Claire Swenson <clairekister@gmail.com>
Sent:Saturday, September 1, 2018 8:21 PM
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Agenda Correspondence - Anholm Bike Path
Dear Mayor Harmon and Council Members,
My name is Claire Swenson and I am a resident in the Anholm District. One of the main reasons this neighborhood is so
special (to me and my family) is the sentiment that neighbors would rather spend time visiting with each other in their
front yards than retreat to the privacy of their backyards. With 16 children (and counting!) on our street alone, you often
see kiddos running back and forth between houses to play with their neighbors. We chose to live on West to avoid busy
streets in favor of safety and building community as a young and growing family.
However, if the current plans for the Anholm Bike Path go into effect, the dedicated bikeway on Broad would
undoubtedly reclassify Chorro as a busy arterial street. Chorro is not the only street affected by this plan though, as the
current proposal does not account for the increased traffic that will deflect to side streets like Lincoln and West. Drivers
would, predictably, seek to avoid the traffic on Chorro and take alternate routes through quiet residential streets. My
family and I are concerned our cherished sense of community and safety would consequently deteriorate as we would
no longer feel comfortable letting our child play in our front yard. Additionally, the current proposal creates a driving
maze for Anholm residents with diverters, speed humps, and median islands. Needless to say, this will compound traffic
even more and make routes to frequented nearby destinations unnecessarily longer and more complex.
This plan as stated is only creating more problems than solutions to our current roadways and neighborhood. My family
and I fully support bicyclists (we bike too!), but we cannot endorse a proposal that will make traffic worse and endanger
children throughout the Anholm District.
Thank you,
Claire Swenson
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