I submitted this letter to the editor to the Herald-Times on Saturday.

To the Editor:

Were the new bicycle lanes on Seventh Street really a good idea?

According to the Herald-Times, the city is concerned that the new bike lanes "may confuse drivers and increase the number of crashes." City government "is collecting data on crashes and close calls," including "collecting information on 'right-hook or left-cross' crashes." See https://bit.ly/3GotSy9 for the story.

Clearly, this study should have been completed well before the new bike lanes were installed.

Furthermore, the new lanes make it more difficult for buses and fire trucks. This has been a problem going back decades, with the city’s flower pots making navigation more difficult for fire trucks. Did the Fire Department get a say in how the new bike lanes were designed?

I have been driving along Seventh Street for twenty years before the new lanes were installed. The lack of stop signs is jarring, and has been confusing for people on cross streets. I have almost been hit more than once. It also makes crossing Seventh more dangerous for pedestrians, especially children.

All of this indicates poor planning and making decisions on the basis of politics, instead of sound traffic management. We need new leadership in city government.