Babylon by Bike/Ped Coordinator

A portrait of the author

The Strib’s August 30th Letters page was even more cranky than usual:

BICYCLE COORDINATOR

More reasons why such a position is needed

When you rarely travel without a car, it’s hard to see the need to improve the safety of cyclists and pedestrians (“More grist for the no-taxes crowd,” editorial, Aug. 28).

When Hennepin County rebuilt 26th Avenue in the Seward neighborhood of Minneapolis last year, it forgot to included bike lanes, even though the city’s bike plan had called for lanes there for 10 years. After an outcry by residents, lanes were striped this year.

A similar situation is occurring with the new Lowry Avenue bridge that’s under construction. So it is correct to say, as the editorial did, that the creation of the bicycle and pedestrian coordinator position is “untimely” — it should have been created years ago.

ALEX BAUMAN, MINNEAPOLIS

Of course I wrote at least twice as much as they published, including a preamble that accused the Strib editorial board of rarely traveling without a car.  And if I’d known that they’d print it, I would have plagiarized one of several better responses to Strib cycle hatin.

Correction:  26th Ave in Seward was repaved, not rebuilt.  The letter was written in a caffeinated blaze of fury, so I’m certain the error is mine.  Just goes to show you how much fact-checking those letters receive.  Actually, I have a feeling the confuseditude of the letter was what got it printed.

Although I’ve actually had several cranky letters to the Strib printed – one of them was a plea to legalize it, which I assumed wouldn’t be printed until an enthusiastic coworker congratulated me on it.  Not sure if my mom cut that one out and put it on her fridge.