Children Safety vs $$$$$$$
Letter to editor
Glen Arbor will never be a bikers’ paradise until there is a safe route into and around the village. The tone of the article “Glen Arbor a bikers’ paradise”, with its emphasis on economic benefit and little concern about biker safety, borders on callousness.
In case no one has noticed (sarcasm intended), Western Ave is a state highway that is congested with cars and pedestrians especially during July and August—and now the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail (SBHT) runs right through the center of this summertime madness. Has anyone noticed all the families with young children using the SBHT? And now they will be directed to ride the bike lanes gauntlet along Western Ave. Really!? Is there much concern about the safety of children bikers? Most parents will exercise common sense concerning their family’s well-being. So do expect to see a large number of bikers (hopefully walking their bikes) on the sidewalks of Glen Arbor this summer.
John Soderholm was 100% correct in not wanting the bike traffic on Western Ave, and the article totally mischaracterized the 2012 trail decision as “bypassing” Glen Arbor. There are at least two possible safe bike routes that can be developed from the Forest Haven trail into Glen Arbor. Either of them would use the side street of West Lakewood Dr. as a safe gateway into and around Glen Arbor, which was part of the 2012 decision.
Via Lakewood Dr. from the west, bikers wanting to visit Glen Arbor to dine, shop, etc., which are most of the SBHT users, would be directed to turn left on to South Arbor Dr. This would lead them to Lake St., one block south of downtown Glen Arbor where the township’s park and gardens/bathrooms are located. Anyone wanting to continue directly to the Port Oneida segment of the SBHT would proceed on Lakewood then turn right on Lake St and follow the route as it exists today (Northwood to Fisher to the National Park’s trail head).
The Lakewood route is the supposed “bypass” that the Sun has misled everyone to believe would ignore Glen Arbor and be bad for business. This is obviously nonsense, and the article’s Western Ave special interest focus shows little concern about biker safety. At present, the hazardous bike lanes are only a better-than-nothing interim solution, and hopefully, they will be superseded in the near future with a safe Glen Arbor bike route. Until then, the Western Ave bike lanes will be viewed at best as PG-13, and a bikers’ paradise will have to wait.”
— John Tris, Glen Arbor
