Cities embracing biking are seeing overwhelmingly positive results. Biking has become a huge part of reinvigorating once-dead downtowns.

Lewiston has the bones of a great city. I want nothing more than to see my home town take the necessary steps to build upon those bones.

The petition removing bike lanes from the Lisbon Street project is regressive. I would encourage people to ignore it and speak out for better bike lanes.

There are always naysayers, and there will always be those people who would never give an extra 20 seconds of their commute so other people can be safe. It is selfish. But as time moves on and projects like the Lisbon Street one happen, more and more people realize it is really no big deal; they get used to it.

As more bike lanes are included, people feel safe biking and more choose to bike more often. Traffic congestion might even decrease and make roads safer because, if people haven’t noticed, bikes take up a fraction of the size of cars and are much less likely to kill people.

Here is the thing: There is absolutely no downside to biking — if you feel safe. It’s good for your well-being, for your physical health, for your wallet and for the environment. It is much less damaging to the roads. If you have money in your pocket from not worrying about car payments and gas, you are pouring more of it into the local economy.

What about that is bad for Lewiston?

Shane Morin, Minneapolis, Minn.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.

filed under: