Jonathon Morris, U.S. Army Ranger Ret. and Rowan County Sheep Baron
♦ I do not drive, but often ride, with my wife, down East Innes Street, in Salisbury, between Main Street and I-85. As we travel along with the flow of traffic, I observe average automobile speeds between 8 and 12 miles per hour along this stretch of East Innes. This has been reported in local news media, and observed by the over-paid experts who conducted the traffic studies.
If we catch mostly green lights, we occasionally make it to the posted speed of 20 miles per hours. But one thing that really slows us down are the extra slow-moving bicycles in our traffic lane. These people are using a very busy street as a recreation venue, slowing down the traffic in and out of economically depressed Downtown Salisbury. I can’t recall many times when, as we pass cyclists, they try to stare at us, as if WE are cramping their style. Some leave their own land of travel, they are so focused on rubber-necking at the gall of motor vehicle operators and passengers on THEIR recreational venue. Some speed up and attempt to cut off cars—on their bicycles—requiring drivers to suddenly apply their brakes to avoid hitting them. Then at times, they’ll hold up their hands and shrug their shoulders, as if they have no responsibility in the near-accident they attempted to cause. We’ve even been flipped-off by erratic bicycling buffs. The ‘entitlement’ attitude of these recreational enthusiasts is endangering to themselves. It is baffling
One lady visiting from England last Spring, commented to a friend that Salisbury reminded her of France, with the bicycles, mopeds and scooters. We explained that it was a combination of recreational enthusiasts and persons who had had their drivers licenses revoked for impaired driving. As she watched their driving habits, she quickly figured out that there were lots of addicts on this stretched of highway, using ‘alternative’ modes of transportation. I explained to her that there is a small but strident group who are actually “car-haters”, and they are proudly promoting choking of East Innes Street down from 4 lanes to a 2-lane route, in order to accommodate their entitlement to recreation.
She could not understand why such a small group of fanatics would be so selfish, as to deprive what could potentially become a quaint little downtown area of its economic lifeblood. Sure, the “road diet” would reduce speeds of the motor vehicles to a snail’s pace. Whose safety or quality of life would be blessed by that kind of elitism? Sure, bikes, mopeds and scooters are more fuel efficient, but how much shopping can be done on a two-wheeled vehicle?
Bike lanes might have some place, maybe. Let the city use funds and venues by connecting with Parks and Recreation for it. Of course less motor vehicle parking would be needed if this dying downtown were to favor bicycles over cars. Heck, you could shut down all lanes of travel for cars and accomplish that. Maybe they just don’t want any visitors in Salisbury? But the traveling public with expendable incomes will go out of the downtown to make their purchases, if Salisbury’s streets become more hostile to motor vehicle traffic. So “Just Say NO” to the “free money” from the state and federal government. Those funds could be better spend WIDENING our roads, instead of diverting our limited gas tax funds to recreation venues not contributing to the revenue sources. Instead of a race to grab ‘other peoples money’, we should lobby the state and federal government to stop their little experiment of redistribution of revenues to causes that don’t contribute to the funds. Those liberal ideas may be coddled from cradle to grave in liberal enclaves like Portland, Oregon; but the self-styled ‘progressives’ who birth these outrageous ideas need to click their heels together, and move onward to greener pastures. We’re not Portland!
