Jonathon Morris, U.S. Army Ranger, Ret. and Rowan County Recue Rancher
♦ Sen. Andrew Brock sponsored a bill that would restrict the wholesale squandering of transportation funds on “Road Diets”. He is being attacked by a tiny group of Salisbury bicycle radicals who oppose the 2/3 vote on reducing state highways already, marked for traffic, into bike lanes. It doesn’t say the money “can’t” be spent on Road Diets, only that to do so would require a 2/3 vote of the State Board of Transportation.
Making mountains out of mole-hills? They claim they were in Raleigh yesterday to give Sen. Brock a piece of their mind. Really?
Do bicyclists contribute to the gas tax from which those highway funds are expected to be spent on choking down a major U.S. highway in downtown Salisbury? (East Innes Traffic Calming) Do they pay any excise tax on the bikes, tires, etc., like motor vehicle drivers do?
If not, then how do they measure their claim of right to inconvenience everyone else on the streets and highways, with these Byzantine, traffic-choking, multi-million dollar projects draining taxpayer money. May I suggest they begin contributing to the highway fund they propose robbing of the cash necessary to provide them with a recreational venue?
I suggest that they pay up or shut up.
Sen. Andrew Brock, Sen. Trudy Wade, and Sen. Brent Jackson came to bat for motorists and taxpayers when the three state senators sponsored Senate Bill 617 which spells provisions for bike lanes and road diets. In short this thoughtful bill simply says: “Reduction of travel lanes to accommodate the addition of bike lanes within the existing paved and marked travel lanes of any State highway system street or highway located within a municipality shall be approved by a vote of two‑thirds of all the members of the Board of Transportation.”
Most every motorist I’ve spoken to has nothing, but loathing for fanatical “complete streets” programs. Here is Senate Bill 617:
http://www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2015/Bills/Senate/HTML/Si617v0.html
I’m a proud driver of a motor vehicle like the overwhelming majority of people driving on the roads, streets, and highways of North Carolina. Apparently we need a motor vehicle coalition made up of the proud owners of cars, trucks, limos, motorcycles, SUVs, tractors, 18-wheelers and others who use the roads and pay taxes on it. Now I’m not saying terrorizing two-wheelers, running them off the road or giving them the old back tire bump like many drivers are saying. That’s stooping to their level. I’m talking up creating an overwhelmingly powerful lobby that will put an end once and for all to the puny voice of a few bicyclists ruining our roads and making them unsafe for motor vehicles. We need to show them what a real coalition is all about.
