Dear editor:
Is it true? Are they really going to make a "bike" trail through downtown and leave us with only one lane to drive on? I live on the north side and let me tell you it is ridiculous enough already! When the city created the bottleneck coming into downtown, there are cars backed up half way to the race track. Then you have some idiot who wants to turn left holding everybody up, even longer! The first thing tourists see of our city now is the southbound lane that says "Left turn only -- must turn right" Huh? Now you want to create a bottleneck the whole length of downtown? Is that because the people who come here in their pickup trucks will now ride their bikes here from Texas?
There are already 100 cars that have to commute to the village and another 100 that commute from the village every morning and every night! Now they will have to go through Gulpha Gorge. What once was a scenic little trip will now be a traffic jam full of exhaust fumes and road rage. God forbid there is any fender benders over there. The rest of us will have to go over West Mountain, also a former nice little drive that will now be full of busy people late for work and God forbid any fender benders.
We need more lanes, not less. This is going to ruin downtown. The city better get with the 21st century and ban left turns and brace for the backfire as people just avoid going downtown at all. There is plenty to do on the south side of town!
I ride a bike and there is no problem getting through downtown. I know the other six people who ride bikes, too, and they ride right on through downtown because they really don't need anymore shot glasses with little Razorbacks on them.
Scott Ruff
Hot Springs
Editorial on 10/26/2016