Sprague bike lane unwise

I feel that bike lane(s) on Sprague Avenue should not be put in. I am in my mid-60s, have commuted by bike most of my life, and raced bicycles for the last 48 years. I have lifetime of miles by bicycle. A bike lane on Sprague will lead to further congestion, will rarely be used, and will not be safe for the bicycle rider. The city proposal to use First and Pacific is the correct approach. Motor vehicles and bicycles don’t play well together and there are many more cars than bike riders. Bicycle lanes should have little intermixing with cars.

Over my life I have attended a number of public hearings related to bicycle use on surface streets. I think most bicycle-related public decisions are made with public input but no practical, or personal, knowledge on how bicycles and cars interact. Policy makers need to go out and ride a bicycle in the areas they are working on and ride the route more than once. I suspect Mr. Billig has not ridden a bicycle on a street like Sprague. The conditions on Sprague from I-90 through the downtown are what a bad bike wreck looks like before it happens. A bike lane on Sprague is both unsafe and a waste of money.

Larry Adams

Spokane