You recently reported on the e-mailed survey that the Village of Wellington sent to its citizens requesting that they vote on the landscape configuration for a proposed project to install bike lanes on Aero Club Drive.
The survey asked voters to choose between three choices of landscaping for the project. It would have been a much better survey if they would have surveyed the public on whether they want this project at all. I could not vote for any of the choices because I do not want a bike path on that roadway, period. Apparently, those who created the survey assumed that everyone would be in favor of this, since the State of Florida is paying for it. That is a bad reason for a project like this.
A few years ago, the village installed an excellent multipurpose path along the very same roadway. I use it regularly when riding my bike. The multipurpose path not only accommodates bikers, it also serves to separate them from automotive traffic. I am opposed to bike lanes because the bike paths narrow the driving lanes and place the bike lanes in very close proximity to the drivers, creating safety hazards for both.
Perhaps a case could be made for bike lanes where there is no good alternative, but bikers already have a good alternative on Aero Club Drive: the multipurpose paths. Keeping the two groups separated increases the safety for all. When I am biking, I want to be separated from drivers, and when I am a driver, I want to be separated from bikes. The multipurpose path accomplishes this, the bike path does not. That is why I am against bike paths on Aero Club Drive.
Marc Rodstein, Wellington
