When I moved to Silverdale, I fully intended to use my bicycle to commute to work. What I found, however, is that the roads are too narrow and congested for bicycling. Bicycling on Bucklin Hill Road means jockeying for space with fast-moving cars and trucks, and there's no shoulder and no bike lane.
So when I read in the newspaper about the county Commissioners discussing whether they should include bike lanes on the new Waaga Way connector road that will go past our church, I decided to write a letter to county commissioner Steve Bauer in support of bike lanes. Here it is:
Dear Commissioner Bauer,
I read in the Silverdale Life issue of the Kitsap Sun your comments about bike lanes on the Waaga Way Connector, and I see that you have a work session on Waaga Way next Monday.
I'm the pastor of St. Antony's Episcopal Church, located on Old Frontier Road, which will become connected to the new Waaga Way road. I'm also a bicycle commuter, and I support bike lanes on all new road construction.
I encourage you to fight for bike lanes on Waaga Way. Most of the roads in the Silverdale area were built in the 1980's to funnel automobiles into a giant mall, and bicycle transportation wasn't even considered then. Most of the Silverdale area has no bike lanes, and bicycling is hazardous on Silverdale roads. We really need bike lanes in Silverdale!
I'm convinced that the transportation of the future will include large numbers of bicyclists. We've already passed peak oil, and petroleum-fueled cars are going the way of the dinosaur. We're building roads today for the future, and we need to include bike lanes to meet those needs.
Thank you for supporting bike lanes on this new road.
Sincerely,
The Rev. Bill Fulton
St. Antony Episcopal Church
Silverdale, WA 98383
Blog: http://vicarofsilverdale.blogspot.com/
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