Much Ado About Nothing

There is a lot of road repair work going on here in Bellevue. There must be at least six or seven repaving projects going on within just a two mile radius from my house. I have noticed that the improvements are not really improvements however. In essence, all that is really happening is a repave. Two of the biggest problems in Bellevue, in my opinion, aren't addressed with these "improvements".

First, no new sidewalks are being built. In a community as rich as this one you would expect sidewalks pretty much everywhere. On the other hand, status in this community is car-centric. What you drive is who you are and those who need to walk for errands or to public transportation are invisible here. It is dangerous to walk to many places in this city.

Second, the shoulders are not being widened. As a cyclist I know what conditions are like here. Some streets are busy and shoulder-less. Others have shoulders which suddenly disappear at intersections. Making left-hand turns is an act of faith. So, seeing construction which essentially maintains the status quo is disheartening. It says a lot that nothing is being done for cyclists.

I am heartened by things that are being done for cyclists in places like Indianapolis and Davis, California. It takes time and vision to change a culture. The inertia is still on the side of the car in most of America, but I'm seeing cracks in that facade here and there. I'm not sure what it will take for the nation as a whole to get on a sensible transportation path, but when it comes I'm sure it will be fast. We can end up like the Netherlands or Mad Max. Our choice.