<< Back 8/14/02 Sylva, Jackson County need to do better for cyclists To the editor: We live in a beautiful area where outdoor adventure is the norm. Unfortunately, you will need a car to get just about anywhere from our busy downtown areas. Bicycle and pedestrian traffic just is not safe with our current roadways and lack of sidewalks or bicycle lanes. Riding my bicycle from Dillsboro to Sylva is a near impossibility without risking life and limb at the expense of fast moving cars and diesel-spewing trucks. There is less than a bicycle’s width of a shoulder on each side of the road and no sidewalks to help keep pedestrian walkers safe from the roadway. If I could utilize the railroad tracks as a bike lane as I see most walkers doing, I would. Children in our community need a safe way to commute without having to rely on parents to drive them everywhere. Not everyone owns a car. Not everyone wants to drive a car. As a community, we should offer everyone an equal opportunity to move safely within our towns without fear of being run over by a bigger and faster moving vehicle. It’s hard enough keeping my legs moving and lungs breathing when biking up a mountain road let alone dodging cars and breathing exhaust while I’m doing it. We need safer, more pedestrian-friendly options when travelling and moving about town. I have often heard of problems related to traffic and parking in Sylva. I would hope that one of the obvious solutions would be embraced whole-heartedly: alternatives to additional cars on our roads should be promoted and encouraged. A community Greenway is one solution, but that may be far off in the distant future. Everyday commuting with a bicycle or even on foot between Dillsboro, Sylva and Cullowhee are near impossibilities. Dodging cars and trucks on N.C. 107 is not my idea of a good time. My zero emission vehicle does not contribute to the traffic, parking or pollution problems we experience here everyday. I hope the towns of Sylva and Dillsboro will create a more pedestrian friendly environment for their citizens outside of the downtown areas. Currently there are no safe ways to get into either downtown without a car — try it and you will understand what I mean. This is an issue we should be discussing as a community, for only as a community coming together will we find solutions to make Sylva pedestrian and bicycle friendly. Jason Kimenker Sylva (Jason is the chairperson for the Sustainable Business Community of the Tuckasegee watershed region. He and his wife own Soul Infusion Tea House & Bistro in Sylva. He can be reached at jason@wnc.us)