Driver, bikers and pedestrians - hundreds of people's lives are being put at danger in the current conditions of the Rehoboth Bike Path. The bike paths into and out of Rehoboth are the city's Achilles heel and prove to have a lot of safety issues because of the traffic and the way the roads are structured.
Currently, the riders must cross over a bridge and through the traffic circle (and down many busy roads) just to see the blue waves of the beach. Many other ideas for new bike paths have been suggested but none of the plans would be completely successful in ensuring the bikers', pedestrians' and drivers' safety.
The Grove Park extension and bridge plan should be implemented into Rehoboth. The main bike route into Rehoboth has the bikers going over a bridge shared with cars and pedestrians. On the current bridge, the bikers who are going in different directions are riding on the same lane, and that could cause collisions between multiple bikers if they veer a little off into the wrong direction. If the bridge just for people without motor vehicles is implemented, that will give the riders going in different directions enough room to ensure their safety and stop collisions from occurring. After the bridge, the bikers must ride around the oh-so-very-unsafe traffic circle before entering Rehoboth Avenue. The traffic circle is hazardous for bikers and drivers going through it who don't know how to navigate it. The extension to the Grove Park bike trail provides more than enough room for the bikers, pedestrians and the people who are just at the park. They also wouldn't have to go around the traffic circle.
If the Grove Park extension and bridge proposal was executed in Rehoboth it would, in addition to the bikers, also be better for the car drivers. Roads in Rehoboth are usually crowded and cramped during the summer when the most bikers are going down them. The Grove Park extension and bridge would be constructed off the road and away from cars, and the drivers could drive without having to worry about bikers. Without the bikes, there will be less commotion on the road in general, which will decrease the likelihood of a collision between a car and a bike, or a car and another car.
Some people may disagree that a new bridge and extension is the best option because, as it is planned for, it currently has the bikers riding behind the Rehoboth Beach Museum. They think the bike path may detract from the importance and significance of the museum This isn't the case. When bikers ride down the bike path, it will make people who aren't aware of the historical society now know that it is there. If anything, it would attract more visitors to the museum.
Although there is probably no perfect solution to Rehoboth's bike path issues, building a new bridge and adding an extension to the already safe trail of Grove Park would fix most of the issues. Support the Grove Park bridge and extension visit and meeting and learn more about it, help fix the problem that is putting citizens' and tourists' lives at danger. As Marcus Tullius Cicero said, "The safety of the people shall be the highest law."
Parker Cole
Lewes
-
A letter to the editor expresses a reader's opinion and, as such, is not reflective of the editorial opinions of this newspaper.
To submit a letter to the editor for publishing, send an email to newsroom@capegazette.com. Letters must be signed and include a telephone number and address for verification. Please keep letters to 500 words or fewer. We reserve the right to edit for content and length. Letters should be responsive to issues addressed in the Cape Gazette rather than content from other publications or media. Only one letter per author will be published every 30 days. Letters restating information and opinions already offered by the same author will not be used. Letters must focus on issues of general, local concern, not personalities or specific businesses.
