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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFront Street Connector Support Letter - Lindsey Hanna Lindsey Hanna   Commuter Cyclist   ㅡ Lindsey 1612 W Olive St, Apt 2 Bozeman, MT 59715 (907) 957-6373 lindseynullhanna@gmail.com 12 February 2020 Addi Jadin   City of Bozeman | Recreaon and Parks Department PO Box 1230 Bozeman, MT 59715 Dear TOP Commiee Members, I am a dedicated year-round commuter cyclist here in Bozeman, consistently riding 700-900 miles each year purely for transportaon purposes. I most oen ride between my home and my Downtown employer, but also frequent the Cannery District, Northeast neighborhood, NW Bozeman, and the new Ferguson Farm area. With the excepon of Bridger Bowl (and Costco...usually), I typically bike in lieu of driving regardless of season whenever possible. In the summer, I addionally ride to the M once per week for trail running, and I’m very excited to finally have the new path for this year’s training season! That said, commung via bike in Bozeman is rarely simple, straighorward, or safe. The few areas with offset mul-use paths (West Huffine, Oak, College) are far and above not only a more pleasant place to ride, but substanally safer for cyclists and drivers alike (especially in the winter.) There is currently no such bike route between Downtown and the Cannery District or Story Mill park: 7th is far too congested and drivers do not give us room despite the “Share the Road” signage; Black/Tracy/Fairgrounds have many uncontrolled stops that aren’t well maintained in the winter; Wallace has an unfortunate number of stop signs and more traffic than you’d expected; and Rouse has far too much traffic in addion to minimal shoulder space. The least awful routes are Black and Wallace, depending on which end of Bozeman you start from, but in order to get toward the M the former sll requires cyclists to ride on Rouse for ¼ to ½ of a mile, based on how circuitously you’re willing to ride. Prior to 6am, summer riding on Rouse isn’t too awful for an intrepid rider, but my return two hours later can be a nightmare.. This connector trail would allow cyclists to safely and straighorwardly avoid Rouse completely without requiring an obnoxious detour. This would ease pressure and stress for vehicular traffic and cyclists alike. The more we implement protected opons for non-motorized transportaon, the happier, healthier, greener, and quieter our community will be. I fully support and look forward to riding this and all future paths, trails, bridges, and overpasses that give cyclists (and pedestrians) more opons to ride safely, conveniently, and comfortably throughout Bozeman. Sincerely, Lindsey Hanna