Letter: Walking and cycling can be a way of life in Richland
We can make Richland the most pedestrian- and bicyclist-friendly city in Washington state. Our city hall needs to hear our support. We can have a thriving town where people love to live, and pedestrians and bicyclists freely move about with the right of way. We can enjoy more shaded, tree-lined streets with widened sidewalks and divided bicycle lanes.
The parkway can be a bustling plaza. Our free public parking can be centralized, within walking distance to restaurants, shops, and parks, with location-specific disabled parking. We can reduce traffic speed and traffic accidents. Commuters who live beyond can enjoy well-timed lights on the bypass highway without sacrificing our downtown.
Small cities like ours around the country are doing this successfully (Bellingham and Boise, for example). It takes a shift in culture. It takes drivers offering pedestrians the right of way and driving a little slower from point A to point B. It takes the city narrowing George Washington Way to five lanes and widening sidewalks on major streets. It takes planting shade trees to shade pedestrians in the summer sun.
Walking and cycling can be a way of life. Invest in Richland and show your support.
Laila Krowiak, Richland
This story was originally published May 23, 2017 at 12:28 PM with the headline "Letter: Walking and cycling can be a way of life in Richland."