Vail Daily letter: Dismount zone unnecessary
As a full-time resident of Vail living several hundred yards outside Vail Village, I oppose the possibility that the heart of Vail Village will be made a permanent bike-dismount zone.
I commute daily in the winter to my job in the village by bicycle and during the summer months ride to or through the village almost daily.
I have many friends who also ride to work from their home or outlying parking lots to their jobs in the village. I run errands for myself and my guests in the village by bike.
My shopping and dining are done by bike in the village and Lionshead. I am also a customer of many businesses in Vail Village, and it has been my experience that many pedestrians are not aware that they are sharing the village with other modes of transportation.
Texting while walking, loose children and pets, as well as changes in direction without looking are just some of the obstacles I encounter while riding in the village.
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A bike-dismount zone in the village will not change any of these actions, just punish the biker as the cause of the surprise or frustration that an inattentive walker may feel.
Could a possible solution be to educate all that enter the village that it’s a car-free zone and one may encounter other modes of transportation and to act in a responsible manner?
We have made it through 50 years without this need. I suggest we can go many more with education for all.
Erik Brofos
Vail