Re: 30th Street bike lanes

The City Council has put into place an eccentric plan to carve unique roadways for bicycles and, now, scooters. We are told the move is part of a 30-year plan to encourage folks to bike rather than drive so that San Diego could reduce emissions and achieve the state’s longterm climate plan.

Sadly, San Diego is not Amsterdam and the council’s intent seems more like a self-serving feel-good move than a serious attempt to pursue a well-planned public transportation plan.

San Diego has a vibrant and well-educated citizenry many of whom live center city and adjacent distinct neighborhoods. The sense that they might bike to work may work in a Dr. Seuss fable but it has little practical application.

SANDAG’s recently released transportation plan has enormous potential to provide intelligent transportation solutions in a creative, well thought-out and well-presented document. Our City Council would do themselves — and us — a service by putting serious effort into creating a pathway in congruence with SANDAG’s plan and listen more to experts than to the bike lobby

Bill Slack, via website

The city did not follow proper procedures to notify and collaborate with residents to find an optimal design for 30th Street that accommodates bikes with fully-protected bike lanes while minimizing impacts on other uses.

It should be noted that bike safety and parking are not mutually-exclusive concepts. Anyone who suggests they are is nothing more than a closed-minded ideologue. J Street Downtown has parking-protected bike lanes that are extremely safe, yet parking did not need to be removed.

David G., via website

Re: Protected bikeways on Fourth and Fifth avenues

This is great news. If we as a community and race (the human race) really care about climate change, the health of members of our community, then we need to make as many protected bike lanes as possible.

Now, here’s a thought. We need to also install bicycle shelters in a parking space, in grocery store parking lots, in parking garages and at malls. All you need to do is a “Google Images” search using the search phrase, “bicycle shelters” and you’ll see that multiple cities in the USA are doing this as well as cities around the world.

And on top of this, there are statistics that show that car-related accidents with bicycles go way down when there are protected bicycle lanes.

Mike West, via website

Trump’s corruption stinks

Trump is a danger to our democracy. Given the overwhelming evidence Mueller presented in his report and testimony, and the willingness of this administration to let foreign powers interfere in our democracy, it’s past time Congress opened a formal impeachment inquiry.

No more excuses. No more delays.

The Mueller investigation found extensive criminal activity committed by Trump and his team. It resulted in 37 indictments and at least seven convictions or guilty pleas, uncovered over 10 instances of obstruction of justice by Trump himself, and revealed over 100 secret meetings and communications between his campaign and Russian and their cronies.

If any other American had obstructed justice as flagrantly as Trump has, they’d be going to jail.

Our representatives need to step up now, because doing nothing will only embolden Trump to trample over our democratic norms and to keep breaking the law. Doing nothing sets a dangerous precedent for future presidents.

For all of these reasons, it’s time for our representatives to voice their support for a formal impeachment inquiry.

Victor Marquez, Kearney Mesa
Angela Teixeira, North Park
Leiza Duckworth, Scripps Ranch

If any other American had obstructed justice as Trump has, they’d be going to jail. By letting Trump get away with his corruption and stalling on holding him accountable, Congress sends a dangerous message to the American public. It’s time they act.

During Mueller’s testimony in July, he confirmed the results of his investigation: 37 indictments, at least seven convictions and guilty pleas, and more than 10 episodes of obstruction of justice by Donald Trump himself.

Given all of the evidence, I don’t understand at this point why our representatives still haven’t voiced their support for a formal impeachment inquiry.

No one should be above the law in our country. Period. I don’t care who you are — if you’re the CEO of a company or the president of the United States of America. Donald Trump must be held accountable, just like any other American would be.

If it had been anyone else who obstructed justice as blatantly as Trump did, they’d be behind bars.

Some people say that we shouldn’t pursue impeachment because there are so many other issues to deal with. What about health care? Gun control? Climate change? Immigration?

And to these people, I say: our lawmakers can address these issues and pursue an impeachment inquiry at the same time. That’s what we pay them to do.

It’s time for our representatives to join the 130-plus other members of the House and support a formal impeachment inquiry now.

Janis Cramer, North Park