Letter: Bike lanes on Verdugo a bad idea

After reading Bryan Mahoney’s article in the July 23 Burbank Leader I thought it would be a good time to chime in and register dissatisfaction with the bike lanes on Verdugo Avenue. They were a bad idea given Verdugo is not that wide and there are other streets, including the Chandler bike path, that can be used by bicyclists. I don’t think the majority of Burbank residents feel Verdugo would be made into a “superhighway” if the bike lanes were eliminated but traffic would flow much more expeditiously without them. With tens of thousands of motorists — Burbank residents and non-residents — spending more time in their cars to navigate on and around Verdugo so a few bike enthusiasts can on occasion use Verdugo is misguided. I have no problem with bike lanes but putting them in more non-intrusive locations should be a priority.

In regard to the second phase of the Western Channel Bike Path, should this go forward, what’s the problem with sticking it to “a couple neighbors adjacent to the path”? The city has been sticking it to Burbank motorists for a couple years now with the Verdugo bike lanes. By all means let’s keep bicyclists happy, no matter how they impact tens of thousands of others or even a couple happy homeowners.

Joe Puckett
Burbank