I am writing as a resident of North Asheville who has been a bike commuter for over 7 years. I bike to work from North Asheville to CarePartners on Sweeten Creek Rd on a majority of work days. I bike within town to errands on Merrimon Ave., and bike to social gatherings downtown and in West Asheville to avoid the headaches of parking.

I am in total agreement with the letter that Asheville on Bikes has already submitted pertaining to concerns with the current plans for Merrimon Ave. Their letter expresses these concerns much more coherent and succinct manner than I ever could. So in the interest of not reinventing the wheel, I would like to politely add, “ditto.”

I would like to, some day, be able to bike commute in Asheville in a way that doesn’t feel like I’m taking my life into my hands or have to ride miles out of my way just to stay on safer roads. I would like the rest of Asheville to feel more comfortable biking on these roads because the infrastructure has been put in place to allow them to do so in a safe manner. Please abandon these plans as they currently stand and consider making this the bike/pedestrian-friendly city that it has the potential to be.

Thank you for your consideration,

Debbie Johnson