Another reader weighs in on bikes on Water Street

decorahnews.com reader Loren Toussaint has e-mailed a comment on the topic of bikes using sidewalks on Water Street:

"I would hope we could rephrase the question driving this discussion to something like, "What can be done to encourage and welcome bicycle riders to ride on water street instead of on the sidewalks?"  Instead of putting the onus on the city for enforcement or on the younger (or older!) riders who are too timid to ride in the street, I wonder if we as a community could consider what accommodations could be made to encourage riding in the street instead of the sidewalk. 

Riding on Water Street can be quite intimidating with cars parking and passing (sometimes aggressively) and having to navigate between parked cars to reach a business, etc.  It seems that pedestrians don't want bicycles on sidewalks, but motorists don't want bicycles in the street (I am convinced of this after having biked here for 7 years)

If you choose to endorse biking in the street, then please show the normal courtesy to the bicyclist.  If you can't tolerate that solution, then please stop complaining about having bicycles on sidewalks.  You simply cannot have it both ways."