Readers’ comments: November 24, 2023

Bike lane benefits even skeptics can appreciate
Dear editor:
In a recent letter [“Readers’ Comments,” November 3] Douglas Lyon complains that Claremont’s Mountain Avenue project wastes taxpayer money because so few people ride bicycles. In that case, he asks, why build bike lanes?
I think this attitude is short-sighted. Suppose that someone writing in 1900 had opposed upgrading Foothill Boulevard because so few “gas buggies” used that road. The obvious rebuttal would have been we’re anticipating the future and building for it. Every sentient person already understands that we’re phasing gasoline-powered vehicles out because of the damage their carbon dioxide does to the climate. As a minor part of that revolution, we’re encouraging longer-distance bike riding by providing the riders with safe lanes on major streets.
Automobiles are expensive to own; they pollute the planet, and pushing down accelerator pedals does not improve the health of the drivers. Bicycles are cheap, non-polluting, and pushing down their pedals improves the health of the riders. If you’ve visited Europe, you know that many European cities (notably in Denmark, the Netherlands, and Germany) have dedicated bike lanes that a third of the people use daily for commutation and shopping. I have seen very elderly people on bikes in these countries. There is every reason to expect that because of the inherent advantages of bicycling, dedicated bike lanes will attract similar usage in Claremont.
And here, for dedicated automobile fans, like Mr. Lyon, is an advantage even  he can appreciate. When people abandon automobiles for bicycles, there will be less traffic on the remaining automobile lanes than there is now. As a result, the automobile traffic will move more smoothly too.
Ivan Light
Claremont

Don’t leave us hanging: how about some follow-up on Blotter entries?
Dear editor:
When reading the Police Blotter in the Courier over the years, I often wonder what happened after an item was mentioned. Often times, as in the Blotter for November 17, we are told such things as “They were booked and later released with citations to appear at Pomona Superior Court.” Similarly, we have been told that someone “was released from Claremont police custody pending further investigation,” or “was transported to the CPD jail, booked, and later released on bond,” or “were released, held for detoxification, and later released with citations.”
We would be very interested to learn the ultimate outcome of these events, and would appreciate if such information can be included in future editions of the Courier.
Don Fisher
Claremont
Editor’s note: Though there have been exceptions over the years, the fact is our budget and the size and makeup of our staff is such that the time and money needed to follow up on many of these Blotter entries simply isn’t available. I hope this isn’t always the case, but for now it’s an unfortunate fact. MR.