The Bolinas Community Plan calls for the creation of safe and well-designed all-weather bicycle, pedestrian trails throughout the community. Everyone knows that walking and bicycling are good for us, for our children, and for the planet. We knew this in the early 70s when we created the Community Plan, and the environmental and geopolitical developments of the last 25 years have proved us right.

Unfortunately, the last 25 years have also brought more cars and a more car-oriented lifestyle to many communities, including Bolinas. Roadways have become more dangerous. People who value a sustainable world need to find ways to restore some of the human-scale values embodied in our Community Plan.

MEASURE D originated in Bolinas. It's an advisory measure that asks the county to pave and stripe two four-foot bicycle/pedestrian lanes between the school and downtown to increase safety and comfort for walkers, bicyclists, and motorists alike. Such lanes are used successfully throughout the county, the country, and the world to make the road more comfortable for all users, and effectively reduce accidents. Ninety percent of all children in the United States arrive at school in motor vehicles. Studies show that children who get enough exercise do better at school. Parents will decide when their children are ready to take to the road, but the popularity of Walk and Bike to School Days in Bolinas, where up to 80 children have walked and biked to school in a single morning, shows how many are ready and eager now.

MEASURE D was endorsed by the Bolinas Community Public Utility District, would be part of the existing roadway, meets state and county safety standards, and would be funded by our already paid tax dollars coming back to town. The county has pledged that Bolinas will have ample opportunity for input on design details, and all ideas consistent with safety and available funding will be considered.

Some MEASURE D opponents cite an "alternative plan" but it's a changing, shifting phantom. It's not on the ballot and a majority of BCPUD directors found it lacking in substance. In some versions it completely fails to meet safety standards; in another that does purport to meet such standards, it has no safety advantage over the bike lanes. The budget is completely unrealistic. The plan relies on unsecured promises of "substantial donations" by certain adjacent landowners, after unspecified community fundraising requirements are fulfilled; donated labor; and the unfounded assumption that grant funding is transferable.

Not addressed: county review, and problems of ongoing maintenance and liability. They say they believe that Supervisor Kinsey will solve all these problems later, but he cannot and does not make any guarantee. Most telling of all, the "alternative" was developed by people who are not bicyclists, who originally opposed any effort at all to improve the safety of the busy corridor between the school and downtown, and who disdained the input of local bicyclists.

YES ON MEASURE D! It will benefit the community for many years to come.

Nina Bellak

POB 493

Bolinas, CA 94924

868-2193