The following essay is from Ruth Elgin an Alaskan Indian. Ms. Elgin works at the Lummi Headstart Program, and  she is a student in Kathyrn Stuart-Stevenson’s class. Ms. Elgin has 3 teenaged sons who attend junior high, and high school.  She is also  interested in pursing her career in Early Childhood Education.

Let’s Get Together and Do It Right

Ruth Elgin-English 100-
Kathy Stuart-Stevenson (Northwest Indian College)
1 December 2009

Is the cost, of a project in expanding narrow roads, worth losing a love one? My eldest son Jonah rides his bike on the north end of Lummi Shore Drive, just south of Cagey Road to and from the WTA bus stop on Kwina Road every day.  He tells me stories of how dangerous it is for him to ride his bike.  First of all, vehicles don’t slow down to drive around him when they are in a hurry. They run him off the road making him ride close to the ditch honking their horns as they drive by. Now that the daylight hours are getting shorter, it is difficult to see pedestrians walking or riding a bike on these narrow roads. While driving my own vehicle to work, I’ve witnessed on Lummi Shore Drive cars driving around mothers walking and pushing their babies in strollers and people riding bicycles where there is no sidewalk. What does that tell you about areas that aren’t a finished project? So let’s get together and do it right!

We, as residents of the Lummi Indian reservation, should petition the governing bodies i.e.: The State of Washington, Lummi Nation and the Whatcom County Transportation Authority; to pull together and make a continuous bike / pedestrian lane around the perimeter of the reservation.  Here are a few good reasons why they should listen to us. To begin with, if you take a drive around the reservation you can see a lot of unofficial bike / pedestrian lanes.  There are certain areas that do not have any bike or pedestrian lanes at all.  In fact there is not even a shoulder along these stretches of road. These areas are on Haxton Way from the Casino south to Kwina Rd, Lummi Shore Drive from Haxton to Cagey Rd. and Marine Drive from the Nooksack Bridge to the College.  These are dangerous places for people that are walking, especially those who are walking with children.  It is also dangerous for the people who are riding bikes around the community. The statistics in the last twenty years show that there have been 16 deaths on the reservation of those that are walking or riding on these narrow roads (Paden). The way to correct this problem is to widen these roads and make it safer for all traffic use.

I would estimate that during the spring and summer months there are from 50-100 people per day riding their bikes on these roads. These people are enjoying themselves and taking advantage of the beautiful view that there is to offer. Most of them ride bicycles to and from school or work, whether it is out here or into Bellingham. Continuous bike / pedestrian lanes would promote less traffic congestion and would eliminate the need for pedestrians and bicyclist to watch out for other drivers.  As of now, these unofficial lanes are being used for recreational use and a safe route to and from work or school (Vinish).  However, when they abruptly end and the nice smoothly paved shoulder of the road turns into sand, gravel and grass it becomes a danger for everybody.

If you think about the expense of this project, yes it would cost millions of dollars, think also about the price of saving someone’s life.  I would encourage anybody to take a drive down Haxton Way sometime and count the number of crosses placed on the road where people have been killed in tragic accidents.  Continuous bike lanes would make commuting easier and safer and would make the cost of building these lanes justifiable.

In addition to the continuous bike lanes, adding traffic lights or post lights, roundabouts, speed limit signs and crosswalks would help ease the flow of traffic and make things safer for everybody.  All in all, have a continuous education class on bike and pedestrian safety, so people would have a better understanding of these traffic laws and what to wear when you are out riding or walking. Furthermore, constructing and widening the roads will also attract the tourists that ride bikes to maybe stop in on in-home businesses that are around the reservation.

There are a few residents in the area that have disagreed with the project in widening the roads only because it shortens their yard. They have little lots to begin with. Others say they have had their bikes stolen right off their own property when people walk by in the middle of the night. Some people wouldn’t want to encourage bike traffic out here only because they would just rather keep the things the way they are.

In conclusion, I have gathered information about this issue from other sources reasoning the positive outcome this would bring to the reservation.  However, listening to the stories my eldest son Jonah shares about riding his bike on the reservation, he claims as an individual bicyclist we do have our advantages and disadvantages but have the freedom to ride anywhere of everywhere. Therefore, having the unofficial bike/pedestrian lanes are beneficial for all traffic use, especially at night time. If you, the governing body of Whatcom County Authority, would only make a stand on this project and to see that this happens in the near future for the safety of all. Then let’s get together and finish this project and do this right!

Works Cited

Paben, Jared. “Lummi Nation Transportation.”The Bellingham Herald 20 July 2009

Vinish, Kirk. “Tribal Transportation Officer for the Lummi Nation.” Safe Route 206.224.9252