To the editor:

The paper says the city is asking for suggestions on the upcoming bike boulevards in Lawrence.

I have a great idea: How about if we just not do it? For a lot of us poor and retired folks in this town, it appears that those in charge continually want to spend money on projects that seem rather foolish. First, the “bike boulevard” isn’t really a bike boulevard as such. It has to be designed for foot traffic and cars. Everyone that rides a bike in this town with a purpose in the ride won’t be using the boulevard. They ride long distances and go away from stop-and-go traffic. How about we call it what it really is? This is a “waste-of-money boulevard,” pure and simple. This reminds me of the movie with the line, “If you build it, they will come.” Only, for the city commissioners, the phrase is, “Build it, and they will just pay for it.” Simple math. Not enough cash to cover the $460,000-plus dollars. No problem. Raise taxes again. But there’s probably one person in the commission who wants to appease a crony so they can get their name on a plaque for the first “waste-of-money boulevard” in town — oh, sorry, “bike boulevard.”

Someday, it would be nice to have the City Commission agree to not do any gee-whiz projects until the city’s bank account can afford to do the project without the fallback of raising the mill levy later.

Roger Powell,

Lawrence