To the editor:

I am a 12-year-old student at Southwest Middle School who bikes to and from school. Every day, I take my life in my hands! I know that this might sound overly dramatic, but it is not. My route to school is definitely not safe. There is no sidewalk that is continuous on one side of the street (Inverness south of Bob Billings). I could go on the sidewalk, but then I have to cross the street twice, and once is at the bottom of a hill where cars are going fast. I could go in the street itself, which would normally be even safer than on a piecemeal sidewalk, but the road is full of potholes and it makes it dangerous for me to bike. Also, there is no dedicated bicycle lane.

Lawrence says that it wants to encourage people to walk and bike to school, but they have not adequately created safe routes to do this. Inverness needs to be repaved, and there should be a dedicated bike lane (if not a continuous walkway/bike path). Otherwise, an inattentive driver, a random pothole or bad visibility could lead to a tragic accident.

Nate Boyack,

Lawrence