Roger,

A few clarifications:

Firstly, I am somewhat ambivalent about tourism as it affects me little, and I have little affect on it. The fact that we are an island has the greatest affect on the number of visitors and residents, and neither you nor I have any say on this geographical phenomenon. So, I think the limiting factors are already in place, and a bike path will not even marginally add or detract to Chappy's relative appeal.

Secondly, the congestion that bikers and pedestrians cause our road are of no concern to me other than the resulting safety issues. I have always said, to anyone willing to listen, that I don't care if it takes me 4 or 8 minutes to reach my destination on Chappy Road. I'll drive at a biker's pace for as long as it takes to safely pass. And I drive slowly regardless of traffic. But, without naming names, several of my neighbors (bike path proponents and opponents alike) do not always act as I do. Lacking any ability to effectively change this behavior (I would assume that all Chappy residents are "educated" to the relative rights and responsibilities of driving and biking), I feel that we need to change the dynamic. The Chappy road has no shoulder, and thus no margin for error. 

Next, I believe that we are blessed to live in an environment with so much natural beauty. We live in a veritable wildlife sanctuary that is, for eight months of the year, almost solely ours to enjoy. Thus I think it is a bit of a spoiled attitude to complain so vigorously about something that will leave 99.9% of our island untouched.

Lastly, I would hope that the speed limit would stay the same on the road as it is now with or without a bike path, and that we may be graced with a greater traffic police presence than we currently have. The pedestrian and bike traffic, in fact, do little to reduce the overall driving speed on Chappy. There may be temporary slowdowns when drivers encounter bikers, but the speed quickly resumes in their absence.

Thanks for this forum Roger -- it is greatly appreciated.

Brad