Dear Mr Donaroma, Mrs Serpa, and Mr. Smadbeck, 
I write to you as one of 215 Chappaquiddick residents who have been willing to put their name on a public web site as against going forward with a bike path on Chappaquiddick. I know of another eight who are not in favor but who want to keep their name off the list. 
I believe that thereare many very good reasons not to build a bike path on Chappy. I think that the most persuasive reason is that when cars are being driven out of the driveways and dirt roads that the bike path will cross, bikers will often hidden behind the fast growing shrubs and brush and cars and trucks driven by property owners, renters, service people and visitors will not be careful enough to make a stop, look both ways (through the bushes) and then continue. Sooner or later someone will be hit and seriously injured or killed. Even if stop signs are erected on every dirt driveway and if stop signs are put on the bike path at each driveway, coming from both directions, many bikers will probably not stop each time, just as cars will not stop each time and the inevitable will happen. This is a real and serious reality. 
While the highway department might have the best intentions of maintaining the path surface and the clearing of brush in order to insure good visibility, the reality is that it will not happen. An example is the maintenance of the surface on the ferry waiting line between the end of the paved lot and the beach club. It was fine the first year or two, when it was done four or five years ago, but it is now very soft in places and many cars stay on the paved road. 
On the South side of the Chappy road where off pavement parking is allowed, beyond the parking lots, the brush is not being cut deep enough to enable cars to park. This was discussed about eight years ago and it was fine for the first two years but has now been allowed to grow in at many spots. Intentions are good, but things slip. The same would probably be true of the bike path brush clearing maintenance--some on public property and some on private. 
Why take the chance? There has never been a problem with bikes and cars colliding on Chappy as there has been in other parts of Edgartown. The system works now. Yes, we often have to slow down and be careful before passing bake riders, but that is not a big deal. The bikes are now out there and visable. 
A small active group is promoting this, for various reasons. They have convinced 163 (41%) to be listed as in favor. These are all good people but most have not considered this great danger. 
The majority (54%) is against a bike path. Those in favor have claimed that their survey indicated 70% were in favor. This is totally inaccurate and misleading. It is not 70% but 41%. 
It is too bad that they convinced the powers that be to spend Community Development Funds for a survey at the Dike Road. This is probably an improper use of these funds. Many who were originally in favor of the Community Development Tax are now questioning it because of this bike path use. 
I hope that you will not agree to appoint a committee to further or even study this project. Check the even handed and transparent website and you will see the names listed. Opposition has grown since December when this list was started. Even then there were more opposed and the difference gets larger weekly. 
Thank you for your consideration. 
Lionel Spiro