To the editor:

The city’s planning process for constructing the Sound-to-Olympic Trail along the east side of Highway 305 south of Vineyard Lane apparently did not take into account that roughly 60 residents of Vineyard Lane would have no way to walk to the ferry or to Winslow Way other than walking on state highway 305 in the traffic lane.

Responsible planning could have created a temporary, graded gravel path for the quarter mile from the bridge to Winslow Way, above the slope, since that area has been clear cut, felling hundreds of trees (that’s another sensitive matter).

Instead, potentially 60 residents find themselves having no choice but to walk south or north on the highway, sometimes at the worst possible times — when a ferry is unloading, and southbound cars are also in a hurry to get to the ferry. This is dangerous and unnecessary, and could have been avoided with better planning.

Now, with construction underway, the city should make it the highest priority to create a path through the construction area, roped off with the orange netting, to enable pedestrians to walk to and from the ferry. Let’s not wait until an accident happens.

CHANNIE PETERS

Bainbridge Island