Over 20 years ago the architects of the incorporation of Bainbridge Island into a city paid off a political debt by creating the “Core 40,” a promise to build 40 miles of bike paths on the island.

Of course, they had little interest in actually taking care of the roads or any of the infrastructure. After all, at the time the island had good roads because they were created and maintained by Kitsap County.

Now we are led to believe the roads were never any good or poorly built. The fact that the building spree allowed by the city fathers, allowing huge trucks to crush the roads, was not to be considered. Now we are told that the roads were never any good.

Lately, the city road crews seem to be more visible, cleaning a few ditches. Might this actually be a training session for the unqualified who remain on the job, while the experienced crew has been let go?

I once asked a police officer who was watching a stop sign for motorists who might roll through it, why he didn’t ticket the bike riders who were so obviously ignoring the same sign.

His response was that the bike riders don’t have a license so it is “hard to write the tickets.”

I think we have two options: Make the bike riders pay for their licenses to help fund the bike paths; or make the lazy cops write the tickets.

I am voting for both options.

Walter Ball

“The Mayor of Eagledale”