Four Bainbridge councilmen must have stared too long at the sun on Monday without their protective eclipse-viewing glasses.

That was apparent at Tuesday’s council meeting, when the foursome was apparently unable to see the harsh reality right in front of their faces.

The cause of this temporary blindness? The eagerness to appease the very vocal minority on Bainbridge Island who want to see a $3 million foot-and-bicycle bridge built over Highway 305 near Vineyard Lane.

The city is pursuing plans to build a pedestrian bridge that has few fans other than the familiar crowd of “build anything for bicyclists” that have left the false impression that this bridge is actually a popular project.

It’s not. It’s opposed by folks who want to see the city set real priorities for roadside improvements that would benefit walkers and bicyclists, such as widened shoulders or the installation of the many missing connections on existing trails and paths. This bridge is not the fix to a missing connection. And while it’s been billed as a “safety” solution, the true cause of the safety issue on this stretch of Highway 305 is, of course, the reckless people who dart through traffic while crossing the highway rather than walking to a signalized intersection to the north or south.

It’s also been billed as a vital piece of the Sound to Olympics Trail. But let’s be honest, it’s not. It just happens to be adjacent to the trail — close enough for a sales pitch for federal grant dollars.

It’s also opposed by people who realize the bridge, because of its location south of High School Road, won’t be used much. It’s detested by nearby neighbors, including Vineyard Lane residents. They’ve named it the “Bridge to Nowhere,” and their homeowners’ board has voted unanimously against the project.

Others are worried about the environmental impacts, which would mean the permanent removal of forested areas that now help define the scenic highway corridor to residents and visitors alike. (Islanders need only look to the first phase of the trail to be reminded of the environmental scar that’s been self-inflicted along the highway from downtown to High School Road.)

And it’s also not wanted by islanders who want to see some semblance of fiscal sanity from their elected officials. Remember: City officials have no clear idea on how they’ll pay for their new police station, and Bainbridge recently learned the public safety facility they thought would cost a little more than $10 million a few years ago now has a price tag of $28.4 million (and that’s a figure that doesn’t include the costs of land acquisition, road improvements and other project development fees).

Even so, four councilmen — Wayne Roth, Roger Townsend, Val Tollefson and Mike Scott — voted to continue forward with the bridge project that, once completed, will eclipse the infamous Waterfront Park restroom as a monument to the city’s overspending stupidity.