Re: ‘Sidewalks Coming to Somerset This Fall’

To the Editor of the Castro Valley Forum:

I am writing regarding the article “Sidewalks Coming to Somerset This Fall” (April 10, 2024) on the recent presentation from Public Works to the BPAC. As noted in the article, there are currently no plans to add bike lanes to Somerset because a minority of residents unwilling to give up any amount of “free” parking. I was curious what this free parking is used for. Yesterday afternoon I walked the majority of the length of Somerset and tallied that 20% of the cars parked had expired tags and did not have any evidence of having been moved recently. The logical conclusion is that Public Works prioritizes using public thoroughfares for long-term storage of unused vehicles over active transit via bicycle. I personally fail to see how this is a reasonable way to treat our community.

–Eli Rykoff, Castro Valley