To the city manager and Councilmembers:

If one wanted to ride a horse on Island Crest Way … on the pavement … would that be a problem or require a permit? I understand that a bike rider doesn’t need a permit to slow down traffic at this point. Share the road, right?

If one wanted to use the right-hand lane of ICW where it is four lanes (north of Island Park Elementary) with a horse-drawn carriage or on horseback, would that be a problem or require a permit?

If a problem, why?

I would think that many Islanders would rather take a horse-drawn wagon to the North end of the Island, than a bike, but I might be wrong. A horse or horse-drawn carriage is certainly more romantic and more unique.

If you are thinking of reducing the width of ICW from four lanes to two to accommodate bike riders, may I suggest that horse and buggy (big draft horses and large buggies/wagons or faster Morgan horses and light buggies) may be far more fun and attractive and interesting for many of us.

A bike lane for the very few who may use it occasionally, in good weather, to improve their shape or mood, may seem important to the few that would do that, but I suspect there is a potentially larger group of people who may want to use the space for horses, or for golf carts that they can park in the North-end Park and Ride (if there was room).

Lisa Belden