The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1900-07-26
A NEW BICYCLE PATH.

"A NEW BICYCLE PATH.
Residents Of Southtown who own abut-
| ting property are kicking about a new
bicycle path being built along Fifth street
In front Of their properties. Some of them
claim that they cannot get onto their
premises with team without driving over
the path. We say to them, drive over it or
onto 1t; pay no more attention to Il than
II 1t was not there. The street Is q
public highway. dedicated to the public for
the public use and thick-headed brainlesa
council has no right to set any part Of 1t
aside for the sole use OF one particular
class of the public The bicycle is q We
hicle and entitled to the same privileges
in the use of the streets as any other We
hicle and no more. So drive over 1t or on
to 1t to suit your convenience, and there
is no court but that will sustain you in 50
doing.-x-Rays.
There are in this world kickers, and
kickers of all grades and mental condi-
lions between the wise man and the fool.
1t is sometimes difficult to classify
them, but there is no such difficulty in
the above case.
Consider for a moment the intelli-
gence, or the lack of it embodied in the
declarations: ''The street is a public
public use, and thick-headed, brainless
council has no right to set any part of
it aside for the sole use of one particu-
lar class of the public"
This is one of the most thoughtless
breaks that we have recently seen in
print.
To emphasize and make still more
ridiculous his contention, the writer of
the above quotation, supposed to be one,
Tom Parsons, further says: "The bicycle
is vehicle and entitled to the same
privileges in the use Of the streets as
any other vehicle, and no more."-
If Mr.. Parsons should happen to think
of it, he would probably advocate the
abolishing of sidewalks because "set
aside for the sole use Of one particular
class of the public" It Is true that
sidewalks are set aside for that class
who walk while others ride. It is equal
ly true that the paved portion of the
streets is set aside for that class who
use vehicles. The one Is set aside for a
class as much as the other, and no more
We would call Mr.. Parsons attention
to the fact that In the surveying and
plating Of cities all the land between
the plated blocks is designated as street.
Sidewalks are part of and included in all
streets. Sidewalks are part of the public
highway and we have never heard seri-
ously questioned the right of city or vii
lage councils to separate and draw a
line between the portion to be used by
vehicles and that part used by pedes-
TRANS.
Such division is measure equally for
the convenience and benefit of both
classes, if Mr. ParsOn chooses to desig
nate them classes; however, if he will
take few observations he will notice
that most people who usually ride in
carriages if compelled to walk any dis
lance take to the sidewalks, and thus
step from one class to the other, as Mr..
Parsons would contend.
On our crowded street crossings all
these fancied classes become merged into
one, and we find the condition of travel
streets entire length. The footman has
equal rights with the wheelman and
both have equal rights with the car
riage and we station a policeman there
to see that all these rights are respected
1t reduces all travel to slow walk. A
team must halt and wait for the footman
who chances to be ahead and impatience,
temper and recklessness are exhibited
on every hand. In a city like Mime
apolis. if street, sidewalk and bicycle
path were all merged in one it would
require half our male population to po-
lice the streets to prevent casualties.
Mr.. Parsons cannot name a single rea-
son for the setting aside of strip for
sidewalks that does not apply with equal
force to bicycle path. A bicycle path
is simply another, division of the crowd
ed traffic upon our city streets. Such a
path is for the convenience of all classes
alike. Each class of travel interferes
with the others until they are separated,
and each takes that part of the road as
signed to it. Then teams can pass along
more rapidly without danger of riding
down wheelmen or footmen. Footmen
can walk in safety with their eyes on
only one side of their heads, and wheel
men are safe from horses hoofs and can
travel faster than walk. When Mr..
Parsons declaims about brainless coun-
ellis, he has, in this instance, applied the
adjective in the wrong place.
Parsons would advise transfers to
drive onto and over pedestrians on
our sidewalks because the sidewalks
have been set aside for class, the class
that walks. E. A. T.
"POT CALLING THE KETTLE BLACK"
The national Democracy put 16 to l in