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Letters to the Editor: Dag-wood it, give pedestrians a fighting chance In the Blondie cartoon today, Dagwood is standing on the corner waiting to cross. The signal changes from "Don't Walk" to "Better Run." That is the way I feel when I try to cross streets in downtown Ashland. I wait for the signal to walk, and before I am halfway across the signal changes to Don't Walk, and there are cars whizzing past me. Because of that terrifying experience, I do not shop in downtown Ashland anymore than I have too. It is easier to go to malls where I can park my car and walk at my pace to the stores. Cars are not the only ones in Ashland that run red lights, pedestrians are required to run the red lights in order to cross the street. It reminds me of the pictures of the people running the bulls in Pampoloma. The cars are the bulls and the pedestrians are the people trying to outrun them. Couldn't the City of Ashland reset the traffic lights for a little more time for crossing and give pedestrians a fighting chance. Alberta Apenes, Ashland Arctic refuge must be saved, no matter what With the Republican party now controlling both the House and the Senate in Washington, it is inevitable that the topic of drilling for oil in the coastal plain of Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge will be revisited - often. Amendments to open up the refuge and other pristine areas of Alaska were proposed for the recently passed budget bill. Fortunately, the most egregious of these was eliminated before the budget was passed by the Senate. Word on the street indicates that a new proposal will be voted on some time in March. The natural qualities of the refuge, and its vital importance as both one of America's last wilderness areas, and as the primary calving grounds of the Porcupine Caribou and nesting area for millions of migratory birds, have not changed. Nor has the desire of the people of Oregon to protect this area. Senators Smith and Wyden have represented that they will be voting against drilling. We thank them for that. Wyden has pledged to continue to protect the refuge. Smith has told us that he does not support drilling "at this time," but he has not made it clear whether we can depend on him to vote against allowing drilling in the future. With the change in political climate in Washington, it is essential that both of our senators continue to hear the common voice of our state and vote against exploration and/or drilling for natural resources in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Daniel M. Wise, Ashland Guest forum: 'Elitist' bikers can dig in their pockets like the rest of us By Thomas C. Howser Ashland I see with amazement and wonder that the City "considers shifting funds to help needy." (Tidings, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2003.) What a joke. Here we are with millions of dollars being plunged into mudholes up and down Siskiyou and Ashland Street and the City Council is talking about cutting budget funds to OSF and the Chamber of Commerce to assist the needy. During the holidays, I went into Albertson' s where a lady was sitting collecting a few dollars to help provide Christmas baskets for the needy. After giving her a few bucks I got into the car and we drove back up Ashland Street, down Siskiyou and home. How could I reconcile the fact that this charitable lady was sitting out in the cold collecting money for the needy when the City, albeit with the aid of highway funds, has helped to do one of the silliest things that has ever happened in this City, and that is saying something. We have torn up the boulevard, torn up the streets, invested millions of dollars and created a traffic nightmare for one reason: to indulge a bunch of vocal, elite bicycle riders. We have bicycle lanes on East Main, we have a bicycle path we have paid millions for, we already had bicycle lanes on Ashland Street. What's the point? Does anybody really believe that anymore than one per cent of Ashland's population is going to ride a bicycle on a regular basis? It is too hilly, it is too sweaty, too chilly, there is too much traffic and I have yet to see a family of four go shopping on their bicycles. OSF and the Chamber are actually constructive participants in helping the needy. The people they bring into town get entry level jobs in shops, stores, ice cream joints, etc., to deal with the tourist traffic. That is more good than a hand-out. The next time the City has a few million dollars at its disposal, why doesn't it think about the needy at that time instead of doing, as usual, the politically correct thing for those who shouted the loudest? As it is now, bicyclists ride against the lights, dart across the street, ride the wrong way on one-way streets, ride the sidewalks, ride on the side of the street opposite the bike lanes already in place, etc. If these, "elitist" folks who want to peddle around town are so gung-ho about that, let's let them contribute. All motor vehicles contribute by gasoline taxes to the upkeep of our streets. The new gasoline-hybrids even have higher registration fees because they don't use as much gas. Let's give everybody a chance to do their part. I would propose that the City of Ashland enact an annual licensing fee of $100 per bicycle for everyone over the age of 18. That money can be played with by the cyclists and let the rest of us get on with what is important. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. 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