"Road Diet." The name says it all.

In spite of the city's assertion that the goal of modifying Alabama Street is to reduce collisions, I believe the agenda is to again reduce road capacity in order to be more "green," the result being to cripple the movement of people and vehicles through a busy, yet well-functioning, commuting and business corridor.

Need proof? All you have to do is look at all the other bike lanes, bulbed-out crosswalks, traffic calming devices, concrete medians, and other "improvements" forced upon us as proof-positive that Bellingham's roads have been increasingly "bottlenecked" in order to create a "one-lane-each-way commuting hell" in a city that keeps growing.

Let's make roads more crowded so we can reduce collisions? Get real.

I am not interested in a car-free utopia. I have to show up for work and school -- with my stuff clean, dry, presentable and on time -- in a city that is cold, dark and wet most days.

City planner Chris Comeau states: "We're not selling anything to anybody... we're conducting a study." But then he says: "Keeping Alabama the way it is not an option..."

The public is not misinformed; we know that Bellingham doesn't need any more road diets.

We need the city to leave Alabama Street alone, and start using our tax dollars to repave our deteriorating roads.

Robert Gray

Bellingham