Pejman: Scottsdale transportation action plan is nearsighted

Dear Mayor Ortega & Council Members,

Thousands of apartments are in the pipeline, and plenty more will get approved going forward, even with a resident friendly council.

This is not hyperbole. It’s fact. Very soon we will have major gridlock on our roads (resulting in added carbon emissions from sitting cars). If anything, the city should be looking to widen some roads and add lanes, not reduce existing road width.

Bikes are great, and I ride one…but with five months of 100-115 degree temps that we have here every year, they will still empty for almost half the year.

Scottsdale, like the rest of the valley is a car town. You can’t deny it. And many older people rely solely on cars to function and get around.

Again, adding bike lanes is fine, but not at the expense of narrowing roads. This Utopian all-year-around bikes and cars plan may work in other cities, but not in Scottsdale, mostly due to hot temperatures and long distances between residences and shopping.

Also, the use of a “Dedicated Lane” (cars can’t use it) for Rapid Bus Transit on Scottsdale Road between Thunderbird and Chandler (‘not anticipated but subject to council approval’) is insane, and would enrage the majority of citizens and visitors.

Editor’s Note: Bob Pejman is a resident and business owner in Scottsdale.