The North Oak Harbor Street project is about finished and folks who must use this road on a regular basis are plum worn out. A few questions:

Why was a perfectly good sidewalk on the west side of the street ripped out and replaced by a porous piece of asphalt supposed to be shared by pedestrians and cyclists? Most Washington cities forbid the use of bicycles on any walkway. You better not try it.

Who thought up the interesting experiment of cement islands in the middle of city streets, thus creating an obstacle course?

Do you think a large mobile home with a car hitched to the back or a semi could ever make a right turn at the bottom of Crosby Street where a cement island prevents you from making a normal wide turn so that your back wheels won’t go over the sidewalk? Use another road.

I’m glad someone noticed the five-inch original high cement borders of the flower boxes were inviting the possibility of a car or truck riding over the rim in dog or darkness. The vehicle would never be able to back out under its own power and would need a tow truck! New, driver-friendly, low boxes were installed.

I really liked Oak Harbor Street better before about a million and a half dollars were spent on it. What a waste!

Lawrence B. Young

Oak Harbor