Daisy, Daisy....

My hometown is small. Not tiny, but small. On an extremely traffic congested day, it would take a person about 8 minutes, to drive from one end of town to the other end. As with most mid western burgs, the town is laid out in a simple grid. One main, four lane North/South street, and one main East/West street intersect, in the middle of town. Those two streets are the most congested in town. Sometimes, there will actually be two or three cars waiting for the light to change from red to green. Stop signs are present, at most other intersections.
In the 1960's the population was around 20,000. Today, according to an Internet source, the population of Pittsburg, Kansas, stands at less than 21,000.
Now that you have that information, I would like to tell you about the new addition to the traffic pattern, of this small town. Ruling powers have recently bestowed, upon the citizens of Pittsburg, bicycle lanes on the main avenues. What for, I question?
Back in the 1960s, my friends and I rode all over town and we didn't need bike lanes. As far as I know, none of us ever had a major accident. My mother, and all the other moms said, "Keep off the main drag." we did and we rode everywhere. We never even thought to ask her to drive us to the movies or the Municipal Pool. She wouldn't have done it anyway.
Kids are not allowed the freedom of riding all over town, today. Just occasionally, do I observe a child on a bicycle. Parents will tell you that it is too dangerous. That's unfortunate. I believe that most of us learned the basics of automobile driving, while riding a bike.
Maybe, on my next trip to Pittsburg, I will spot lots of folks on those new bike lanes. Let's hope it is a positive municipal improvement.

Dear Lord, Keep us safe from our many faults and errors. Watch over us today.