Letter to the Editor: Remind the City Council that they represent all citizens

To the Editor:

I moved to Shoreline in 1980 when I was young, so I walked, bicycled and used public transit. But I grew older, and as you get older you can no longer walk as far and bicycling becomes difficult or impossible. Transit has changed to focus on access to light rail. And scooters? Haha.

Plans for the City include more biking, more walking and less driving. However, this is practical only for younger people. There are a lot of people that live beyond that mobility age and those people also need the means to go to the store to buy food or pick up prescriptions. It is unrealistic to think that people can continue to only walk or bike or use public transit all of their lives.

If you want to go to a local grocery store to buy a few things you will need a vehicle because you need a means to bring everything home. It is difficult to carry several items home if you are a senior and walk to the store.

If you need to buy groceries for a week, it is important that you’re able to go to the store and buy those things and get them home. You may not be able to do this if you have to balance them on a bicycle or carry them when you walk all of the way home.

If you have to buy just a few things for yourself, or you and your partner, then you may be able to do it. But if the family is more than you and your partner, you have to have the ability to carry several things home - including milk, soda, laundry detergent and other heavy items.

I believe that our city is so focused on getting people off of the roads that we have forgotten that people need to have access to things even if they are unable to use a bicycle or walk and carry heavy things. Even some younger people can’t or don’t wish to carry 30 or 50 pounds from the store to their home. At least there are now delivery options.

By the way, it does occasionally rain here.

I’m not against walking. I still walk daily but cannot carry groceries home.

We have to remember that there are many ages in Shoreline. It’s also important that people remember that laws and other changes to what we can do, whether you call it zoning or priorities, need to support everybody - not just a few young people or the disabled.

If this is not what you want, then fine, just tell people that this is a city only for people who are young. We are supporting only people who are riding bikes or walking, and if you are too old to do either of those things, then move somewhere else.

The City needs to continue to support people who are older so that they can continue to live a real life in the City of Shoreline.

We need to remind the Shoreline Council members that they represent all citizens.

Pam Cross

Shoreline