OK, So Look: If God rode a bicycle, he/she/they would be living in the ‘Ham and commuting downtown daily on an e-rider, in a soggy Carhartt jacket.
No Question About It Really: Behind every driving (sorry, not sorry) political push-shove in the city, the principle of Promotion and Enhancement of Bike Lanes At Any/All Cost is the Prime Directive.
Not That This Is a Bad Thing: Unless said lightly populated lanes take away general flow of traffic, commerce and other stuff stubbornly necessary for capitalism and public life. We get it; it’s the future! Moonbeams and toe clips, etc., etc.
Unless Possibly: If you’re a person living in a portable domicile down on Cornwall, where planned installation of bike lanes (meeting the urgent need for two-wheeled access to the waterfront, which already exists literally everywhere else on the waterfront, where the current prominent public feature is … a bike track) is about to shove RV dwellers off-site and into other spaces and/or neighborhoods in the coming months.
Just Saying: It’s all gotta be great news for the bike-commute industry, a thriving enterprise in these parts about four months out of the year. Praise be to the bipedalists!
Full Disclosure: Hammer has a bike, likes to bike, occasionally rides it around town and actually appreciates bike lanes due to the large number of automo-blowhards, etc., etc. But c’mon, folks. A little pragmatism goes a long way in public cred for planning processes — assuming that matters to anyone at the Lottie Street Public Funds Dispensary.
Speaking of Your Tax Dollars at Work: The unseemly spectacle of the Port of Bellingham’s thriving new waterfront industry — heavy (scrap) metal-scrunching, 24/7, right within sight/sound of sprouting condos, rich folks’ homes on South Hill, and soon, a “luxury boutique hotel” — went positively global this week when one of B. Hammer’s inspirations, acerbic comedian Lewis Black, dished on it via a note from a show attendee at the Mount Baker Theatre on Sunday, which was broadcast on the interwebs.
Proving that Once Again: We have an enduring penchant to make, and stay on, the big stage for all the wrong reasons.
Couldn’t Help Notice: The Port’s public response to noise complaints about the Scrap Heap: Sorry/not sorry. Try earplugs! Always on the forefront of effective public communications, that group.
Just For Balance Here: As our own pages demonstrate, tons of “spooky” faux-holiday activities around the NW corner this weekend, from drink specials to allegedly haunted-haunts guides. The Hammer is prepared to make famous the first local enterprise to put on a Spooky Tire Sale, Frightful Composting Class or Haunted Mental Health Seminar. Make our day.
The Hammer is swung on Wednesdays, or on other haunted special occasions.
Commentary response: Nursing-home staffing mandates critical to dignified care