League's Bike Friendly Cities List includes Coeur d'Alene

[Steve Largent]

Have things really changed in Coeur d'Alene since I left the North or
has the League made a mistake by putting them on the list of Bicycle
Friendly Communities? In the 70's it was a nice town to ride in, lots
of quiet streets and a couple bike paths which led to easy access of
pleasant country riding. Then all the 5 lane east/west roadways with
stop lights went in followed by strip mall after strip mall making hwy
95 not really a highway but a local strip mall feeder and destroying a
neat bike path that ran alongside it. Just to add insult to injury
city/county/state seemed to always have some equipment stored on the
bike path- reminding me of how Lewiston has abused the levies my
firrst five years there (an unmarked truck route diversion to Potach's
mill one year!)

My last rides in the CDA area leave me with far better memories of
Spokane than CDA. Even the bike path between them spoke volumes. It
was nice in Spokane, and it ended, started, and was divereted onto
unmarked busy streets in CDA, and really required some prior knowledge
of the route to follow it.

Boise made huge improvements between 1995 and 2000 (and continues to
do so), and it's possible CDA started moving the right direction, but
they had a long way to go! Someboby write and tell me there's been a
dramatic turn around and League hasn't made mistake here, please!

[Corrie Rosetti]

I haven't been North to the lake city for a number of years. Linda and I had
no trouble riding from NI through town and along the nice bike trail along
the lake though. I'm not certain about getting around the rest of the urban
sprawl, though. A commited commuter can do some surprising routes, I guess.

--thanks, Corrie