We’ve lived at Lutak since 1985. In those 35 years or so the area has gone from rural with a dirt road to a densely populated residential neighborhood with a paved road, with a lot of tourism.
In Alaska, the legal speed limit for a residential neighborhood is 25 mph. It’s been 35 out here for as long as I remember, and Jim Wilson is correct that a lot of people can’t even keep it to that. Those who are (correctly) concerned about bicycle safety, and hopefully also child safety for kids out here, should start with the 25 mph legally-mandated speed limit, with signs and enforcement.
I agree it would be helpful to be sure the road shoulders are safe for bicycles. No doubt they’ll continue to bike all over the road but at least they’d be a lot safer if traffic is kept at 25, and they have the option of getting to the side.
One thing we definitely don’t need is DOT widening and “improving” our road, no doubt with their usual intention that drivers can go 55.
Lastly, one of the Park Rangers used to refer to people on bicycles as “meals on wheels”. Anybody who is concerned about biker safety needs to get serious about this part of the problem: bear/ human interaction. They need to do education at the rental end, and we need to get the Bear Monitor program back in operation. This issue has gone up exponentially since the bike rentals started. Thank you,
Sally McGuire