In a Letter to the Editor in the Renton Reporter for May 7, Mr. Pomata said “ring your bell from about 30 feet behind.” In more than 10 years of walking local trails, I believe that I can easily count on one hand the number of times that I have seen/heard bells on adult bicycles. I suspect that the feeling is that heaven forbid that an expensive, hi-tech bicycle should be “cheapened” by a “kiddie bell.”

Due to deteriorating physical health, I no longer walk the trails. But, I used to walk regularly on either the Cedar River Trail, the Soos Creek Trail or the Lake Youngs Trail. Of the three trails, I always considered the Cedar River Trail to be the most dangerous. It is level with long straightaways providing excellent sight-lines for the cyclist leading to a false sense of security and a tendency to “break a sweat.” Soos Creek has more “ups and downs” and definitely more curves. Cyclists there generally tended to ride somewhat slower because they could never be sure what was around the next bend, past the next rise. The Lake Youngs Trail is not paved, one can usually hear the bike tires on the gravel and most cyclists, aware of the rough terrain, don’t try to go as fast as they can.

In retrospect, I am saddened by the death of a walker on the Cedar River Trail, but surprised only that it has not happened earlier.

Dean Kessler Sr.

Renton