For a wild ride, ponder community's many wonder whys

It’s time for the annual “I wonder why?” column.

Admittedly this is the easiest column I write because I really don’t write it — you do.

Awhile back I asked my Facebook Friends to complete the sentence “I wonder why?…” to ask questions to help find answers.

This will be the first installment of this column because I bet there will be many more “I wonder whys?” springing from these questions. If you have some, drop me a line at the Bee.

Of course, I hope these questions will beget answers so if you are in the know, let me know and I will share your answers.

Since it is my column, I get to go first.

I wonder why …

• Along the bike and pedestrian paths in Sandpoint, most of the stenciled bike rider logos in the asphalt appear to have a sign indicating the bike rider is breaking wind — and not because his bike is moving forward. David Keyes.

• People still turn when it says no turn on red, and get upset when you decided to abide by the no turn on red sign. Julie Fox.

• The bypass took so long to get resolved? I predict it will seriously improve Sandpoint, much as the new Padres stadium improved downtown San Diego. Steve Kirby.

• It’s called “Schweitzer Cutoff Road?” I turned there every day and never got what that means?” Michelle Blemel.

• Sandpoint’s population is only 8,000? Time and time again I hear people say how bad they want to live here after they come visit. Is it because they are just liars? Doug Lynch.

• The town square is actually a circle? Karin Nostdahl Wehse.

• Sandpoint Furniture is actually in Ponderay … (OK, so I really know the reason why, but it’s still hard to explain to newbies!) Nikki Luttmann.

• Many businesses in Ponderay have Sandpoint in their names or how many businesses insist on naming their businesses after the unpronounceable Pend Oreille?

•  No one calls bull**** on the local business stickers that are stuck all over our street signs. I like these local businesses a lot (Dethbox, No Cover, Schweitzer, Thor’s) but I hate seeing their logos as ‘tags.’ I’m not saying we need to have city staff fine the companies or something silly like that but I’d think these business would put the kibosh on this. Justin Schuck.

• The highway directional sign on Highway 2 (also known as Fifth Avenue) hangs above Church Street and points left for Coeur d’Alene (sending people the wrong way into oncoming traffic ) and right toward Priest River and Spokane. I saw a cabover camper with out-of-state plates take a very slow right on Church off Fifth several weeks ago. Are head-ons part of the downtown improvement plan? Marlisa Keyes.

• The Fourth of July was on the Third? Forrest Schuck.

• Sandpoint allows diagonal parking on the streets of Sandpoint, you can’t see what’s coming until you’re halfway out in the street. I don’t know who the brilliant designer of the one-way streets and parking were, but he or she needs to be fired! Trudi Zantow-Morton

• All my home improvement projects begin with the known lie: I’m not going to pay a professional umpteen dollars an hour to do a job I can do perfectly well myself. Trish Gannon

• We can’t all share the roads … vehicles, runners, cyclists, handicapped, etc. should be able to move in harmony with courteous yielding, signals and safe speeds. Olivia Merithew.

• So many of these questions are about traffic … NOT. LOL. Sandy Compton.

• We “needed” another BIG grocery store here; why people think it’s OK to turn left on red at the intersection of Pine and Fifth when there are cars coming through the light on Pine (grrrrr); why it took people dying to finally put up the new crosswalk signs (needed them 20 years ago); why locals shop in Coeur d’Alene/Spokane and don’t support local businesses (and I don’t mean Walmart!). Gail Fendley.

• I wonder why we are willing to trade pastures for pavement? Sandy Compton.

• I wonder why the Long Bridge doesn’t have lights on it? (Underneath that is, for the boaters.) It could have prevented a tragic accident! Joline Wolf.

• We don’t have to learn how to use a roundabout when we get our driver’s license? Erica Aldrich Nizzoli

David Keyes is publisher of the Daily Bee. He can be reached at dkeyes@bonnercountydailybee or by calling 263-9534 or stopping by the Bee office at 310 Church Street.