I am a student attending UW and my family lives on Mount Si Road.

Many times, we have seen hikers park along our side street, impeding residential access and at times even parking on our yard. This has enraged my mother, and caused many a note on parked vehicles.

But I plead for the hiker. Picture their frustration. You purchase a Discover Pass, you plan a day out at Little Si, get the family together and go. You sit in traffic for an hour and when you get to the trailhead, there is no parking — the lots are full.

So you park along the street, off the road and out of the way. You return from your hike to find your vehicle towed, and you have to pay to get it back.

Where does that resentment go? Onto the residents and councilmembers of North Bend.

I’ve lived here my whole life, 20 years, and there are only two industries that flourish in North Bend, trucking and hiking. Many businesses rely on these industries to bring people into the city.

We as a city have shot ourselves in the foot by denying access for truckers to rest along roads within city limits. The only industry left is hiking, and if we continue to nitpick our last great source of external cash flow, it’s going to go elsewhere.

Maybe the slight, non-monetary costs of the few residents who live along Mount Si Road amount to more than the hundreds of people who visit the city each month, but as one of those residents, I empathize with the hiker.

North Bend