Compromise needed on tours

That may have to be the case in the local flap over tour buses riding through some of Aiken's more picturesque neighborhoods.

Aiken City Council is considering a measure that would limit the number of such tours along a designated route in Aiken's historic and horse districts. The City offers tours for out-of-towners who want to see some of what makes this a special city in which to live. Property owners, however, feel as though they are living in a fish bowl with tourists gawking at them. The peace and quiet that led them to buying homes in Aiken is being disturbed.

The dilemma is one of conflicting viewpoints. The City says that homeowners must understand that public roads being used for tours are just that - roads available to everyone. That makes them open to all who want to drive along, whether in trolley-like buses or in individual passenger cars. The City says it is trying to regulate the tours so that they are managed and not allowed to run wild.

The residents say that City government must understand that its first obligation is to the taxpayers who live here, not to the visitors who are visiting for a short time.

The answer to the seemingly oil-and-water points of view is compromise. It is important for the City and homeowners to agree on a resolution palpable to both. It cannot contain unlimited bus trips, and it cannot contain zero bus trips. Neither is a reasonable stand.

Both groups must hammer out an agreement and submit it to City Council for approval - together.