The fix was in
I attended the recent meeting on the Kern River Parkway. The Parkway is a big asset for Bakersfield, and it supports a variety of users. The meeting was informative and interesting, but the fix was in before it started.
It was very clear from the start that the goal of the meeting was to rubber stamp rules/laws that are going to be imposed on users of the parkway. One of the primary goals was to slow the speed of cyclists.
An unsuccessful attempt was made to discuss the reasons why a 15 mph maximum speed limit from Allen Road to Manor Drive was not a good idea. A fast walker walks around 5 mph, and a good runner will be running around 10 mph. A person on roller blades is going roughly 12-15 mph. It is relatively easy for an average individual to pedal a bicycle at 15-20 mph, and good cyclist can easily ride at speeds in excess of 20 mph.
The parkway is the only safe way for cyclists to avoid heavy city traffic to get from the northeast (Bakersfield College) to the southwest (Cal State Bakersfield), and there are people that use the parkway for that purpose -- commuting. Again, a 15 mph speed limit forces cyclists back onto city streets to get from point A to point B in a timely manner.
Maybe that should be the signage: "Slow When People Are Present." But the fix was in and the slower traffic users wanted a "speed" limit for the "reckless" bike riders. The slower users have succeeded in limiting the use of the parkway for one of the intended uses -- commuting.
TOM PAYNE
Bakersfield
