In 2007, mayor Pawlowski hired his first director for the combined park and recreation department. The hire was recommended by Pawlowski's city manager, Fran Dougherty. The new park and recreation director had no background about parks per se, but did have a masters in recreation. Dougherty would also hire the next two directors, who had the same identical background in recreation.
Cycling became their common goal for the parks, and in 2009, a consultant was hired to formulate a plan for an interconnected cycling path throughout the city park system. Two new parcels were later purchased to facilitate the connection between existing parks. Advise about managing the park land itself was farmed out to the Wildlands Conservancy, and we ended up with the weed walls they call riparian buffers. Iconic park features, such as the WPA structures, were allowed to deteriorate.
During these years there was only one person speaking out in defense of our traditional park system, yours truly, on this blog. It is a battle I have mostly lost. I failed to save the small picturesque dams in Lehigh Parkway. During the summer the buffers still block both view and access to the creeks. Ironically, the buffers have no actual benefit, because the storm water is piped under them, directly into the streams.
During this coronavirus crisis the parks are especially crowded with families and their young children. A cyclist whizzing by at 30 miles an hour is a tragedy waiting to happen. The other morning a cyclist passed me looking down reading his iPhone.
I call upon Mayor O'Connell and park director Karen El-Chaar to ban cycling in the parks during this period of heavy use.
photo above: In 2009 I conducted a press conference about the dangers of combining cyclists with people walking in Allentown parks.
This should be a no-brainer for City Hall.
ReplyDeleteWith reduced traffic on our roads, bikers now have a safer ride there.
Allowing them to continue (at this time) to use the parks as if it's the Velodrome only invites disaster.
Remember when a person was struck in Trexler Park years ago. That was big news then.
ReplyDeleteI remember when Mayor Dadonna opened Lehigh Parkway to snowmobiles .It didn't last
DeleteCyclists harm very few people. Cars harm many. Should we ban cars from all roads? We should, using your logic.
ReplyDeleteCars don't drive on park trails.
ReplyDeleteNot living in Allentown any longer, I haven't a clue how bicycle traffic interferes with pedestrians. In Arizona bicycles are only allowed to travel on roadways, or in bicycle only lanes either on roadways or sharing clearly delineated paths within walking paths. Anything else like Sharing walking paths is absurd on the face of it.
ReplyDeleteBicyclists, pedestrians, and autos all have a right to independently navigate public spaces safely. However pedestrians should not have to face down a kamikaze in spandex texting while riding his bicycle while on a foot path.