I've been an opponent of bikes in the parks for a long time. The photo above is actually from an interview with Fox News many years ago which appeared on the Hannity Show. Now that Allentown is again gearing up their plans to interconnect the parks, I'm again sounding the alarm.
Back when that interview took place, the cyclists were suburban yuppies in spandex and helmets. While that group is civilized, the danger was their speed combined with old folks like me walking around. The new danger is the junior thugs with electric bikes. Unlike the spandex yuppie, consideration isn't even something they aspire to.
The park interconnection will become a highway of mischief, with no police cars. I know that there are destinations where bikes, motor vehicles and tourists respect each other, Allentown isn't one of them.
I'm an advocate for being site appropriate. In Allentown parks, the Riparian Buffers are weed walls. In this era of dirt and electric bikes, interconnecting the parks will become another well meaning mistake.
On the bright side, perhaps the roving bike gangs of 30-50 unruly teenagers that presently terrorize Allentown motorists on city streets will find these park trails a more interesting venue.
ReplyDeleteBikes or not, it may be just a better hunting ground for assaults and robbery. Maybe cops on bikes, the rest walkers.
ReplyDeleteMayor Turek, who is an avid cyclist, is going to interconnect the parks - somehow - with a biking trail. There are bike trails at the Parkway that are used, and I suspect the next step is to close what is left of the Parkway at the Robin Hood bridge for car parking, and turn the rest of the Parkway over to cyclists and ban automoble traffic as they did with Trexler Memorial Park (with the exception of poiice or cadets going to the APD Aczdemy). Perhaps cars will still be able to access the parkway via 24th street, and be able to park in the weed-infested gravel lot on the west side. (It seems that the parks department only cuts the grass these days on the east side of the parkway.)
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how motorized e-bikes will be addressed, as for now at least, motorized vehicles are not allowed on the bike/walking paths. At least the gas powered ones (Mopeds, motorcycles). Mayor Turek, being an advocate for EVs i'm sure will make an exception, however....
I often use the Little Lehigh Parkway (starting at Klines Bridge) to ride from Allentown to Emmaus via the fish hatchery, Keystone Drive and Iroquois Street into Emmaus. This is an outstanding hybrid street/trail ride with great scenery and virtually no hills. I would agree more convenient and safer bike connections are needed from the Hamilton Park/Cedar Beach area and Center City to the Little Lehigh Parkway. I would view this as a good agenda item for the Mayor.
ReplyDeleteAs a boy growing up on 8th street. A trip west via Allen or Liberty was the best way to get out to Cedar Beach on my bike. Just stay to the right and out of the way of traffic was fine. A rear view mirror on my bike let me know of approaching cars from the rear.
DeleteI suppose if I wanted to go to the parkway, a ride out 24th street would work. Just stay to the right and its fine. Never needed a special "bike lane" just followed the rules of the road.
Lower Macungie Township spent gobs of public money on a plan to "connect" parks and other open areas, much of the land for which is private property. I would encourage residents to take a look at the plan to see if their property is up for "taking" in order to try to have so-called interconnectedness. Much of the existing trails are paths from and to nowhere.
ReplyDeleteThe climate crisis necessitates a mass adoption of cycling for transportation opposition to bike infrastructure is human wide Genocide.
ReplyDeleteanon@4:16: you might do better as a savior against human wide genocide posting with your name.
DeleteIt's me Mikey.
Deletewhen you first started trolling 15 years ago, you weren't even silver yet.
DeleteAhhh, yes! Another advocate of turning us into some European backwater. How quaint.
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