Bakersfield Sends a Clear Message: Change the Streets
Two people on bikes were killed in Bakersfield last week, not by the 100-degree heat but by cars.
In a city where a Kern County Civil Grand Jury claimed bike lanes are a “waste of money” because it’s too hot to ride, we showed the reality. On a typically balmy Central Valley August afternoon, dozens of riders gathered at Dagny’s Coffee for the “Bakersfield Beats the Heat” ride. We rode through the city together and ended at City Hall to deliver a simple, urgent message to the Bakersfield City Council:
We can’t change the sun. But the city can change the streets.
Calling for safe infrastructure
The grand jury’s report ignored the obvious: safer street designs save lives. When people are told that the heat is the biggest barrier to bicycling in Bakersfield, it sends a dangerous message that nothing can be done. Our ride showed that Bakersfield riders are ready to bike in any weather if the streets are safe. Riders, community leaders, and even Bakersfield City Councilmembers Bob Smith and Eric Arias joined us to call for real investment in bike infrastructure.
While portions of Kern County and Bakersfield do have newly installed bike infrastructure, it is largely disjointed with varying degrees of protection that leaves even experienced riders nervous. Participants at the ride shared how certain roads leave families feeling that they are risking their lives by bicycling, which should be a simple and enjoyable way to travel to school. Grizzly Cycles co-owner Kevin Talley posted recently on Instagram about some of the best bike lanes in the area and how they disappear completely, leading to some of the most dangerous areas in Bakersfield.
As CalBike Executive Director Kendra Ramsey said, “We want to draw attention to the fact that we need more safe bike infrastructure everywhere, including Bakersfield.”
What’s at stake
Within 24 hours of our ride to City Hall, news broke of another person killed while biking in Bakersfield. It was a grim reminder that the campaign for safe bike infrastructure is not abstract. Every day of delay, lives are lost. Bakersfield, like cities across California, needs to move quickly to build bikeways that save lives without the roadblocks the grand jury tried to throw in front of active transportation infrastructure.
The solutions are within reach: protected bike lanes, traffic calming, and Complete Streets policies that put people ahead of speed. Bakersfield riders are ready. City leaders need to meet that urgency, not bow to the whim of a misguided grand jury.
Thank you
This powerful ride would not have been possible without our incredible partners. Thank you to our host Dagny’s Coffee and our friends at Bike Jam, Critical Mass Bakersfield, Bike Bakersfield, and Grizzly Cycles for riding with us and demanding safer streets.
