Bike Bakersfield's Response to Rosedale Highway Widening

by Board President, Bob Smith

Thank you for providing us with the opportunity to comment on the Initial Study with Proposed Mitigated Negative Declaration/Environmental Assessment for the Rosedale Highway Widening Project in Bakersfield.

We do not believe that the Environmental Document accurately analyzes the impact on bicycle transportation and is therefore flawed in its environmental analysis. Specifically as it relates to air quality and environmental justice.

The summary table lists the impact on bicycle facilities as no impact. This is not correct. The existing roadway has an eight foot paved shoulder. Using nationally accepted methods to calculate the bicycle level of service the existing roadway provides a level of service B and a very high compatibility level. The proposed roadway has no shoulder and no bike lane. The level of service for the proposed roadway is E and a very low compatibility level.

What this project does is remove an existing bicycle facility which is the main corridor from north-west Bakersfield to downtown and east Bakersfield. Therefore any existing and future non-motorized non-polluting access is being eliminated.

Therefore this project will increase air pollution now and in the future. The estimated amount could be based on the expected future bicycle mode share if proper facilities were provided. Cities around the nation and state have seen exponential growth in bicycle trips when good facilities are installed. Many cities are presently obtaining a five to eight percent mode share with goals of attaining 20 to 30 percent. A 20 percent mode share on Rosedale Highway could be obtained in the future and would be a very significant amount of air pollution.

The project's environmental justice analysis does not take into account the destruction of an affordable transportation option for the lower income commuters. Access to jobs along the corridor will be greatly diminished for these income groups.

The federal Department of Transportation has a policy statement that states that "bicycling and walking facilities will be incorporated into all transportation projects unless exceptional circumstances exist." Since this project is using federal money it would seem that it would have to comply with this policy.

It seems that a simple solution to the design of the project would be to narrow the travel lanes. The AASHTO recommended lane widths for arterials are from ten to twelve ft. The city of Bakersfield has many existing arterials with ten and eleven ft. travel lanes with no adverse effects. Caltrans highway design manual allows a reduction in lane widths in order to accommodate bicycle lanes. The highway capacity manual factors for capacity do not change with lane widths between ten and twelve ft. Nationally recognized studies have shown that there is no safety difference between urban arterials with ten to twelve ft. It would not effect the safety or capacity of automobile traffic while providing for a non-motorized option as well.

Whatever the solution is, there is no question that air quality will be enhanced by providing non-motorized transportation.

We appreciate the opportunity to comment on the environmental document and hope that the project can be improved through the process.