Sounds ideal but any parent who commutes his kid to and from school, drives to work, shops for groceries, etc. will tell you how impractical public transit is for day-to-day affairs.

YOU ride a bike in 100-plus degree temps. and tell me everybody should do it.

How many thousands of houses are slated for construction? I've lost track. But I'm sure if I ride a bike, that will clean our air.

 Funny you should ask....

A few days ago I was at the gas station yet again. I was having trouble getting the machine to accept my cash; I guess it only takes pristine bills. I turned to the lady behind me and made a comment about the gas station adding insult to injury. "It's not enough that they charge three body parts for gas, but they're even dictating what kind of cash is good enough." She laughed and said that she knew because she was there every other day filling her truck; she lives in Tehachapi. Well, so do I! We talked for a while and discovered that we have other things in common, too. She and I have the same work schedule, and our jobs in Bakersfield are about four blocks from each other. We exchanged numbers, and plan on beginning a carpool. I am already planning on what else I can use the extra money for, now that our gas bills will be essentially cut in half. And since I've been filling the car two or three times a week, that is quite a bit of freed-up cash. 

 I realize the air gets really bad in summer and that's why they have the program then, when awareness should be high, but any program encouraging people to do a little physical exercise should pick more moderate temperatures for a kick-off date! :-P

That said: I started riding my bike to work last summer in 100-plus temps. Wasn't as bad as you'd think! The human cooling system works quite well. Just stay hydrated! It is a lot "warmer" to walk in 100-plus temps than to ride a bike, in my personal experience. The increased airflow over your body caused by the increased speed means the sweat actually evaporates for some cool down.

I won't say it is as comfy as riding that car with the AC on high because of course it isn't, but it isn't the worst thing in the world either.

I personally am fed up with the "YOU do it first. I don't wanna" resistance that any call to action ( not just for cleaner air and not picking on catpaw here, I'm speaking generally ) in the country meets. Geez, to think we could actually get things done if people weren't so entrenched in their comfort zones! Used to get things ( other than economic troubles, no less ) done that way. That's why I ride my bike to work. I save money, I get fit, I get to work energetic and ready for action, and I don't meander out to blow money on fast food during lunch. It works for me. It won't work for everybody, but it works for me. It just took getting my lazy butt of my little "YOU first" throne. ( That lazy butt lost 30 pounds and is not lazy anymore, by the way. Bonus. I'm back to my late teens physical form, and I saved money doing it! Score. )

Now, as for public transit in Bakersfield - what comes first - improved transit, or people using it and generating funds to improve it? The bus is inconvenient compared to driving a car. You can't go exactly where you want to and you can't come back for a second load of groceries from the trunk. You can only take as much stuff as you can carry at a time. The bus routes in Bakersfield, from what I hear, have not kept up with the pattern of growth and the routes people typically take. Any plans to improve them? You know, in modern society you don't get people to do a thing unless they see the benefit in it for THEM. The cooperative, for-the-greater-good ( and mine in the process ) spirit is dead. People tend to be individualistic and selfish. So unless the "What's in it for me?" question gets answered to their satisfaction, many people are just going to blow you off. And "You will get fit and healthier, because you get exercise and cleaner air, and you will save money, too" is unfortunately not a quick and easy enough win for most people. Also, you're not fresh as a daisy after biking 5 or so miles! I'm fortunate to work at a business with the foresight to provide a gym on-site for employees, so I can shower and get presentable after getting to work, but not everybody has that luxury either.

Some days I imagine Bakersfield post-oil, and there's centers downtown where people park their bikes, shower, and walk the few blocks to work, or take a trolley or bus, and in the afternoons they ride back home along tree-lined paths. Of course, such a Bakersfield cannot exist in this world. Even just thinking about it causes reality to warp a little ;-)

Here's a thought: perhaps the city should run a program of sorts, spread out over a year or two. The idea is that businesses attempt to provide facilities for their employees to enable them to cut down on their dependency on driving. Maybe providing showering facilities and bike racks for employees wishing to bike to work, maybe introducing some flexi-time to help employees cut down on the number of trips they need to make. Maybe introducing bonuses for employees who participate, since the trickle-down for the business is increased employee health and a corrosponding cut in cost of health care benefits to the company. Maybe providing company-sponsored carpool at a reasonable monthly rate - who knows? There's plenty of ideas I'm sure. The business who makes most progress for that period ( based on percentage of employees who participate, or something like that ) gets some kind of monetary compensation from the city ( for isn't it all about money? ) and possibly some "Good place to work at" vibes in the community, enabling them to attract better workers.

What I'd like to see is some truely in-depth research on the cost of pollution in the area. For argument's sake, if a person can save businesses operating in Kern County an average of, say, $800 a year ( in health care costs, sick days taken, better crop yield, who knows what ) if that person slashes their contribution to air pollution by half, then a system put in place that provides that person with 50% of the saved money tax-free would really add incentive. Naturally, in the real world this is impossible to do, because of red tape, law suits, greed and other grit in the wheels of the world.

And then we also have our dear supervisors approving ethanol plants, more sludge landfills, and whatnot. There's really no win in sight with matters as they stand - which is why, at some point, people need to collectively stop making excuses and start working together to fix things.

 I would love to take the bus, but the only bus route available to me takes an hour and a half to go eight miles. With all the traffic I see on Brimhall, Coffee and Truxtun every day, seems like a more direct route would be useful.

Love the bike path, but it's impractical for my work situation. Agree with catpaw on the temps, too.

 I would love to bike to work, but due to the way the neighborhood's in my area are laid out, I either have to ride a couple miles down Ming Ave (eeep!) or wind an extra mile or two through poorly connected neighborhoods. I used to live in Davis where the bike lanes are far wider than they are here (and the speed limits are lower) and some sidewalks were replaced with paved bike trails. It's a whole lot safer to bike up there than it is to bike down here (unless you're lucky enough to be by the Kern River bike path). I just can't work up the nerve to brave our streets on a little old bicycle.

 Dirt: A major contributing factor to our dirtiest air in the nation is the pollution carried north to south in the valley and trapped by the mountains. New houses in the 5-digit range mean more people and cars. Fining people for burning logs in a fireplace, using the inefficient bus system, riding a bike, etc. doesn't make much of an impact on air pollution. 

On the other hand, I have used public transit in the Bay Area. The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system is convenient, affordable, and in most cases, faster than driving the nightmare traffic. Bakersfield has a long way to go before our public transit can compare. Your suggestion that alternative transportation will clean our air, make flowers happy, and accommodate the lifestyles and daily affairs of most households is right now simplistic and impractical.  

 Hmmmm...  I understand the frustrations and fear of riding a bike on busy streets with children, and wondering to yourself if it's doing a bit of good.  But we need to remember, it's not just about cleaning the air, being healthier, paying less for gas, and creating a more civilized community (because that just wouldn't be enough to make people actually get on their bikes) - it's really quite fun too!

I have three children (12, 11, and 4 years old).  We live in the middle of our fine city and will get up around 5:00 in order to bike the older kids to their school, drop off the youngest at preschool, and then go like crazy to get to work before 8:00.  When we drive our car, I find myself telling the kids to "hurry up" more often. When we take our bikes, it's less crazy (I suppose that's due to planning ahead) and we actually have time to chat in safe areas where the lanes are wider. 

A group of us also started a bike coalition that rides every Wednesday.  We have just ordered "safety green" t-shirts in order to be "seen".  If any elected officials join us (they have been invited at both the city council meetings as well as the board of supervisor meetings), then we will ride down the most unsafe streets - in order to give our decision-makers a sense of what we deal with on our rides.  We haven't had any elected officials join us yet, but two candidates from our district 2 supervisor's seat have joined us and seem to get the need for safer lanes.

Our bike coalition "seeks to make our community safer, our air cleaner, and our citizens healthier by promoting bicycling as a safe and normal means of everyday transportation".  I would encourage anyone interested in creating a healthier community to get involved politically - at every level - and let your elected officials know that you want better public transportation and safer bike lanes.  It's completely possible!!!!!