BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Cindy Parra, co-founder of Bike Bakersfield, has been riding bikes since childhood. For her, cycling is not only a passion but a pathway to healthier, safer communities.
“It makes you feel like a kid—and who doesn’t want that feeling, to be able to get on your bike and ride?” Parra says.
Bike Bakersfield, the nonprofit she co-founded, refurbishes bikes and leads local cycling events to promote safer streets and healthier living.
A Grand Jury report in May is calling into question whether the city’s investment in bike lanes is worth the impact on automobile traffic.
Grand Jury Report:“Is the use of bike lanes sufficient to justify a reduction in automobile lanes in either width or quantity? Do bike lanes impede other vehicular traffic?”The report also suggests that Bakersfield’s extreme summer temperatures may be limiting bicycle use—an assumption Parra strongly refutes.
She points to data from the Bakersfield Police Department and California Highway Patrol, showing 464 bike-related injuries since 2020. Five of those occurred this year, including one recent incident on Mohawk Street on August 12th.
"My response to it is, if these new bike lanes just save one life—what is the cost of your son or your daughter, or your sister or your mother—if you’re able to save one life?” Parra says.
She calls many of these crashes preventable and believes underserved areas like Rosedale and Oildale are in critical need of improved bike infrastructure. She points to recent upgrades on Union Avenue as a positive example, but says more work is needed—especially downtown.
“You can see the bike lane and the parked cars right here," she says, pointing out a common hazard.
"The concern is usually when the doors open—you have the travel lane, the bike lane—and the cyclist either has to swerve into traffic or get hit."
In response to growing safety concerns, the City of Bakersfield issued a statement:
City of Bakersfield:“The City has created a Neighborhood Traffic Calming Program in response to the public's concerns about safety in residential neighborhoods.”
Parra is currently working alongside the City, awaiting its formal response to the Grand Jury report.
Her goal remains clear: to make Bakersfield’s streets safer—not just for cyclists, but for everyone.
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