Vice Mayor Maggie Ballard invited city council members and the public to join her for a ride on the bike paths. She said she received multiple complaints about the unrideable trails due to things like glass and encampments. The group took off from Delano and headed toward Chapin Park. Ballard said she was surprised to find just a few homeless encampments and expected there to be more. She said the larger issue is how much glass the group came across. “The glass was really concerning. One of the main concerns is that people don’t take the bike path that way, because of the glass, you could get a flat tire or something like that. That is something that we could work on a little better is clearing the paths,” said Ballard. One rider said she valued the opportunity to see the conditions and be kind to those experiencing homelessness. “It’s just important for people to get out and see how other people live and have some empathy and show some mercy,” said Carey Hobart. Ballard said they plan on getting out and about more often to check on conditions and to see if progress is being made to clean up the bike paths.
Source: KSN-TV
