Although I find it a little hypocritical, if not just wrong, I drive two miles to the LSU/City Park Lakes to do my four our five mile jog on the weekends. I mean, partaking in outdoor recreation should not start with a trip in your car. But I find it difficult to run in Mid City. Where there are sidewalk, there are so many curb cuts that a leisurely run into a stressful activity of checking countless curb cuts. In fact, the Capital Heights "project" just rubs salt in the wounds of the pedestrian IMO. It took a two lane road, re-stripped the road to kinda sorta make an attempt to accommodate bikes and pedestrians. Now Mid City has a "walkway" that doubles as illegal street parking, that runs alongside a one-way, high speed road that is one constant curb cut.

Thus I'd rather drive two miles to City Park. This is, in fact, the only place within the neighborhoods that provide a safe environment (because of course, the river trail is a great resource). Yet every time I run the lakes I am sickened. It's a great place. Integrated within in the heart of Baton Rouge, linking the the neighborhoods and downtown (or could) with the University. At any given day, the path is filled with countless people. Well, where there is a path. Because of course the entire east side of the lakes has no path. Instead it is a dangerous winding narrow walkway/road. But then again, I wouldn't call the five foot wide path on the western portion "safe" either. Not only is it narrow, but bikes and pedestrian's are suppose to share the path. Which does not coexist very well at all.

So you think the city AND university would have this entire area in view for a major renovation. (I mean, there are so many grants, both private and public that could accomplish this project). Most major cities in the past five or ten years have established a lengthy bike and pedestrian trail through their city. Usually they have come about through vacated rail lines; but they can also be established along waterways, and even existing sidewalk right of ways. New Orleans is finally getting the LaFitte Grenway (2) stated; Minneapolis has had a long history of a citywide system; Atlanta's PATH system; Buffalo Bayou in Houston; and an interesting urban trail in Indiana called the Cultural Trail, which connects to the 10 mile Monon Trail. 

Instead Baton Rouge has a rough, five foot wide, asphalt trail that links City Park to the University. ALong the trail, mixed signage makes an allusive suggestions that pedestrians aren't even suppose to be there. However, because of the abundance of pedestrians, bikes have basically vacated their trail to use Dalrymple Drive instead. Some of my favorites portions of the trail are the crosswalks. They are marked as "bicycle crossings". Which (by no law I know of) gives the legal right for a car to yield to bicycles. However, does the car have to yield to pedestrians (as the law states). Or are pedestrians not allowed in the bicycle crossings?

How can the City and University have such a jewel, and not even have an update plan on the books?