The record-union., 1897-01-28
THE MATTER OF COUNTRY SIDE
WALKS.

Assembly bill 3S5 by Mr.. Ennis and a
similar one by Mr.. Valentine provide
that Supervisors may set apart on one
side of a public road a pathway for pc
destrians and for vehicles propelled by
the power of the rider, but THE Supervis-
ers are not compelled to do so. These
are good bills, not in the interest of bi
cyclists more than in the interest of all
the people, for no one can advance any
good reason why there should not be
walkways along roads as well as along
streets.
We should do~all we can TO make rural
life desirable and pleasant, and to aid
easy movement between town and coun-
try. AS it is now, on most of our high
ways no foot path is provided, whereas
in many Eastern States the country
footpath Is made a part Of the road
system. The wife and child Of the
farmer should be enabled to pass from
house to house on foot without tramp
ing through dust and thistles and
weeds, or in sand, upon the highway,
in tine midst of teams and over rough
surfaces.
An objection has been raised to the
two bills that they amount TO the erec-
tion of paths for bicyclists. But it will
be observed that the bicyclist Is not as
yet an outlaw. He has the human
right of passage along highways. 1t is
,+t7a hf.
should not wheel on the road, even sup
posing the road fit to wheel over, as
only few in California are.
A local article in the Record Union"
the other day gave some account OF a
foot and wheel path between this city
and Folsom, twenty-five miles distant.
1t is only an earth path, ungraded, fol-
lowing the ndulations of the surface,
and was made by simply running a road
scraper over It to clear it of weeds and
grass at a cost of some So mile. Since
then the roll of wheels and tthe feet Of
pedestrians have kept it smooth. and
dn some respects made 1t better than the
best sidewalks in the city.
Those familiar with country life know
that dirt path over which many walk
does not curt or become dusty, and sell
dom is muddy. 1t is the hoof of the
horse and the tread of the wagon wheels
that cuts up the earth of a roadway and
make dust in summer and mud in win
ter.
Inquiry having been made concerning
use of the path TO Folsom. we find that
an seven months, at the lowest estimate,
1,S25 foot trips have been made
on the path. One farmer whose
house is on the line writes
that his estimate is higher, as he
places the pedestrians passing his place
ait sixty a day on the average, who
formerly We're compelled to take to the
road. Several families whose children
previously had. as a rule, to be taken
to and from school in buggies or wag
ons, since the path was laid out have
walked on those trips, greatly TO the
saving of the time of the household and
much to the benefit of the children.
A competent authority who kept tally
at a wayside house places the average
number Of wheels rolled over the path
daily one way at siNty-five. or 130 daily
on the round average summer and win
ter. both ways, making no less than
7,450 a year, with an average mileage
of seven miles, giving no less than 1885,.
075 miles travelled a year on that one
path. The number of individuals, Pc
destrians, wheelmen and wheelwomen
using the path has been quite accurate
ly ascertained, and 1T is the respectable
showing of 1,91I
Now 1t is submitted that here Is a
sufficiently large number of citizens. all
of them tax-paying in greater or lesser
degree. who are interested In a path on
a single line of road in one county, to
command a hearing from the Legisla-
ture. They certainly asked nothing ex-
travagant of our local Board of Super
yisors when they secured from that