Well, gee, I wish I was you.
Levees hold water back. Railroads hold trains up. The civics lesson was un-necessary.
This path was in need of a new coat of asphalt, just like they re-pave side streets rather than dig them up and pour concrete to make it smoother for high speed bikers who think they're preparing for Olympic events. It didn't need widened, marked, concreted, lit all night and made suburban pretty. The auditory, stop light on 21st is a nice touch but no one was complaining. Now cars have to stop both ways for two blocks for one pedestrian and often just run it anyway. But like I already said, I have no problem with it. Its a nice path. And I understand why they did it considering the expected traffic for the water park. It just lost its character and it now appears overdone without a water activity at the other end.
You'll never hear me complain about a water spray park at 41st and Riverside that I've never even visited either. I wish it had been there when my kids were little but everyone wanted to spend money on running paths and tennis courts back then. Never enough of them and always in demand. So they built more courts and paths then those phases diminished and they all fell into dis-repair. Parks dept didn't have money.
Now its bikes and parks and we're all supposed to feign excitement for what looks to be a pretty boring little park with limited access. You are in one of those groups that insists on all of us dedicating public assets for your current passion. I'm in one too! Try to step out of that world and look at all the overweight, elderly, infirm, unhealthy, desk chained, overworked taxpayers who help fund our passions and understand this: it was good Kaiser jumped in because had it come to a vote the population would have shrugged.
You're starting to sound like a conservative curmudgeon, Aqua. Sure there's not an old Republican voter ID card in your wallet?
I'm really not aware of any organization amongst Tulsa cyclists that's insisting all of us dedicate public assets to fuel "our passion". Far as I know, KFF has personally funded most of the trail improvements since the 2007 river tax vote when tax payers didn't shrug their shoulders, they said "NO!"- and for good reason public trusts find ways to mismanage and misallocate funds at an alarming rate. You can see what 30 plus years of management of the trail system led to with a public trust. Once we found a private benefactor to shepherd improvements and maintenance, look how much better the system looks and how much safer it is.
As the popularity of cycling has increased in Tulsa, it's been nice to have separate trails for walkers and runners and trails for those on wheeled equipment (long-boarders and skaters use the trails as well). Judging by the ever-growing cycling community in Tulsa, I hardly see it as a fad. Nationally, cycling is on the increase, not just Tulsa. As gas prices remain at or above $3 per gallon, people are finding ways to leave the car at home and people are finding it's a very low impact exercise with long-lasting benefits.
Wider trails allow people with their strollers, wandering toddlers, dogs on long leashes, joggers, skaters, and cyclists to co-exist safely. Let's face it, use of the trails is up quite a bit from the mid-1970's. To be quite honest, I've never observed any lack of interest in them, if anything the interest and usage seems to increase yearly.