Let’s just face it, oil prices will spike again—it’s not a question of if, but when. One alternative? Ride a bike!
Easy to preach, hard to practice in some places, like Los Angeles. I’ve barely ridden my bike since returning from Amsterdam. Partly it’s been my schedule; some of it is a few minor maintenance issues; but mostly after riding around civilized (for the most part) Amsterdam, the thought of biking in LA and facing the wrath of drivers here has not really motivated me to two-wheel it.
Most bicyclists ride because of recreation or exercise. Few rely on bikes for transportation because that is just not realistic in most rural or urban areas. And then you have a small but vocal cult of bicyclists who seem to forget that the rules of the road do not apply to them.
I wrote a piece on a rebranding of cycling effort that touched a
tiny nerve. But a discussion on Bike Hugger that discusses whether cyclists should be a little more aware of the rules of the road, and their tone in advocacy,
has struck a larger one.
Most absurd is the
Colorado town that actually banned bikes from their roads (Black Hawk, home to a large casino: don’t enter if you only have two wheels!).
We need more bike lanes. We have an obesity epidemic in the United States. We’re furious with BP and frustrated with the oil companies.
Bikes lanes are relatively inexpensive. Let’s just build them. But to cyclists, I say, please ride responsibly. And motorists, remember you will get to your destination pretty quickly, and it was your choice to sit in traffic.
Oh, and Angelinos, I’ve biked from Silver Lake to Beverly Hills in 45 minutes—not much longer than driving . . .
About The Author
Leon Kaye
Leon Kaye is the founder and editor of GreenGoPost.com and its advisory division,
GGP Media.
Contact him to discuss how he can work with your organization or event.
His focus is making the business case for sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR).
He writes for San Francisco-based
Triple Pundit,
Inhabitat and now
The Guardian, for which he writes about corporate responsibility, water, and green building. He has also written for AIA's
Architect Magazine.
Leon works out of Fresno and Silicon Valley, California, and when he has free time, he enjoys hiking, gardening, cooking, weightlifting, and planning his next trip to one of the 60 countries he has visited. He has an MBA from USC's Marshall School of Business and is also a proud graduate of the University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC) and Cal State-Fresno.
Let’s just face it, oil prices will spike again—it’s not a question of if, but when. One alternative? Ride a bike!
Easy to preach, hard to practice in some places, like Los Angeles. I’ve barely ridden my bike since returning from Amsterdam. Partly it’s been my schedule; some of it is a few minor maintenance issues; but mostly after riding around civilized (for the most part) Amsterdam, the thought of biking in LA and facing the wrath of drivers here has not really motivated me to two-wheel it.
Most bicyclists ride because of recreation or exercise. Few rely on bikes for transportation because that is just not realistic in most rural or urban areas. And then you have a small but vocal cult of bicyclists who seem to forget that the rules of the road do not apply to them.
I wrote a piece on a rebranding of cycling effort that touched a tiny nerve. But a discussion on Bike Hugger that discusses whether cyclists should be a little more aware of the rules of the road, and their tone in advocacy, has struck a larger one.
Most absurd is the Colorado town that actually banned bikes from their roads (Black Hawk, home to a large casino: don’t enter if you only have two wheels!).
We need more bike lanes. We have an obesity epidemic in the United States. We’re furious with BP and frustrated with the oil companies.
Bikes lanes are relatively inexpensive. Let’s just build them. But to cyclists, I say, please ride responsibly. And motorists, remember you will get to your destination pretty quickly, and it was your choice to sit in traffic.
Oh, and Angelinos, I’ve biked from Silver Lake to Beverly Hills in 45 minutes—not much longer than driving . . .
Mr. Kaye,
I appreciate your attempt to find common ground and bridge the differences between motorists and bicyclists. Especially the point you make that most people do have a choice of modes and have chosen to bring with them several tons of metal, fabric, rubber, etc.
One part of your commentary I take issue with is your statement,
“Few rely on bikes for transportation because that is just not realistic in most rural or urban areas.”
While it may not be realistic in a rural environment with less population density and greater trip distances, it is entirely realistic in urban environments. I haven’t owned a car for 14 years now and the bicycle provides about 95% of my transportation needs here in Los Angeles. The exercise is simply a side benefit and not a motivator.
Likewise, your point about scofflaw cyclists should be put in perspective. A casual observer will find that people using other modes, including motoring and walking, exhibit similar behavior. People on foot step in your path without looking; motorists are routinely distracted and can be seen running red lights and stop signs. A cyclist who disobeys traffic rules is taking a far greater risk of personal injury or death. By contrast, when a motorist violates traffic rules everyone else around them is at a greater risk of injury or death. You cannot compare cyclists to motorists with an apples to apples argument.
I do agree with the fact that cyclists need to be more aware of the rules of the road and be responsible for their actions on public roadways. Please accept my invitation to attend an upcoming Confident City Cycling class offered for FREE by the City of West Hollywood. This class is offered monthly through December 2010 and you can see first hand one example of bike education in action.
The schedule of classes can be found at bikemorela.blogspot.com
Ron Durgin
What I fail to understand is how cyclists aren’t making themselves heard by urban planners (never mind that that’s somewhat of an oxymoron).
Look the rest of the way to Europe: bicycles are managed the same way cars are. In Germany, bike lanes also have traffic control signals for cyclists to follow, so they’re integrated in the traffic flow. This minimizes conflicts between drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians.
On the other hand, schools in Europe teach sex ed as well as traffic laws. Surely we can get one of those two taught to our kids here.
Thanks for the comments. Of course my comment is correct–most don’t bike to work because it’s not realistic–because it’s NOT safe and motorists are obnoxious. LA is a cyclist’s nightmare–even motor-dependent Silicon Valley has way more bike lanes than LA County.
I always chuckle when someone says a general statement isn’t true because they do the opposite–as if their individual action speaks for a large group of people. That’s great you haven’t owned a car for 14 years and ride everywhere. And you are part of a small minority. Which is why I said “few.”
As for the scofflaw cyclists–I see way too many cyclists fly through a stop sigh or stop light–while it’s true many motorists drive distracted, I see few pedestrians or even motorists run through a red light in an obnoxious matter the way many cyclists do–perhaps because they are unaware, or don’t care, or feel the rules don’t apply to them. Of course if I get hit by a bike, the damage isn’t as bad as if a car runs into me–that doesn’t mean cyclists should be immune from traffic rules. Saying “others do it” distracts from the issue–I’m not talking about motorists or pedestrians, I’m talking about cyclists that are either clueless or cavalier about their actions on the road.
I am always siding with cyclists over motorists for many reasons. But they need to be responsible for their actions and stop making excuses AND stop flailing at any criticism leveled at them, which is why I wrote this piece.
That’s great you are leading an education program. More like that are needed.
LK
Jaydub–you are exactly right. I think part of the issue is that there’s always focus on the motorists, especially in LA. And politicians–no elected official peed their pants hoping a bike lane would be built and therefore named after him or her. They would rather shoot for rail, cars, or expanding an airport.
Something happened the past generation–I swear I remember police officers coming to school to lecture us kids about bicycle safety–almost all kids I knew, including me, biked to school if the walk was a bit long. Now helicopter parenting is in full swing and few kids bike to school (maybe I’m wrong).
The Netherlands sound just like German in terms of bikes having their own lanes and turn signals–wish we had such a system here. I think cyclists just get so fed up, you see behavior that otherwise wouldn’t occur–
Thanks again for sharing your thoughts–you are spot on.
LK
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