Thursday, January 17, 2008

cycling outside LA - road wars, part 3

ok, so i didn't keep up with this series of debates.

this part of the point-counterpoint driving-v-cycling debate deals with how Los Angeles compares to other cities in terms of being bike-friendly. apart from what i consider to be minor points, both largely agree that L.A. can learn from other cities in finding ways to make Southern California more accommodating for bicyclists.

the original link is:,0,4507139.story?coll=la-opinion-center
if that doesn't work, i'm including the full text of the article at the end of this post.

i've talked about the cycling environment in other cities relative to L.A. you can reference my most recent discussion at: velib' (la bicyclette parisien). in that post i discussed Paris, and how they were aggressively promoting bicycles as a form of transport within the city, going so far as to create bike-only paths and prominently located bike-rental stations (yes, city bike rentals, imagine that!). i referenced how cycling was so much more accepted--and more importantly, welcomed--as a form of transportation in so much of the rest of the world.

admittedly, i largely drew upon my own personal experiences in Europe, and relied on second-hand information for other places on the globe. still, my own memories of Europe provide more than enough examples of just how much modern, high-traffic, urbanized environments can still be capable of hosting cycling.

in particular, i point to cities like Vienna, Berlin, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Helsinki as cities where major efforts were made to construct bike routes, through both bike-only paths and roads with clearly demarcated (and protected) bike lanes. moreover, in these cities, there is clearly a bike culture, with people frequently traveling to work, school, or daily errands using bicycles.

it flies in the face of critics who say that it is impossible for cities to handle high-density road traffic and cycling at the same time--to me, this is directly contradicted by what i've seen in Europe. clearly, just on the cities i've mentioned, somebody (or some people) have somehow and someway figured out how to have both driving and cycling in the same environment.

i personally can only speculate as to why so many European cities are so bike-friendly (note: i say "many," not "all"--some European cities, like London or Rome, are notoriously hellacious for bikes). it may be the nature of their societies. it may be a cultural aesthetic. it may be because of government encouragement. i have managed to find some sources that discuss the subject--and how it can translate to American cities:
as to whether a place like L.A. can ever become more than the bike-riding-hellhole that it is, who knows. all i can tell prospective visitors considering on traveling in L.A. by bike is: forget it. either that, or just take your life in your own hands. apart from a handful of what i consider to be safe bike trails (reference: bike paths - road wars, part 2), there just isn't any ways for a visitor to get on a bike and ride around this town with any degree of comfort or aplomb.

Los Angeles drivers not only hate cyclists, they actually go out of their way to attack them. i've got too many stories of friends who were riding legally and were run down by drivers who deliberately ran into them. and there have been too many stories in the news of drivers who ran over cyclists. remember: Los Angeles is a driving culture. this city is just too big and too overwhelming to get anywhere without a car. drivers here, unlike other cities in the world, don't see driving as a luxury, or even a right, they see it as a necessity for survival. as a result, they tend to react to any encroachments upon driving as someone encroaching on their survival, with the predictable resulting actions of what might be scientifically described as defensive aggression.

of course, this doesn't mean that L.A. can't change. maybe it can learn from other bike-friendly cities around the world.

but for now, i wouldn't bet on it.

From the Los Angeles Times
The bike world outside L.A.
January 9, 2008


Shamed by Paris and Portland



Two of the cities with which Randal said he has in-depth cycling experience — San Francisco and Portland, Ore. — are notoriously bike-oriented, and I'm certain he can build on my general statement with specifics as to why. Berkeley is another one I've long wanted to visit for the sole purpose of riding its integrated network of bike boulevards. So is Davis, renowned for its efforts to support and encourage the growth of cycling. In fact, the League of American Bicyclists has bestowed on it the highest honor of being a Platinum Level Bicycle Friendly Community (BFC) — the only one so designated in the entire country.




Bike friendly by being auto hostile











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