A recently received letter from a bike commuter in Long Beach:
On Sunday morning, I got on my bicycle to ride to the Farmer’s Market. I was riding down 2nd Street in Belmont Shore – in the right lane, in lane, with traffic – a right that is provided to me by California State Vehicle Code #21202 (and which also happens to be the safest place for a cyclist to travel) – when a moron of a man in a black SUV came up behind me honking, screaming and cursing me as if I was the devil incarnate and the root of all evil in the world.
Fuming over this encounter, I began to realize that the 20 or so other cyclists around me were riding on the sidewalk, in the gutter, in the wrong direction – or just about any of the other ways you could ride that would get you killed. And, it dawned on me that it’s no wonder this moron man in the SUV didn’t understand that I was riding where I was supposed to ride – because so few other people on bicycles ride in a correct and safe manner.
What’s the answer here? Let’s start with some education programs – for drivers AND cyclists. Let’s put in bicycle facilities that illustrate that cyclists belong in the street and that don’t continue to reinforce the mistaken notion that bikes be relegated to the sidewalk and beach path. Let’s stop pissing away people’s tax dollars on one-time festivals and actually do the hard work that it takes to make Long Beach the bicycle-friendly town that city representatives claim they want to create.
Russ,
Suggestions for how we start to “educate drivers?” A big part of having things like festivals is to make people more aware of bikes – and being bike friendly.
I know that the people in the city and those of us passionate about making Long Beach the most Bike Friendly Urban city in the US are anxious to hear your ideas and have your involvement.
Regards,
Hi Allan,
Thank you for taking the time to comment on this post. I personally think there are a number of ways to reach out to motorists.
Most people receive a City of Long Beach bill for their Natural Gas usage, or a Southern California Edison bill for their electricity. Perhaps an arrangement could be made wherein the city adds bulletins to these mailings with a friendly reminder that cyclists are allowed their space in the street.
What about short PSAs on the two Long Beach cable access channels – or on air through KJAZ? Or, if the city were really serious, it could launch a much larger public awareness campaign similar to the “don’t litter” campaign – including banners from the lightposts and signage at bus stops.
The city could take out large ads in the Press-Telegram and Grunion Gazette – or lend their support to a group such as Long Beach Cyclists arranging for such ads.
Educating motorists doesn’t need to take the form of a sit-down class with the DMV. If the message is in front of drivers enough times in various ways over a long period of time, people will begin to be accustomed to the idea. And, if it says “The City of Long Beach reminds you” then folks might give the message more weight.
What’s more, I bet there are a lot of cyclists in the city who would be excited at the opportunity to help the city craft a well-worded and multi-pronged education outreach program (myself included). Would you care to help that come about?
“Nobody ever died from not knowing how to play flag football. Yet we spend tax money teaching kids its nuances in gym classes, while bicycle safety is still foreign to most school curriculums.” — Don Cuerdon
I had a suggestion and it was printed in the PT as follows:
I applaud the city’s interest in making Long Beach bicycle friendly, but there are also lots of very simple, inexpensive ways in which this could be quickly accomplished that I think are being overlooked.
It is no mystery that a lot of conflict that occurs between cyclists and motorists stem from a misunderstanding of where it is bikes belong. Hence motorists incorrectly yelling at cyclists to “get on the sidewalk” and that “roads are for cars.” In the California Vehicle Code, it is stated that bicycles have all the rights and responsibilities of other roadway users.
Simply put: Bicycles have the right to be on the road.
Truly bicycle friendly cities support this basic right from the TOP down and make it clear in unequivocal terms that bicycles are an accepted and valued roadway users.
What does this mean for Long Beach? I would like a statement from Chief Batts that he has his officers understand and will help protect this right of cyclists. I would like to see similar statements from other community leaders and this newspaper that bikes unequivocally have rights to the road that should be respected.
Why is this important?
While the occasional new bicycle lane or bicycle facility when well designed is welcomed, that improvement affects only that very specific area. It does nothing for the cyclists in other parts of the city who may never encounter the new improvements. However, a powerful blanket statement from our top brass and an aggressive bicycles belong campaign makes every mile of Long Beach more bicycle friendly, not just those select few blocks.
The challenge of making a city bicycle friendly is not just an infrastructure one, but also a cultural one. In this way, bicycle rights parallel civil rights. Though cyclists have all the rights of other roadway users, they are marginalized and treated as 2nd class citizens. They are verbally harassed and threatened everyday on the streets, yet there are no actions to stymie this sort of behavior.
My fear is that if the city promotes these separated facilities, WITHOUT simultaneously asserting the rights of cyclists on ALL streets, it will give the impression that cyclists must only use these facilities and are not legitimate roadway users. This happens now at Hartwell Park where there is a cycle path near a roadway. I have ridden there and have been harassed and told to use the path, even though it doesn’t serve where I want to go.
I’d like to challenge the city to not only look in terms of infrastructure but roadway culture as well, when they take on the task of making Long Beach cyclist friendly.
Cliffnotes Version:
1) Enforce the law – Ticket cyclists that run red lights, ride the wrong way, junior high kids that have no business riding brakeless and without a helmet (as per the the law) ; also ticket drivers that engage in aggressive driving behavior towards cyclists, create a cyclist/motorist hotline to address these behaviors
2)Teach the law – teach our law enforcement what the laws are about cycling in the city…I’ve been pulled over by police that thought I had to ride on the SIDEWALK and couldn’t ride on the street! Teach them what are safe and good behaviors on the part of cyclists and motorists. Teach them not TO AUTOMATICALLY TAKE THE SIDE OF THE DRIVER…as seen in the Hummer v. Bike incident in Los Angeles.
3)Make sure the Law Follows the Law – I have a hard time making the case that I have the right to ride on the street to an angry and uneducated motorist when they see a police officer riding on the sidewalk a few feet away. The same can be said about our Downtown Guides. Good examples of riding should come from the top down. If our authority figures won’t do it, then why should anyone listen?