Last week we sent out our usual end-of-the-year fundraising letter, which was a little more political than usual. It referenced recent statements by the federal Department of Transportation that “bike lanes are no longer in the public interest.” On Monday we received this letter:
I agree that “Bike lanes are not in the public interest” – even though I’ve ridden for years on a custom built high end bicycle on our local roads and streets. Sonoma County of which I am a native has too many older and elderly drivers to have to contend with “bike lanes.” Let the experienced cyclists ride to the right of traffic lanes as we have been doing for decades! Let the beginners ride the Rodota Trail, Spring Lake, Healdsburg Path, etc. THEN they can ride our back roads and streets. So please stop! Cleveland Avenue is now an impeded traffic mess down to ONE lane due to the addition of bike lanes. Let this “cancer” stop.
You can read our response below.
Dear X,
I’m sorry that you view bike lanes as a “cancer,” and we will NOT stop promoting them. I’d like to explain why.
It appears that you are an experienced recreational/sport cyclist. While the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition was founded by recreational cyclists twenty-five years ago, our mission is to promote ALL types of cycling. We envision a community where parents feel safe allowing their children to bicycle to school, where adults feel safe cycling to work or for errands, where even the mountain bikers ride their bikes TO the park to ride. In short, where more people are able to travel about the county without driving. Where the streets are seen as a public good for ALL modes of travel, not just cars and the “experienced” cyclists of which you approve.
I myself am a transportational cyclist – I don’t drive my bike somewhere to go for a ride, I ride everywhere I go, often utilizing the SMART train to extend my car-free range. I carry my groceries, I ride in all types of weather, I’m on my bike every day. I don’t wear lycra, I ride in street clothes. While I do make use of the separated paths like Joe Rodota, SMART, etc. as much as possible, I need to get where I need to go – which means riding on the streets at least some of the time.
Transportation is the greatest source of local greenhouse gas emissions, and the majority of car trips in Sonoma County are under five miles – a perfect distance for cycling. Numerous studies, and my own experience, indicate that the biggest barrier for people who would LIKE to ride a bike for transportation is fear of being struck by a car. In order to get more folks on bikes, we need more and safer bike infrastructure. Not just in a park, not just scattered around the county, but a whole network of safer routes for folks to travel on foot or by bike.
Do we need bike lanes on every single street? Of course not. We advocate for projects that connect people with key destinations: workplaces, schools, shopping, and transit centers.
And you know what? When we make streets safer for those “inexperienced” riders, we make them safer for EVERYONE. Road diets like Cleveland reduce traffic collisions and fatalities. Getting more people out of cars for those short trips means less traffic and more parking for those who do need to drive.
It makes me sad and frustrated when I hear one type of cyclist denigrate others (“That wasn’t a REAL cyclist, just some old guy on a bike”). One of the things I love about my job is meeting and learning about all the other ways that people enjoy this beautiful, elegant machine! Road bikes, mountain bikes, gravel bikes, BMX, cargo bikes, stretch bikes, lowrider bikes. Riding for transportation, for competition, for sport, for community, for adventure, for fun. Bike parties. Bikes as a form of art (you should see some of those lowrider & stretch bikes!). I love it all.
I doubt that my letter has or will change your mind about bike lanes, but perhaps it has offered an opportunity to consider a different point of view.
Eris Weaver, Executive Director