9 comments | For the past seven years I have been a daily bicycle commuter, riding the thirteen-mile round trip from my home in Birdland to my veterinary practice in Grantville. I haven’t been doing this to promote any particular social agenda. Rather, I do it, because it’s more fun than driving, and to maintain a level of physical fitness and well-being. To some, the bicycle represents freedom. This is another reason I ride. The bike is freedom.
Brian Peterson is the president of the Grantville Action Group.
There’s one neighborhood in San Diego, however, where some measure of this freedom is in jeopardy. This happens to be my neighborhood of Birdland.
Birdland is just south of Sharp and Children’s Hospitals and north of Mission Valley. It is separated from Linda Vista by Highway 163 to the west. Interstate 805 marks the eastern boundary. Here all the residential streets are named after birds, such as pheasant, cardinal or starling, hence the name Birdland. Drive Genesee east to get there, and it will end at the intersection of Health Center Drive, Cardinal and Starling.
A couple months ago the Serra Mesa Planning Group conducted a meeting focusing on Birdland traffic. If you live in Birdland, or if you’ve gone to any of the Sharp medical facilities, you know the traffic can become almost unmanageable at certain times of the day. The medical facilities and the County (Juvenile Hall is on Meadowlark) have held meetings among themselves to come up with remedies to reduce traffic congestion. Generally, their fixes revolve around re-striping streets, adding turn lanes or reconfiguring onramps.
In particular, one of the stretches of road targeted for revamping is Genesee under the 163 bridge. Their proposal is to re-stripe and reconfigure eastbound Genesee at this spot into two lanes of traffic. Currently, it is one traffic lane and one bike lane. Westbound Genesee at this location is two lanes of traffic and a “bike route.” In reality, the bike route is the bicyclist riding in the right lane of automobile traffic. This part of Genesee already is not one of the bicycle friendliest spots, and now they want to take away the one good bike lane.
More by Brian: Beware of stakeholder committees | A third way for local politics | No courage found in Grantville redevelopment
One thing we bicycle commuters know is that there is strength in numbers. Previously, the Wall Street Journal reported on the growing numbers of bicycle commuters in large cities (The Cycling Commute Gets Chic; May 11, 2006). According to this article, a “cyclist in America is 12 times likelier than a car occupant to be killed, per kilometer traveled.” The article also notes, however, that “as the number of cyclists increase, collisions with automobiles decline…As cycling in London increased 100% from 2000 to 2005, the accident rate for cyclists fell 40%.”
For this reason alone, it is important to make bicycling easier, not harder. Yet, even though the city of San Diego’s General Plan speaks of encouraging the bicycle as a viable form of transportation, they are seemingly not doing anything of substance to make it any easier.
To get more information on what the city should do, I contacted Kathy Keehan, Executive Director of the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition. According to Keehan, the city needs to address four areas to make better bicycling in San Diego-the “Four E’s”:
1. Engineering. This includes improving bike lanes, bike paths, pavement maintenance, bike parking and signals that work.
2. Education. Bicyclists and motorists need to know how to share the road safely and comfortably. “For example, many motorists don’t realize that there are many instances when bicyclists are allowed to ride in the middle of the traffic lane.”
3. Enforcement. Police need to “understand and enforce the traffic laws for bicyclists and motorists.”
4. Encouragement. “Create incentives to get more people bicycling instead of driving.”
If anything, removing the eastbound bike lane on Genesee under 163 is going to discourage more people from cycling, rather than encourage them.
A few weeks ago, the Parade magazine insert in the Sunday Union-Tribune (Sept. 27) profiled Columbia, Missouri as a city that is encouraging the bicycle as a means of transportation. This city of more than 100,000 is among four communities receiving a federal grant to encourage more cycling and walking. Darwin Hindman, its 76-year-old, bicycle-commuting mayor, has the goal of connecting every Columbia neighborhood by bike path.
This should be a goal in San Diego, too. Cyclists here are lucky if there is a marked bike lane connecting adjacent neighborhoods. I asked Keehan if every San Diego neighborhood is even accessible by bicycle. Her answer was, “Yes, but some ways are friendlier than others. It depends on if you feel safe.” In other words, are you willing to risk death to ride from, say, Mission Bay to Downtown?
Later this month, the Serra Mesa Planning Group will take another look at the proposed Birdland traffic remedies. The consortium of the medical facilities and the county would like the SMPG to sign off on spending $300,000 of Serra Mesa’s Development Impact Fees to help fund the proposed Birdland traffic remedies. Depending on how things go at this meeting, there could be one less bike lane. Really, if the hospitals and the County want to reduce traffic, they should encourage more bicycle commuting by offering to add bike lanes, not take them away.
Brian T. Peterson is the president of Grantville Action Group.
Tags: birdland san diego, san diego bicycle lanes, san diego bicyclists, san diego bikers, san diego commutes, san diego transportation, SDNN
Comment by: Serge Issakov Posted: November 3, 2009, 1:45 pm
This is a well-written article Brian, but I think it reflects some commonly held misconceptions.
> Westbound Genesee at this location is two lanes of traffic and a “bike route.”
> In reality, the bike route is the bicyclist riding in the right lane of automobile
> traffic.
“Two lanes of traffic and a ‘bike route’” is a misnomer, as the bike route is the road. So, yes, the bike route means the bicyclist is riding in the right lane of the road, sharing it with motor traffic, which is a normal, safe, legal and my personal favorite mode of travel. Now, if you’re trying to squeeze yourself against the edge of the road, of course you’re going to prefer to have some edge space demarcated as a bike lane. But the solution is to learn to ride properly, comfortably and safely in the regular traffic lane, not in rubble-filled bike lane, IMHO.
> I asked Keehan if every San Diego neighborhood is even accessible by bicycle.
> Her answer was, “Yes, but some ways are friendlier than others. It depends on
> if you feel safe.” In other words, are you willing to risk death to ride from, say,
> Mission Bay to Downtown?
Whether you “feel safe” riding on a particular road does not depend on your willingness to risk death, but on how well you know, understand and follow the rules and safe practices of prudent traffic cycling.
Every SD neighborhood is accessible by bicycle. Motor traffic is easy and safe to manage once you learn how to manage it, which is neither difficult nor intuitive. I highly recommend these books:
Cyclecraft, by John Franklin
Effective Cycling, by John Forester
Streetsmarts by John S. Allen
These opinions expressed in this post are mine and not necessarily those of the organizations to which I belong.
Serge Issakov
San Diego County Bike Coalition, Vice Chair
California Association of Bicycling Organizations, Secretary
Comment by: Doug Posted: November 4, 2009, 6:12 am
Brian,
Excellent article, and on point.
Serge,
A thoughtful comment to Brian’s article, but I strongly disagree that whether one feels safe depends more on “how well you know, understand, and follow the rules…” This is simplistic and certainly not the total answer to risking your life on the road. Too many drivers are on their cell phones, fiddling with music gadgets, and totally unaware of the rights of cyclists. Add to that the habit of digging up the side of a road to lay cable or whatever, and creating real hazards for cyclists by leaving uneven, broken pavement, and the reality is that it is dangerous to ride your bike in this city, as a whole. I have no qualms about asserting my rights, using the middle of a lane if appropriate, etc., and I’m also a very aware cyclist, knowing it only takes one distracted driver, and I’m in trouble. The City needs to follow it’s own guidelines and do much more to make the fun of cycling much safer, and convenient.
Comment by: Serge Issakov Posted: November 4, 2009, 11:17 am
Potential hazards and conditions are well-known and easy to avoid, including distracted drivers and broken pavement at the side of the road. With inattentive drivers, the trick is to never let your safety depend on any particular driver being attentive without first verifying that they are attentive. I try to avoid riding near the side of the road as much as possible, not only because that’s where the pavement tends to be worst, but that’s also where all kinds of rubble collects, and, more importantly, where I’m least conspicuous and my sight lines are the worst. I’ll move aside when I have to to allow faster traffic to pass, but only if I know it’s safe and reasonable to do so. It’s a very different style of riding, and an entirely different experience from what bicyclists experience. It’s much more like riding a motorcycle in traffic. This is the method espoused in the book Cyclecraft by John Franklin, which refers to it is as using the center of the lane as ones “primary riding position”.
In case you’re not sure what I mean or don’t believe me, you can see this technique demonstrated on a number of videos on the CyclistLorax channel on youtube by traffic cycling instructors Dan Gutierrez and Brian De Sousa.
http://www.youtube.com/CyclistLorax
These are not from San Diego, per se, but are mostly from southern california on very similar conditions, including downtown Long Beach and Orange County arterials.
Take a look at some of those and let us know what you think.
Comment by: Linda J. Wilson Posted: November 4, 2009, 1:33 pm
I agree with Doug regarding the comments made by Serge. I know of too many good, law abiding cyclists who have had injuries severe enough to require a trip to the hospital. You and your wits/skills are no match for an idiot in car. If you really want to promote cycling we need to add bike lanes, not take them away.
I have another question. As a taxpayer, I am footing the bill for all these community plan updates throughout San Diego. Bike paths are a big feature in these plans. Why are we spending money on these updates if a bike lane can be so easily erased?
Comment by: Serge Issakov Posted: November 4, 2009, 2:35 pm
Linda, I too know of too many good, law abiding cyclists who have been injured or even killed by motorists. But that just makes my point. Being good and law abiding is sometimes not enough. For example, I know many good and law abiding bicyclists who regularly ride in door zones. Some think they’re safe just 3 feet from cars, or that they’re safe if they look ahead and are prepared. These same good, law abiding, and very experienced bicyclists often have little clue about how to use lane positioning to enhance their safety. From p. 92 of Cyclecraft:
“Of all cycling skills, road positioning is probably the most important, for it is through their position on the road that cyclists can exert the greatest influence on their safety in traffic.”
Because of our inherent vulnerability, we bicyclists, like motorcyclists, can benefit even more than motorists from learning and adopting defensive driving skills and techniques. Special motorcycle safety courses go a long way in helping motorcyclists get there, because it’s not obvious. A lot of it is not obvious for bicyclists either, but everyone seems to think they’re already doing pretty much all they can be doing to be safe. They’re wrong. There is much more.
There is appreciation in the biking community for learning and adopting racing skills, group riding skills and bike handling skills, but very little appreciation for learning about very critical traffic management skills. Many adults don’t seem to realize there is even anything to learn, and ride their $6,000 racing bikes in traffic not much differently from how they rode their Stingrays decades ago, just hoping to find bike lanes for refuge. There is much more to it than that.
Have you watched the videos?
http://www.youtube.com/CyclistLorax
Comment by: Jon Isaacs Posted: November 4, 2009, 7:03 pm
Knowing Kathy Keehan and her role as an educator, I am quite sure the message here is more subtle than Brian realizes:
“This should be a goal in San Diego, too. Cyclists here are lucky if there is a marked bike lane connecting adjacent neighborhoods. I asked Keehan if every San Diego neighborhood is even accessible by bicycle. Her answer was, “Yes, but some ways are friendlier than others. It depends on if you feel safe.” In other words, are you willing to risk death to ride from, say, Mission Bay to Downtown?”"
Kathy did not say one has to be will to risk death to ride from Mission Bay to Downtown. What she did say was the friendliness of a route or region depends upon your perception of your safety, I note that perception of safety is different from the reality of your safety. With the proper skills and understanding, rides like Mission Bay to downtown can be safe and comfortable.
I suggest that any cyclist who is uncomfortable riding from Mission Beach to Downtown or along Genesee in Linda Vista or any number of similar situations contact Kathy Keehan of the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition and sign up for one of the Road Skills 101 classes. Serge Issakov one of several League of American Bicyclists approved instructors who teach these classes and the things he is sharing here are standard techniques for cycling effectively and safely in traffic situations.
Experience is not always the best teacher. I can say that for me, as someone who has been commuting daily for the past 20 years and is notorious for always stopping at stop signs and stop lights, taking the Road Skills class a few years ago opened my eyes and changed the way I looked at Bike Lanes. For those who hover in Bike Lanes, please realize, they are often the wrong place to be, particularly in heavy traffic…
Education and Engineering… One can educate oneself, the resources are there.
Jon Isaacs
Comment by: Linda J. Wilson Posted: November 5, 2009, 8:40 am
I am familiar with the “Ride in the Lane” cycling. I don’t agree with it. What you hard core riders don’t seem to understand is that most cyclists are not like you. We don’t have $5000.00 bikes (500.00 or less is more like it), we don’t dress in spandex, we don’t even have clip-on shoes. We just want to have fun and not get killed in the process. There is no way that most of us can take a lane in traffic and not cause a problem. I, for one, am not able to peddle along Clairemont Mesa at 40 MPH. Even cars that travel at 10-15 MPH pose a traffic hazard. Do you really think I would send my child out there to take a lane? If you really want to promote cycling in San Diego you need bike lanes. The community plans are being updated to reflect this, so I do not understand how a road can be allowed to be re-striped eliminating an existing bike lane. I know you won’t agree with me and I have to attend to other matters, so I won’t be able to continue the dialog. One last thought: Lance Armstrong (whom I consider a cycling God) has been hit by cars at least 6 times.
Comment by: Serge Issakov Posted: November 5, 2009, 11:26 am
Lance Armstrong, like most bike racers, is not necessarily very good at riding safely in traffic. I certainly have not read anything by him or about him that indicates he’s very knowledgeable about safe traffic cycling, which, by the way, has very little to do with speed.
If you think cars (or bikes) traveling at 10-15 mph on Clairemont Mesa Blvd pose a traffic hazard, what about cars that STOP in the middle of the road, and then travel in REVERSE (in order to parallel park), perhaps repeating this a few times before the driver gets it right?
It’s a commonly held myth that the MAXIMUM speed limit also indicates the approximate MINIMUM safe speed of a given road, probably stemming from that being somewhat true on freeways, which have no parking, pedestrians crossing or intersections.
But on surface streets like CM Blvd with onstreet parking, traffic lights, stop signs, midblock driveways, alleys, commercial entrances, pedestrians crossing, etc., there really is no minimum safe speed. So it’s very sad to me that many bicyclists still feel they must stay out of the way and not dare cause motorists to slow down or change lanes because the only safe and reasonable place for them to ride is in the middle of the narrow SLOW lane.
Some of the Bike Coalition classes are taught in Clairemont, and bicyclists of all levels are shown how to ride safely on all kinds of Clairemont roads, which often includes using a lane controlling position.
Comment by: Jon Isaacs Posted: November 5, 2009, 11:44 am
Linda: The point of vehicular cycling is to transport oneself in the safest possible manner. One does not need clip-in pedals, spandex, or $500 bicycles to practice effective cycling techniques. The bike I rode to work this morning cost me $60 on Craigslist.
All I can offer is my experience and what I see happening to other riders. Taking the lane does not cause problems, rather it resolves the problems that riders face every day. Riding along most of Clairemont Mesa Blvd, one either takes the lane or rides in the door zone. If you choose to ride in the door zone, you are most clearly choosing to risk your well being.
As far as sending a child out to ride on Clairemont Mesa, I would not send an unskilled and untrained child on such a road in any vehicle, bike or car, regardless of whether there were a bike lane or not. Operating a bicycle requires experience and skill just as operating a motor vehicle does.
I used to be a big believer in Bike Lanes and I think they have their place. But it is also important to realize that Bike Lanes themselves complicate the flow and traffic and indeed make it more complicated near intersections which is where most accidents between cyclists and motor vehicles occur.
Again, my suggestion, if you are uncomfortable riding in traffic on a bicycle, take the time to learn how to do it, Kathy Keehan and the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition can teach you how. At first, it might seem scary, the idea that Bicycles Belong is not immediately obvious. But the magic is that Effective Cycling transforms the road from that place of fear to one of peaceful community.
Jon Isaacs