Free ride on bike, bus

Should we be doing this everyday? The MTA and other local transit agencies are giving cyclists a break today as part of 'Bike to Work' day:

Riders boarding with a bicycle or safety helmet will receive free rides on MTA buses and Metro Rail, Beach Cities Transit, Commerce Municipal Bus Lines, Gardena Municipal Bus Lines, Long Beach Transit, Los Angeles Department of Transportation Commuter Express, Montebello Bus Lines, Norwalk Transit System, Santa Clarita Transit, Torrance Transit and Whittier Transit. Nearly all MTA buses are equipped with bicycle racks and many rail stations have bike storage or parking facilities. Most buses have only two bike racks. If they are occupied, the rider may be asked to wait for the next bus. (CNS)

Comments

[Kate]

More bike lanes, and more education about how to share the road. These days too many drivers aren't willing to share the road with other drivers, much less cyclists.

My husband has been biking to work for 15 years. I take the bus because (1) I'm not at that level of biking, and (2) biking on the street around here is a scary proposition. People just don't pay attention to what they're doing or to what's around them.

[Ray]

Its too bad there aren't more bike lanes everywhere. I try to bike to work several times a week (Koreatown to Century City) but my options are limited to hugging the edge of the far-right lane with drivers whizzing by in VERY close proximity on one of the major thoroughfares (and most of the streets are riddled with bone-jarring potholes). a slow and circuitous route on (mostly) residential streets and/or sidewalks (which fortunately is legal in Los Angeles but there are a lot more pedestrians than one might expect). Good exercise but hardly relaxing.

[Karl in Burbank]

Great idea. I actually bike from Encino to Burbank and love the benefits of exercise and saving gas. I know it's not practical but anyone who lives within 5 miles from work should bike. It's really too bad there aren't more bike lanes in the valley.