These are bike routes?

So, you're asking, what exactly do these photos show?

The top one was taken on Riverside Drive this morning. I snapped the photo after passing a couple of those little green signs saying this stretch of Riverside was a bike route (one of those signs is under the pedestrian sign). Really?, I asked myself, as I watched surrounding traffic whip by at 50 mph. The Metro bike map for Los Angeles County designates it a class III bike route, which means it's a route that, according to planners, is safe for bike riding.

The bottom photo comes from the 23 Freeway in Ventura County, taken by regular reader Chris Bucka, who says he rarely sees cyclists using the bike lane. Gee, I wonder why. It's actually a short lane, intended to connect Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley and Moorpark.

Although bike riding is allowed on some freeways in California -- mostly in rural areas -- such lanes occasionally show up in more populated regions. There's also a bike lane along parts of the 101 Freeway between Ventura and Santa Barbara. The "Get There by Bike" section of the Ventura County Transportation Commission's website, by the way, has a "coming soon" label, and when I clicked on the bike map link, I got a "page not found."

UPDATE, 5:10 p.m.: I just got off the phone with Steve DeGeorge, the director of planning for the Ventura County Transportation Commission. He said that the Commission is working on a new bike map and that an effort to use Google maps fell apart because of a software bug that doesn't allow them to properly draw where bike routes are. The present map was hacked into, he said, and they could no longer leave it posted on the site.

As for the issue of bike routes along freeways, DeGeorge agreed that it was far from ideal, but in both cases cited above putting the bike route along the freeway was the only way to offer connectivity for cyclists trying to get around the county. And, he said, that separating the bike path from the freeway involves a lot of factors, including money.

"There are a bunch of things that go into it -- not only do you have to build it, you have to maintain it and sweep it every so often and build it wide enough to be swept," DeGeorge said. "So, all things considered, it was either put it on the freeway or have no alternative way around."

There is a chance, however, that part of a redesign of the 101 could include a separate bike path. But the short stretch of bike path on the 23 freeway is going to stay in place because there's no other way for cyclists to climb the Norwegian grade between Thousand Oaks and Moopark.

--Steve Hymon

top photo: Steve Hymon Los Angeles Times

bottom photo: Chris Bucka

Comments

[Safe Cyclist]

I should add that good examples of proper, safe and comfortable bike riding on "scary" looking streets are given on the CyclistLorax channel on youtube, including this video about cycling on Southern California arterials:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1C3qqhW6Aw

[Safe Cyclist]

The biggest factor, by far, that determines whether a given cyclist is safe on a given road is not the road or the behavior of the motorists on it, but that cyclist's own behavior. Just like a good car driver or a good motorcyclist, a good bicycle rider can travel safely on any road. There are books and courses that explain how to do it.

The reason the top photo might look unsafe is because anyone who assumes the bicyclist's first obligation is to stay out of the way of cars will see no place for the bicyclist to ride. But that is a wrong assumption. When the lane is too narrow to be safely shared, the law (CVC 21202) allows cyclists to take the lane for good reason: it's the safe and reasonable thing to do.

So when I look at that top photo I see a wonderful cycling facility: the outside lane of that road has plenty of space for a cyclist to ride visibly, predictably and safely near the center of the lane, so that motorists approaching from behind will notice me early enough to plan accordingly (by changing lanes or gradually slowing to my speed).

However, if a cyclist does not know this, he or she will probably try to ride as close to the right edge as possible, thus remaining relatively inconspicuous, and inviting overtaking motorists to try to share the lane, and probably pass unsafely and uncomfortably close to the cyclist. Such a cyclist will be unaware how much his or her own behavior -- in terms of lane position choice -- is making it unsafe and uncomfortable.

But yes, riding on freeway shoulders is not a lot of fun, but you can get used to it.

[ubrayj02]

Steve,

Let me be the first to personally thank you for bringing up Riverside Dr and "bike routes" here on the L.A. Times' web-site.

This street parallels the 5 freeway, and yet it is designed exclusively for four lanes of nearly uninterrupted car traffic at speed well above a more reasonable 25 to 30 mph (especially considering the close proximity it has to several schools and several residential areas.

This street is the BEST connector for cyclists going from NELA to points North of downtown. The relatively cheap installation of a beefier and more effective bicycle (and pedestrian) infrastructure along this side street would immediately improve mobility and quality of life for thousands of Angelenos.

If Griffith Park would allow through traffic by bicycles, there would be an "on street" connector from NELA and East L.A. to the Valley that was relatively flat and MUCH MUCH safer than the disturbingly dark and creepy L.A. River path.

[Anonymous Bicyclist]

I also have used the bike lanes on the U.S. 101 freeway; it is a unique cycling experience. It's more fun, though, when the freeway is congested and motor traffic is moving at half your speed.

Remember, though, that bicycle access to highways is the rule, not the exception, in California. Indeed, Caltrans District 5 publishes a "Bicycle Map for State Highways of the Central Coast." This 54-page booklet, which shows the 101 freeway bike lanes (plus many other routes) is available free of charge; see http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist05/bike_ped/.

There is also a paper Ventura County Bikeways Map free for the asking from VCTC, but it was last revised in 2005 and is somewhat out of date.

[Megan Bellomo]

Actually the bike lane on the 23 freeway is not the only way for cyclists to get from Moorpark to Thousand Oaks, though it may be the safer route. Cyclists tend to take the "back road" or "Norwegian grade" that picks up at the end of Moorpark Rd in Thousand Oaks. This is a windy steep hill, form Moorpark to Thousand Oaks, with only one lane going each way. I sure wish that these bike riders would use the freeway to make traveling that road safer!

[Kevin]

I have biked the lane in Carpinteria on 101. It was the scariest bike riding experience of my life. Something about cars whipping by at 70mph+ that made me pedal as fast as I could uphill to get off the freeway.