folder fanatic

https://abclocal.go.com/kabc/video?id=8141680

In other threads I have posted, especially on this forum, I noticed that people don't or can't simply "get it" as far as what it is like riding a bike in Southern California verses where ever else they call home. I chose this video from our local ABC station reporting on our Bike To Work Day which was yesterday to help others get a good feel what it is like for cyclists here. I felt that it summarizes beautifully why people just don't or won't ride a bike especially on a surface public street here interviewing "average" people who are not rabid cyclist-reformers, activists, or other hard core warrior types.

The reporter rode the full distance for almost 30 miles from her residence to the ABC studios. It took her about 4 hours to do it. Hence our dependence on the private auto being so spread out geographically plus whatever public transit there is is usually not directly in line from your residence to work. Keep in mind she had unseen support from a news helicopter hovering overhead and most likely a news van following her. Which most of us around here don't have that luxury as we usually have to detour or walk your bike across traffic rather than what she did doing a left hand turn like a car (I only get to do that now during a holiday). It seems to me at least this provided a "heads up" to traffic alerting them she was passing through. Everyone else who are non-celebrities and/or are currently not in political office are still so much invisible potential roadkill to the jaded overwhelmed drivers with mental blinders on.

Smallwheels

How much of that four hour trip was taken up doing interviews? Probably over an hour if she didn't ride slowly.

She didn't really make riding a bicycle sound very easy with her comment about it taking four hours to do it. Sure she made other comments about it being manageable and easy but the last comment probably put a nail in the coffin of bicycle commuting in the eyes of many viewers.

sharrn

Commuting in Southern California easy? hah.

Dean7

Further proof that southern California is ****ed.

Caretaker

A view from overseas.

Nice weather. Do people in the U.S. really take these 'special' days seriously? Four hours seems very slow. Is 30 miles normal to get to work?

Why was there a gate on the entrance to the cycle path? Carrying a surfboard on a bike looks dangerous but cool.

All in all the danger per mile factor didn't look any greater than my own commute but I live a lot closer to work.

Underground

Well, visiting Dublin myself, I'd much rather ride over there than here in the states. Over here, the tendency is to build out, not up. There is a lot of land around here, so why bother building up? Because of that, the city is spread out quite far and I'd have to ride about 30 miles to take a "safer" route to work (driving distance is 23miles). My issue is my schedule, 12 hour shifts plus a 20-30 mile bicycle ride, I just don't have the time to ride to work, especially if I want to spend time with my family.

They often put gates on the paths because some of them close at dusk. Several paths around here, the locks go up at dusk and do not open again until 7am. I am not a big fan of it myself.

Robert Foster

https://www.gallup.com/poll/28504/workers-average-commute-roundtrip-minutes-typical-day.aspx

Older study but times are about the same.

https://zipatlas.com/

This site has all kinds of information as well as longestcommutes in the US.

Roody

Yeah, you angelenos got it rough: Perfect weather, flat terrain, wide outer lanes, bike lanes, bike trails, little street parking, lots of other cyclists to keep you company.....I don't know how you survive your life in paradise!

Ekdog

But, you must admit, thirty miles each way is a hell of a long commute, no matter how paradisiacal the surroundings might be.

Roody

That has nothing to do with it being LA. People everywhere have long commutes, if that's what they want. I work with several people who commute 60 miles to work (one-way), and one who goes 80. I'm not going to feel sorry for them, when it's their own choice.

Robert Foster

It is rough. Sometimes we even see places that get rain and snow on TV and it scares us. I used to commute by Bicycle about 25 miles one way from the OC to outer LA. Total ride time one way was about an hour and fifteen minutes to an hour and a half. I did this for about 4 years. However if that commute were the 60 or 80 miles your co-workers have that might have put cycling out of range for me.

Roody

I hope it was clear in my previous post that the 60/80 mile commuters I know use cars!

Robert Foster

I was thinking it might be. What interests me is when reviewing this topic I discovered that for the most part the longer commute times were in the East and tended to be the larger old cities. It also seems as if the average commute in the US is close to 30 minutes and that 85 percent of the population does that commute by car. So I wasn't surprised at all that the woman had a 30 mile commute. I was surprised it took 4 hours but not about the miles.

CabezaShok

You forgot to mention smog so bad it burns your eyes, throat and lungs, sidewalks/roads caked with homeless people's feces, urine and lung-butter...all of which hangs around all year until it rains.

Smallwheels

Hollywood, Glendale, and other parts of the Los Angeles area are definitely not flat. Hills are everywhere.

folder fanatic

Agreed. Many names of the communities here reflect this: Highland Park, City Terrace, Baldwin Hills, etc.

countersTrike

We don't have the smog as much in coastal central CA., but we are part of the homeless travelers going from San Francisco to Los Angeles. I guess we are famous for our Sidewalk Sit & Lie groups, panhandling bums, peeing and dropping bombs on our streets. Crowding has sure hit the state.

CabezaShok

At least in Nor Cal has frequent rains to wash it all into the sea. Add to that toxic brake+tire dust, from millions of automobiles trucks motorcycles....this dust circulates in the air until rainy season. Brake dust causes cancer.

Roody

Gosh it's a miracle that so many of you have survived.

Caretaker

Why do some of them close at dusk? Town parks that have fences around them in Dublin are locked at night but I've never heard of a cycle path being locked. Is it something to do with anti-social behaviour?

travelmama

The clip was rather weak and not very bike friendly. It would have been nice if the reporter could have just ridden straight through without stopping to chat or if she would have added more positive responses to it. Also, she could have saved time on her journey by jumping on the Red line to the Yellow line then riding to Glendale. She is definitely not the right person to commute to work for work.

wahoonc

Yes. I used to routinely break the law by using a MUP (multi use path) to get from where I worked to home late at night. Many cycle paths in the US are in reality MUP's and are part of a park that closes at dark. Don't know how much has to do with anti-social behaviour, probably more to do with potential lawsuits and liability.

Aaron

Roody

That's an important point. Many of these MUPs are classified as parks, funded as parks and regulated as parks. They are often inadequate as bicycle transportation facilities. However, some communities count them as bike facilities and brag that MUPs are part of their non-motor plan or their complete streets project. Don't let your city get away with this!

IMO an adequate bike transportation facility should include:

• paved surface wide enough for two-abreast riding and overtaking
• bikes ONLY--no peds. skaters, golf carts, etc.
• appropriate signs and pavement markings
• zero or minimum interaction with motor traffic
• efficient connection of desired destinations

If most of those considerations are lacking, I'd rather just ride on the streets.

Dahon.Steve

The clip was not to promote bike commuting but to show how long and difficult the process can can be for the average commuter. The only reason it was news worthy was the extreame amount of miles covered in an attempt to make the show interesting. However, it's news articles like this that scare people from bike commuting in the first place.

So now that you seen superwoman spend four hours commuting, you're better off staying in your car. Be safe.

CabezaShok

And twice as many homicides and rapes as NYC.....https://www.areaconnect.com/crime/com...+angeles&s2=CA
I only wish my commute was in little-bo-peep Indiana.