bikeriding in hell

[nisaa]

I ride my bike. A lot. I commute to school and work on my bike. And I'm having to deal with my own road rage lately because these fucking drivers won't let me cross lanes or make a fucking left hand turn.

Yes, I use hand signals. Sometimes I feel like one of those people at airports who signal where the planes should go. You know, the ones with the reflector vests and the pointy things. I mean, I can't be more clear about the hand signals, really.

I get honked at and yelled at and ignored. I almost got crushed into the sidewalk this past weekend because someone didn't look before they made a turn.

S suggested that I avoid Pacific avenue (the main street outside of our building) so, I tried to get off of it ASAP today and still - got honked at, ignored and ran off the road.

I curse. A lot. And it doesn't really help. But when you have a life threatening experience once a day, it doesn't seem to matter, the curses just seem to flow.

I try to avoid riding my bike during rush hours. I even try to avoid lunch hour if at all possible. But, there are places I need to be and sometimes they're at these times. Sometimes I just take the fucking bus during rush hour.

Feh. Any other city bike riders out there have any suggestions? I got a hug and some calming essential oil from a classmate tonight before I got on the bike to go home. I want to keep riding my bike but I don't want to feel like a nervous reck everytime I do.

Comments

[shaktiqueen.livejournal.com]

From a fellow bike rider...massive hugs are offered.
I am currently planning my school bike route and it is a little scary. Not all that far...but some major streets.

bike route

[acumen.livejournal.com]

oooh! i might have helpful info here. i'm not sure where exactly you live, but if you ride the actual beach paved trail thingie until washington and then take washington sidewalks (largely pedestrian-free) it just might work. i took that route to school a few times and it was ok. however, once you get past lincoln it'll prolly be scary again. kudos to your healthy lifestyle and be safe and wear bright colors and all that!

Re: bike route

[nisaa.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I will try that route out and see how much time it takes -- or maybe riding the bike path along the beach until I get to Venice Blvd where there's a bike lane.

Today I rode down Abbott Kinney to Venice and that was fine too.

[boymaenad.livejournal.com]

I second the staying off Pacific thing. I get scared there as a driver. the lanes are narrow even without the bike issue. the beach route does sound lovely.

[srl.livejournal.com]

I don't know if Venice is in LA County, but if it is you might check out http://www.labikecoalition.org/ , who seem to be your local bike advocacy organization. They may have tips specific to your area.

I know southern CA is car culture hell, and I wouldn't expect it to be particularly safe for bikes. That said, a good dose of Bicycling Street Smarts (http://www.bikexprt.com/streetsmarts/usa/) may help--- particularly learning to claim a lane confidently on a bike so that cars don't force you off the road. You might also want to show up at your local Critical Mass (http://www.critical-mass.org/north-america.html) to meet other people who ride near you and swap tips about dealing with cars.

Other things that might be useful:

http://www.labikecoalition.org/safety/tips.html

http://www.labikecoalition.org/resources/resources.html has some maps that may list safer cycling routes.

[nisaa.livejournal.com]

Thanks for all the useful info. I will look into it all. There is a bike lane for most of my ride to school, just not on the main road outside my house.

[srl.livejournal.com]

There's controversy in some cycling-advocacy circles about the utility of bike lanes. Some argue that they're necessary for lots of people to feel comfortable riding on the street at all; others say that bike lanes lull people into a false sense of security and discourage cyclists and drivers from learning to share the road with one another. But good to see you've got options.

[totallyhot.livejournal.com]

dood, these are the reasons i do NOT ride a bike in the city. i don't have enough faith in the drivers. the only city safe for cycling is amsterdam. even with all the space cakes, people there make it work.

i also vote for staying off pacific.

[eeblet.livejournal.com]

good luck! hi, i'm beth... i'm moving out to LA (well, Redondo Beach) this wednesday, and plan on biking as much as i can instead of driving. i obviously have no tips, but will use some of the resources other people have suggested....

[nisaa.livejournal.com]

Welcome to LA!