Revolutions at 90 RPM: An Introduction to Bike Commuting in Los Angeles

Mr. Cynematic and me, riding our bikes on a trail in SoCal.

This is the introduction to a 4-part series on bike commuting in LA and elsewhere. Part 1 is here.

Two seemingly unrelated but connected things upon which my whole life as I know it hangs:

Gas is now $4.40 to $4.89 per gallon here in Los Angeles. (I saw $5.09 at one gas station, but it could be an outlier.)

And my spouse, who I love dearly, occasionally bikes to work. On the streets of Los Angeles.

We live near downtown L.A., and Mr. Cynematic works in Santa Monica. That's just under 16 miles, or between 75-115 minutes one way by car. A typical day is 75 minutes to get to work by car, 115 minutes to return: that's 190 minutes, or just over 3 hours spent in a car in one day's commute that he doesn't spend horsing around with Kid Cynematic, catching up with me, working out, taking a family evening walk, watching tv, reading a book, cooking (he loves to cook), or watching a movie. Multiply that by 5 and it's 15 hours a week of his life that evaporates into thin air. Week after week, that's a lot of lost time.

One day a week, sometimes more, he'll forego driving our hybrid car and ride one of his beloved bicycles to work.

Mr. Cynematic isn't exactly a raging greenie--he recycles about as much as anyone, likes a good steak (preferably local, hormone/antibiotic-free, and grass-fed), and is a delightful Taiwanese American guy with solid midwestern values from growing up in a suburb of Chicago, IL. Fantastic dad. Best husband in the world.

See, he loves to bicycle. It's his passion. Ever since he saw the movie Breaking Away as a kid and bought himself a sleek steel seafoam green Bianchi racing bike, he's ridden whenever he had the chance.

In his 20s, he did century rides. Yep, 100 miles in one day. (Did I mention Mr. Cynematic is a total stud? Even though he's no longer 20?)

He rode every week, several times a week. He did silly things, like shave his legs for better aerodynamic flow, carefully reduced the overall weight of his bicycle by buying derailleurs that were a few ounces lighter than others, experimented with various dieting regimes like carbo-loading and specially-made sport energy bars, and wore those shiny little tight shorts and silly little bicycling caps under his helmet. Still does most of the above, except for shaving his legs.

In short, he's an experienced cyclist who's logged literally hundreds of miles, and I tell you all this because even so, when he rides, a part of me shuts down. I pretend as if our whole lives don't hang on whether he comes back in one piece. I try not to think about how inattentive, flaky, fast, and asshole-y Los Angeles drivers are. I push from my mind how a bike would never win in a contest with a car, or a bus. I try not to think about how a bicycle helmet is basically some flexible plastic stretched over the same foam they use for beer coolers.

I drive Kid Cynematic and myself around the city streets of L.A. and I know how some drivers making a right turn would never look to see if a cyclist was in the lane next to them. I've seen the worst of human behavior when people climb behind the wheel, including someone blaming YOU for something THEY did wrong, like cutting you off or running a red light. I know how drivers use Los Angeles surface streets like local highways and drive 15-25 mph above the posted speed limit of 35 mph. I won't even talk about drunk drivers and the fact that Mr. Cynematic sometimes rides home from work at night (with a full complement of flashing lights).

I know all that, and a part of my mind goes into willful denial that if something horrible happened to Mr. Cynematic, we'd be devastated. In addition to losing my best friend and partner, and wonderful father to our 4.5 year old, if The Unthinkable happened, Kid Cynematic and I would instantly tumble into poverty, lose all health insurance, probably have to move into a relative's house, and/or go bankrupt trying to cope with Mr. Cynematic in a vegetative state. Or worse.

And yet. I'd never ask him to stop riding his bicycle.

He's a careful, experienced, skilled rider with excellent bike handling skills. Even so, he always wears dog tags with his name, address, blood type, and my cell phone number. And a helmet. Always, a helmet.

I'd never ask Mr. Cynematic to stop doing the one thing he loves with joyful, transcendent passion that is good for him and good for the environment.

But I would ask my city council member, mayor, and regional transit authority for changes in public tranportation policy to make it more bike friendly. I'd ask for more bicycle lane markers and bike lockers for two-wheeled commuters. Now that gas prices are seriously testing our car-loving habits and more Angelenos have an even greater incentive to make public transportation work (Orange County residents too), I'd ask all fellow bicyclists and concerned citizens to join me in putting teeth into laws that would keep distracted drivers accountable for accidentally killing or maiming bicyclists.

Stay with me in this 4-part series (in honor of July 5-July 27, 2008, Tour de France month) as I

1. track Los Angeles City Council efforts to make this most car-entrenched city of cities more bicycle friendly,
2. figure out how to combine bikes with other forms of public transportation,
3. and look at the laws governing rules of the road for bicyclists and cars.

Because if we can make Los Angeles--city that worships the car--more bike-friendly, we can do it anywhere.

Cynematic blogs at P i l l o w b o o k.

Comments

[bike]

Long life to biking! I hope it would be easier to use bikes instead of cars, to have more bike roads, and more security

[Nicole]

Cynematic, could you email me at rtissues at gmail dot com? I may have some resources that can help, at least on the policy/advisory end. I tried to find your email address on your site, but couldn't (it may be because I've had a couple of glasses of wine :)). And I don't really want this on a public forum because it relates to my current job.

[Amy]

I live in Indiana (and went to college in Bloomington, the locale for Breaking Away). Anyway, we aren't exactly well known for our public transit. Since I live in a college town (not Bloomington, alas) we have a pretty good bus system. The buses even have bike racks on the front, so you can bike to the bus stop, put your bike on the bus, and then get off where ever and bike some more. I've never done it (because I'm pretty sure the bike rack won't hold the trailer which tows the kids) but I think it's pretty cool.

[Sara]

My husband loves to bike too. And I have the same reaction whenever he goes out. While I trust him completely in his bike handling skills, I can't say the same for the drivers around here. Atlanta frequently is rated one of the most unfriendly cities for cyclists, and the roads he rides on scares me. But like you said, I would never ask him not to do something that brings him that much joy and is so good for him (and the environment). I just make sure I never forget to say "I love you" before he heads out on a ride.

[Daisy]

We're working on a much simpler bike-style. My disabled son rides a recumbent 3-wheeler, and we like to ride with him. It's not a commuter option for us - yet. It still could be!

[Ethan]

Cynematic, Dig your bike story! I live in Newport Beach and bike commute with my lab Wes to work as many days as possible. We sometimes use the optibke that you have seen. Let me know if you need any information. Thx! ethan