Bike Lanes...

Eagle Rock is a dynamic community with lots to offer to all its residents. We've got plenty of great food joints, bars and the like.  We have numerous other places to go and things to see.  Yes, traffic and parking is a problem, and there's one more problem: bicyclists.

Before any of you get all fired up, hear me out. The city recently spent a substantial sum of money to create a bike lane on Colorado Bl. as it runs through Eagle Rock. The residents and passers through have lost a traffic lane in the process. This has been a source of frustration to many drivers. You’ll understand my point as I read on.

I am also a cyclist. I've been cycling for over 40 years. As such, I have had my share of harrowing experiences on two wheels. Situational awareness has saved my life or saved me from severe injury more than once. I have a healthy respect for most people that ride. Risk is inherent in riding.

The "problem group" that I shall heretofore refer to as "Knuckle Heads" are the real problem. They give the rest of us a bad name in cycling. Knuckleheads have a MASSIVE sense of entitlement. They don't observe the rules of the road. In fact the regularly break them to their own peril. Sadly, sometimes to their own demise.

The recent rise in cycling fatalities points to a multifaceted problem. Car drivers don't always pay attention to cyclists (human powered or motorized). They have their own issues with cyclists based on emotional opinion. A poor decision making method at best. We’ll save LA drivers for another time. The other side of the coin are Knuckleheads that split lanes, ride in traffic or on sidewalks (where bike lines have been provided for their own safety) dart in front of cars, run lights and nearly get hit (or do), I could go on for hours on this line of thought alone. They tend to be young and male.

A perfect example of this, I am sitting in a driveway waiting to make a turn into traffic on Colorado. This Knucklehead comes barreling up the sidewalk at begins yelling at me to move. As if the sidewalk was his personal domain and I as a driver am violating it. Does anyone else see a problem with this? I can understand a young child with training wheels on a sidewalk. However a young adult is not. The city just spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on putting in bike lanes. He's not using them. He's using a pathway for pedestrians.

This is not the only example that I have seen. I was almost run over by some kid on a bike coming out of Armon's. Again, on a bicycle. Again, riding on the sidewalk. Armon's is located on a busy stretch of sidewalk on Eagle Rock Bl. Anyone attempting to ride a bike on the sidewalk on that block in particular should have their head examined. From Swork on the corner to all the shops heading south, it's a busy location for pedestrian traffic. Yet I regularly see people on bikes on the sidewalk riding with no concern for people on foot. Worse, when a collision or near collision occurs, you will regularly see the cyclists berating the pedestrian. This is simply not acceptable.

The attitude of this group needs to change. It needs to change not just for the benefit of the general public, but for the riders own safety. Too often have I seen a bike tangle with an auto. Cyclists never win that argument. The entitlement issues that young people have today can be attributed to a number of issues. I’ll save that for another conversation. At the end of the day, what I am lamenting is the lack of common sense, common courtesy and safety. How do you feel about this subject?