15
submitted 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

Just tried commuting on my bike from Santa Monica to downtown Culver City today. I took the Exposition bike path, which was fine until I needed to get off of it to head south.

Google recommended I take National and--lo and behold--there's no bike lane with cars flying past at 55mph+ on blind hills. That's a death trap.

On the way home I left early to avoid traffic. I took Venice Blvd, since it has a protected bike lane all the way until McLaughlin which Google Maps called "bicycle friendly." No bike lane, of course, with cars flying past leaving a foot of distance between me and death. One testy driver in a BMW didn't want to wait the 15 seconds for me to pedal into the left turn lane to get back onto the Exposition bike path, honking and then flying by nearly killing me. Jeez lady, I'm not the city planner. Don't kill me to save 15 seconds.

How does Culver City put zero bike lanes going north to south connecting to the Exposition path? How do these drivers maintain their licenses?

What's a cyclist to do?

top 4 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[-] [email protected] 4 points 3 weeks ago

Same in Victoria, BC. We're lucky to have an old coal train line that was turned into a bike path but as soon as you stray off that path you're likely hood of becoming chalk lines increases ten-fold. Incomplete cycling infrastructure is dangerous as it causes confusing situations when the bike-lane just... ends without any signage of what a cyclist should do. Usually I just hop on the sidewalk, if there even is one. It's what I have to do if I want to get to a post-office.

As an aside: I've had people accelerate hard to pass me in my neighbourhood just so they could get home not even five seconds sooner. Maybe like three. They speed into the opposite lane, squish me between parked cars on either side as well as the other car waiting for me to pass. It really fucking insane sometimes.

[-] [email protected] 4 points 3 weeks ago

Use strava heat maps to find better routes.

[-] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago

I'll check that out! Thanks!

[-] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago

Also, CyclOSM.org shows bike infrastructure.

this post was submitted on 21 Jun 2024
15 points (94.1% liked)

Bicycling

2009 readers
23 users here now

A community for those who enjoy bicycling for any reason— utility, recreation, sport, or whatever!

Post your questions, experiences, knowledge, pictures, news, links, and (civil) rants.

Rules (to be added on an as-needed basis)

  1. Comments and posts should be respectful and productive.
  2. No ads or commercial spam, including linking to your own monetized content.
  3. Linked content should be as unburdened by ads and trackers as possible.

Welcome!

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS