GJEL Blog » Bicycling Information

Today when I cross an intersection, I still hear my parents, baby sitters and teachers telling me to “look both ways.” Those three words were reinforced by people around me throughout my childhood and now it’s as ingrained in my behavior as eating with a knife and fork. Education comes in many forms, and many [...]

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Even in areas where drivers know to expect bicyclists, unexpected dangers can rear up at any moment. This was the case for Nob Hill resident Laila Brenner, who was cycling home from work when a double-parked car forced her to change lanes. The adjustment caused her to contact an 8X-Bayshore Express bus traveling in the [...]

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When construction crews restricted lanes for cyclists and pedestrians on San Francisco’s famous Golden Gate Bridge last month, representatives of the bridge’s 6,000 monthly cyclists and 10,000 monthly pedestrians expressed safety concerns. Fortunately, bridge representatives responded by creating new temporary lanes, and despite disputes sparked between pedestrians and cyclists, no one was hurt. And to the delight of San Francisco cyclists, bike lanes are returning in full force this weekend.

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In the past, we’ve written about California’s unbalanced bike laws, which too often hold cyclists more responsible than motorists following bike-car accidents. Last year, Bicycle Times Magazine reported that even in the case of fatal bike accidents, police officers were more likely to blame cyclists than motorists for the accidents. And new information from the San Francisco Police Department indicates that targeting cyclists could be common practice, especially on Market Street, the city’s main artery.

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California has no shortage of bicycle-friendly cities. Since many California residents promote healthy lifestyles and a “green” attitude, it’s no surprise that cities like San Francisco, Berkeley, Davis, and Oakland are consistently ranked among the country’s best cities for cyclists. We can now add Healdsburg to that list, as Bicycling Magazine recently named the Sonoma County destination one of the country’s “Six Best Cities for a Bike Vacation.”

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Here in the Bay Area, we’re lucky to live in or near cities that are well known for their walkability. The website WalkScore, for example, recently ranked the country’s most walkable cities, and listed San Francisco in second place, and Oakland in tenth. While this is certainly cause for celebration, it might not take safety into account, considering that it has been an awful year for San Francisco pedestrian safety, and that more than 550 pedestrians are killed each year in California alone. A new account by local blog Oakland North explains one reason why the East Bay city doesn’t live up to the walk hype: dangerous crosswalk signals.

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An ongoing seismic retrofit project to make California’s Golden Gate more secure in the event of an earthquake has created an unexpected safety dilemma for the up to 6,000 cyclists and 10,000 pedestrians who cross the famous bridge each day. Construction crews have temporarily closed the bridge’s west sidewalk, meaning that pedestrians and cyclists alike must share the east sidewalk, which gets as slim as 5.5 feet. While there have so far been no accidents, the Marin Independent Journal reports that sharing the sidewalk has created a clear safety dilemma and sparked disputes between cyclists and pedestrians forced to share the space.

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You may have seen the video of a mall shopper falling into a fountain while writing a text message on her cell phone. If not, watch it here. Pedestrian mishaps like this have led some to ask whether walkers should be subject to regulation similar to distracted driving laws that have sprouted up across the country. To most, the idea of getting a ticket for writing a text message or talking on the phone while crossing the street sounds absurd. But a distracted walking law has already been proposed in New York, and some California residents think it should be considered over here as well.

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When it comes to cities that put a priority on bike safety, you can’t do much better than California’s Alameda County, the East Bay bicycle mecca that includes Berkeley. But Alameda County is also home to one of California’s most unexpectedly innovative towns when it comes to bike safety technology: Pleasanton. In fact, Pleasanton is using microwave technology to sense when cyclists are near an intersection that will trigger the light to stop cars and allow the cyclist through safely.

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Whether you drive a car or ride a bike, there’s no question that street safety must improve here in California. In 2009, for example, nearly 1,300 people were killed in car accidents and 100 were killed in bicycle accidents here in California alone. According to the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, California mourns more than 3,000 traffic deaths each year if you add pedestrians and motorcycles to the mix. Fortunately, reports the San Jose Mercury News, that could all change thanks to a series of street makeovers throughout the Bay Area.

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