Comments on: Disrespecting the Bike Lane in Santa Monica

By: noisecollusion

noisecollusion — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:07:59 +0000

I’ve lived in Santa Monica for 4 years now and Broadway has always been my main East-West cooridoor. It’s amazing how often the BL is either blocked or obstructed. Why can’t large vehicles park on the numerous adjacent N-S running streets?

By: danceralamode

danceralamode — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 06:34:05 +0000

I rode across Venice today to the Blogger Beach Cleanup. Numerous times our “posse” had to veer into the right-hand car lane (out of the bike lane) due to cars, construction equipment, etc. blocking the bike lane. I don’t understand why the city is allowed to leave construction equipment in the bike lane.

By: Mihai

Mihai — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 20:29:54 +0000

@ Will – Yes, Venice is vicious, not only is the pavement quality consistently bad all the way across town, it’s also riddled with trash bins on the “west side”.

Venice Bl is probably the longest bike lane in the city. If they would drop a lane of traffic, expand the bike lane, repave it with buttery smooth blacktop, add a buffer zone, then it would become more usable.

By: Will Campbell

Will Campbell — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 15:30:13 +0000

PS. As part of my random and occasional “This Is Why I Hate” series I shaky-cam’d my passing a bike-lane blocking Fedex truck last year on Venice by the Museum of Jurassic Tech and tossed it up on YouTube. Some of the haters in the comments are HI-larious:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQP90UoA9mg

By: Will Campbell

Will Campbell — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 15:25:23 +0000

I should’ve snapped a pic yesterday morning on Venice Boulevard west of Sepulveda. There was oddly just one block where it was apparently trash day and from one corner to the other the bike lane made the typical great place for the residents and apartment managers to set their black and blue bins, of course forcing me to bear left and first thread between the cans and the traffic until after the third vehicle to pass me with less than a foot between us made me realize I better take the whole lane if I wanted to live to see Centinela Avenue.

Of course that made the motorists behind me REALLY happy that they couldn’t get to the red light up ahead a few seconds faster, but I just sat up in the saddle, spread-eagled my arms and strongly suggested everyone go fuck themselves.

I don’t normally venture that far west along Venice on my way to work, but I may next Friday just to clear the lane by employing the strategy rhode bloch suggested above.

By: Today’s ride, on which I encounter just a little road rage « BikingInLA

Today’s ride, on which I encounter just a little road rage « BikingInLA — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 05:31:43 +0000

[...] two L.A. area stages next May; and yes, Lance and his new team will be there. Dr. Alex looks at a typical bike lane in L.A.’s bike-friendly neighbor to the west, and notes why you shouldn’t try to reclaim your [...]

By: Evan

Evan — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 21:15:00 +0000

On two separate days this week I’ve seen a USPS truck parked in the bike lane on Ocean Park between Lincoln and 11th. There’s no parking there, so the bike lane is right next to the curb, and the car lane is narrow…so even cars have to move to the left to get around this mail truck, to say nothing about any cyclists.

By: rhode bloch

rhode bloch — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:30:36 +0000

my secret pleasures of bike lane obstacles… I kick over valet parking signs. I take cones and throw them into the street. I dump trash cans into driveways…. it’s fun!

By: MrUniteUs

MrUniteUs — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:20:59 +0000

Thanks for looking out for us.