I’m 28 years young. I feel like I’m part of a generation that expects a quicker turnaround time on pretty much everything. Why? Because we’re more efficient all around, and we know what we are capable of. We simply do not have the patience for all the empty promises we’ve been fed so far. LUCE this, LUCE that… I want change to happen not just in my lifetime, but before I have friggin’ kids. That means this city better achieve Platinum bike-friendly status in the next 10-20 years. I moved to Santa Monica for a reason, and I expect it to become a city where families carry their kids around in Dutch cargo bikes. A city where cops take the side of the cyclist every time, until they they are grossly proven guilty. I expect beautifully paved streets, bike-only pathways, and an educated, more open-minded police force.

Any beach community on the Pacific Coast is an easy draft pick for the “Bike Friendly” list. That’s a no-brainer – it’s always nice out, of course locals and tourists will do their best to ride their bikes near the beach and in the shopping districts regardless of road conditions.

But just because we’re blessed with this nice weather, bike valets, proximity to the Pacific Ocean, and a plethora of beach rental places doesn’t automatically make Santa Monica a bike friendly city. Even the heaviest-used bike lanes such as Broadway still have their share of “danger zones”, where only an experienced cyclist could possibly sense all of the dangers that awaits them. On some days when I get home, I take a deep breath and thank the gods for getting me home safe, because I know just how thin the line is between scraping by without a scrape and serious injury/death really is. It shouldn’t have to be that way.

From a law enforcement perspective, Santa Monica police have not helped me recover any of my stolen bikes, nor have they taken my calls about road raging drivers seriously. On the contrary, they tend to ticket my people when we are out on the town riding around, and for bullsh** reasons. I believe we (cyclists/SM Spoke/whatever) need to be as loud and as visible as possible until we’re as respected as the most powerful lobbies in Santa Monica. Pussyfooting around isn’t going to get us anywhere this century. I’m fairly certain the SF Bike Coalition is a wee bit more radical than our beloved LACBC. And what did they gain? Lots of political clout.

Cyclists in the LA area are a marginalized group, we are definitely in the minority. We have nothing to lose by pressing hard on this issue. Real, abrupt change doesn’t come around until you play hard ball, that’s pretty much how things have worked with marginalized groups throughout American history.