Pedaling for the planet

Published February 28, 2008 by Ventura County Reporter 
By Alex Wilson

Many Ventura County residents want to ride bicycles for transportation as gasoline prices rise and to help combat global climate change, but conflicts with stressed out motorists on busy roads is a growing concern for bicyclists and police.

That’s why bike enthusiasts recently met with Ventura police and city officials about dangerous confrontations, including one that left a bike rider injured. Now they’re teaming up for a public outreach campaign to help ensure riders and drivers get along.

Ventura Transportation Engineer Tom Mericle is working on a new draft Bicycle Master Plan that should be ready in March and is still undergoing public input. Mericle has ridden local streets with bike commuters to see what it’s like for people on two wheels to face angry drivers and congested intersections.

Police plan a crackdown on drivers who intimidate bike riders and break the law.

“That’s a big issue with bicyclists who choose not to ride more frequently because they feel like they’re being harassed,” Mericle said.

Ventura Climate Care Options Organized Locally, or VCCOOL, hopes to reduce global warming. VCCOOL president Rachel Morris says promoting human-powered commuting and educating drivers about bicycle safety is part of the group’s effort to curb greenhouse gas emissions. A key thing for drivers to remember is that bikes must obey most of the traffic laws cars do. They sometimes need to ride in the same lanes as cars to avoid obstructions or make left turns.

“A lot of drivers of motorized vehicles think ‘That’s a bicyclist doing something crazy,’” said Morris, who normally uses her bike to get around. She says swerving at bikes or honking is not just rude but potentially illegal.

“It may sound frivolous to a motorist because you’re honking and you don’t feel it, but to a bicyclist it can cause an accident,” Morris said.

Bicyclists should avoid confronting law-breaking drivers because it’s unsafe and counterproductive, but instead should get the license plate number and call 911.

The new Bicycle Master Plan is part of a larger transportation document headed to the City Council during 2009 focusing on bikes, pedestrians and public transportation.

“Our primary goal in developing the new mobility plan is to give people more options so they don’t feel like the only way they can get from point A to point B is by using their personal car,” Mericle said. “If you use your car for every little trip, it not only adds to congestion it adds to global warming. It adds to increasing the dependence on foreign oil, and it’s one of the major reasons we have an obesity problem in this country.”

Morris says cutting down on car trips is something everyone can do to reduce their “carbon footprint” on the Earth.

“One of the largest slices of pie when you look at what’s causing global warming is people driving. It’s huge,” she said. “For every mile a car goes it puts a pound of carbon dioxide into the air. We can’t afford that. Our planet can’t afford it.”

Bikes also contribute to happiness, according to Morris.

“There’s a kind of camaraderie when you’re bicycling,  you go slow enough and you’re not in your little encased metal box so you can say hello and wave to people, and see things and smell the roses,” she said. “It’s a healthy thing for a community to have a lot of people bicycling.”F   

Please contact Outdoor Observer with details and contact information about environmental events, volunteer opportunities and adventure sports at outdoors@vcreporter.com