Voices of People Who Bike, Part 3: Including, inviting, drivers, and inspiring places

Bicycling Monterey’s spring 2023 questionnaire posed 40 questions, and we invited everyone to respond to only a couple questions or to as many as they wished. We’re highlighting responses in a series of posts; this is the third.
For Part 1, “Who bikes, why, and memories,” click here. Part 2, “Encouragement, support, barriers, bullying,” click here.)

In this post, hear some responses to eight questions:

To make bicycling inclusive of everyone, what issues deserve more attention—whether by bicycle manufacturers, bicycle retail shops, infrastructure planners, or simply by other people who bike?

Do you sometimes invite family, friends, neighbors, or coworkers to ride with you who haven’t biked much? 
If so, how do you make riding together easier and more fun for them? 
If you invite people to bike with you, and they decline, what are some common reasons people give for declining? 

Tell us one or more helpful experiences you have had with bike-friendly drivers.
Tell us one or more dangerous or frustrating experiences you have had with drivers who either don’t know or don’t care how to share a road safely with people who bike.

If you could bike anywhere in the world, where would you most like to bike? (And feel free to also tell us why.)
Of places where you’ve already ridden your bicycle, in your local area or elsewhere, what was one of your favorite places to bike?

To make bicycling inclusive of everyone, what issues deserve more attention—whether by bicycle manufacturers, bicycle retail shops, infrastructure planners, or simply by other people who bike?

Communication when you are passing a fellow cyclist. Too many close calls with collisions — just a friendly HELLO will do as you approach someone from the rear.—Michael, Santa Cruz, CA, age 54

More information directed at young people.—Epic, California, age 12

Have a bike church, like Santa Cruz Bike Church.—Patrick, Monterey, age 43

Free helmet programs for youth who can’t afford them. Safer infrastructure in poor neighborhoods, where fewer people own cars and depend on biking or walking to get around. Having a county’s public bus service include a fleet of vans or small buses for “on-call” / “service on demand” transportation nearly everywhere (many areas have no bus service) so more people can bike at least part of the way to their destination ,because they are able to put their bike on a bus partway. And for manufacturers, make some quality lightweight bikes that are much more affordable, because a heavy bike can be really hard to handle when you get older, or if you have disabilities.—Frances, rural U.S., age 59

The messaging around biking. When you think of biking you either think of people on vacation or mountain bikers or really intense, fast, even rude bikers. There’s not much representation other than cis white men biking, at least from what I’ve seen; the image I have is not very inclusive or diverse. I’d like to see more people of color and more people of all sizes in advertising, etc. That would encourage more people to bike, if they felt more welcomed. I feel there is a big divide between people who bike for pleasure or exercise and people who bike because they have to—either don’t own a car or have to bike to work to save money, etc. I feel the purpose of biking is very different for different people.—Sierra, Connecticut, age 34

We live in biking desert with no accommodations for riders.—Gregg, countryside rural, U.S., age 72

Any infrastructure improvements that help make biking and walking safer. Even just signs “Start seeing bicycles,” like Illinois has about motorcycles, could help remind drivers that the road is shared with people on bicycles.  Also, sometimes the existing infrastructure for biking or walking doesn’t make sense. For example, when our daughter had to cross a road while walking to school, I tried to get an infrastructure improvement for that crossing. The request was ignored. The authorities insisted on the existing designated crosswalk—even though crossing there was unsafe, because a hill made it impossible for pedestrians to see oncoming cars from that spot! So we told our daughter to instead cross where it was safest for her.—EJ, country, Illinois, age 60

There are a lot of drivers in our neighborhood who are not paying attention. My brother who is 14 will sometimes ride his bike to the bus stop, and some drivers aren’t paying attention!—Skyla, Florida, age 12

I think that infrastructure planners should bike more, for transit, if they don’t already. A lot of community opposition to bicycle lanes comes from the idea that bicycling is a sport and that people who bike are trying to race somewhere, rather than the fact that many people who bike are riding to school, work, or to run errands and shop.—Phil, Oakland, CA, age 42

I think that the more people who can experience the ride feel of a bike that is well tuned to their person, the more biking will be taken up. And the more people will rally around and build resources for it.—Gabe, Santa Barbara, CA, age 27

The actual cost of good bikes can be more than what people can afford.—Norm, Pacific Grove, CA, age 48

Do you sometimes invite family, friends, neighbors, or coworkers to ride with you who haven’t biked much? 

Yes.—Michael, Santa Cruz, CA, age 54

No; my brothers bike the same as me, and Grandpa bikes more.—Epic, California, age 12

Yes, friends.—Patrick, Monterey, age 43

Yes.— Frances, rural U.S., age 59

Yes. A friend’s family came to visit, and biking with us in Sanibel was one of the first things they wanted to do. They absolutely loved it! We take our older grandchildren to rent bikes in Sanibel too, and they love that. All my grandchildren in Florida are avid bikers from a young age.—Cammie, Fort Myers, Florida, age 71

No.—Gregg, countryside rural, U.S., age 72

Yes, family.—EJ, country, Illinois, age 60

Yes, my next door neighbors and a friend. We all ride bikes together.—Skyla, Florida, age 12

Yes, we try to often, especially for our monthly kids bike parades. They are community events, so we try to get anyone nearby to join. Aside from that, when friends and family visit, we try to loan/share bikes when we can so we can go somewhere together.—Phil, Oakland, CA, age 42

Yes, I’ve done that occasionally.—Rae, Monterey, CA, age 40

I have biked with some people before. If a no, it’s probably just because they are busy or have things to do or just don’t feel like it.—Frederic, Pacific Grove, CA, age 15

Yes, I do. I think a common reason can be intimidation, like if there is a group of people going riding, and they are all really comfortable riders, it can be hard for someone to feel like they can jump in and keep up. It’s not that we’re trying to set any pace that anyone can keep up with, it can just be uncomfortable to say: okay I’m going to go on this ride that perhaps I’m nervous about. So there’s that. And there’s always people who don’t feel they are equipped with the right bike for the ride we’re doing.—Gabe, Santa Barbara, CA, age 27

No, but I should.—Norm, Pacific Grove, CA, age 48

If so, how do you make riding together easier and more fun for them? 

I make sure to tailor the ride to their abilities.—Michael, Santa Cruz, CA, age 54

I like to talk while biking, and sometimes tell jokes.—Patrick, Monterey, age 43

Ask them where they’d like to ride, and don’t make the ride too long.—Frances, rural U.S., age 59

Everyone we bike with knows how already. As you get older, many people aren’t as limber or able to ride as easily, so we appreciate that Billy’s Bike Rentals in Sanibel has options like trikes and surreys too. When we rented bikes at Lakes Park, you can rent the surrey bikes there too, and their surreys were easier to pedal than other surreys we’d rented. Our grandkids loved them.—Cammie, Fort Myers, Florida, age 71

We usually ride as a couple.—Gregg, countryside rural, U.S., age 72

Let them go at their own pace.—EJ, country, Illinois, age 60

One of my little siblings can’t ride very fast, so I ride slower, so they can keep up.—Skyla, Florida, age 12

For the kids, we stick to known low-stress routes and stick together as a group for safety. Riding a bike is already kind of fun for kids, and riding as a group is generally even more. For adult friends who don’t ride as often, we also stick to lower-stress routes. Sometimes I’d found that it’s easy to forget how stressful riding can be for someone who doesn’t do it often. Riding with a kid helped me understand that better.—Phil, Oakland, CA, age 42

Flat trails with good views. We usually go on a flat trail. The coastal rec trail is a good one. And now with e-bikes, I can go and take anybody on a pretty neat trail in Fort Ord as long as it’s one of the paved trails, and they do fine, because they can just rev up their pedal-assist or whatever.—Rae, Monterey, CA, age 40

If you invite people to bike with you, and they decline, what are some common reasons people give for declining? 

They don’t have a bike, or it needs repair. Or they feel unsafe. Or they think they have to be in better shape before they can bike.—Frances, rural U.S., age 59

We have asked another couple who declined; they preferred not to for health reasons, or because they just weren’t comfortable doing it at their age.—Cammie, Fort Myers, Florida, age 71

Never ask.—Gregg, countryside rural, U.S., age 72

Health.—EJ, country, Illinois, age 60

Mostly that it’s too hot, or sometimes that they just don’t feel like it at that second.—Skyla, Florida, age 12

Usually it’s them not feeling comfortable riding on roads with cars.  Or them not feeling comfortable with their kid riding on roads with cars. Sometimes it’s them not having a bike in working condition.—Phil, Oakland, CA, age 42

Unless there’s been like a timing issue, there’s not been someone I’ve invited who didn’t want to bike.—Rae, Monterey, CA, age 40

Maybe it’s too much effort, or they don’t feel like they have the right bike. And we’re lucky enough to have so many other recreational options too—hiking, or going in the water—that it can be hard to pin someone down to go for a bike ride.—Hannah, Santa Barbara, CA, age 28

Tell us one or more helpful experiences you have had with bike-friendly drivers.

Slowing down and acknowledging our presence.—Michael, Santa Cruz, CA, age 54

I don’t ride on street.—Epic, California, age 12

Davis, California is great like the bicycling capital of California, very bike-friendly.—Patrick, Monterey, age 43

I love the many drivers who do slow down and give plenty of space when passing. They may not even realize what a big difference this makes, in safety and comfort.—Frances, rural U.S., age 59

They move to the other side of the road or slow to pass if opposite direction traffic is present.—Gregg, countryside rural, U.S., age 72

There are a lot of kids in our neighborhood. Most of the people in our neighborhood are pretty good about kids riding bikes, they are nice, and some have signs saying “Slow Down, Kids on Bike.” But some drivers aren’t paying attention, so sometimes neighbors tell drivers, “Slow down!”—Skyla, Florida, age 12

Drivers who are courteous, respectful, safety-minded—for example, at intersections. Too many drivers are just in a hurry and not seeing and paying attention to people biking or walking.—EJ, country, Illinois, age 60

We’ll often arrive at an intersection and have a courteous driver stop to let us cross first.  Or for our bike bus, a patient courteous driver will drive slowly behind our caboose and not attempt to overtake and discourage other drivers behind them from overtaking.—Phil, Oakland, CA, age 42

I meet a lot of bike-friendly drivers around here. I haven’t had too much trouble with drivers.—Rae, Monterey, CA, age 40

Yes. I feel like California in general is pretty bike-friendly, like drivers giving wide berths to you.—Hannah, Santa Barbara, CA, age 28

There’s plenty of drivers who I think of as friendly, who are just kind of aware and giving space—that’s all I’m looking for is space and yield.—Gabe, Santa Barbara, CA, age 27

Tell us one or more dangerous or frustrating experiences you have had with drivers who either don’t know or don’t care how to share a road safely with people who bike.

Too fast of driving with no regard for the cyclist — cut-off at an intersection, speeding next to cyclists.—Michael, Santa Cruz, CA, age 54

San Francisco is plumb crazy! —Patrick, Monterey, age 43

Speeding drivers, drivers who honk or yell as if you don’t have a right to be on the road, drivers who open their car door without looking (and almost hit you), drivers who park in bike lanes.—Frances, rural U.S., age 59

Not really for me, since I don’t really ride in those places, but sometimes I see people driving partly on the road and partly on the bike lane. That’s frustrating to see for the people biking there!—Skyla, Florida, age 12

Fast or erratic drivers.—EJ, country, Illinois, age 60

As I suppose has happened to many people who bike, we’ve had some scary situations also. Often it’s people who park or drive in the bike lane that forces us to ride in a less safe position on the road. I saw a bike rider get doored last week, and the driver was unaware of their responsibility to not open a door until it’s safe to do so.  Usually I think that a lot of these conflicts come from infrastructure that creates an unsafe environment.—Phil, Oakland, CA, age 42

Every once in a while there is a driver who really wants to get past you but there’s no bike lane for you to go into, or there’s a bunch of debris you can’t ride over or you’ll pop your tire, and then they get kind of aggressive. But there’s not much to do about that, and I haven’t gotten run over, so that’s good!—Rae, Monterey, CA, age 40

There have been some drivers that have been pretty dangerous, like run a red light or whatever.—Frederic, Pacific Grove, CA, age 15

Yes, of course! And that’s probably why I don’t like riding on a road (I prefer trail riding), because I’m just afraid of cars in general. And when you’re on a bike path or walking path (car-free path/trail), you feel more protected. Even if a driver doesn’t mean to get to close to you, sometimes they just don’t see you. So it’s just less stressful being on a path or trail than sharing a road with cars.—Hannah, Santa Barbara, CA, age 28

Some drivers get annoyed that bikers can get around them in places where they don’t want them to. Or if there is a line of people lining up at a stop sign, where a cyclist can go up to the stop sign and get that next turn, drivers can get frustrated by that and will sometimes make a scene and get unnecessarily close to riders, and that’s not fun.—Gabe, Santa Barbara, CA, age 27

If you could bike anywhere in the world, where would you most like to bike? (And feel free to also tell us why.)

I would love to ride in Australia and New Zealand.—Michael, Santa Cruz, CA, age 54

Here [in Monterey County].—Epic, California, age 12

Norway, because my mother was born there. I really want to go there.—Patrick, Monterey, age 43

Anywhere there is safe infrastructure and a welcoming, friendly local population.—Frances, rural U.S., age 59

Besides Amsterdam, maybe some of Italy’s Amalfi coast, because the views are so beautiful, and there are gorgeous villages to stop at for breaks.—Sierra, Connecticut, age 34

Ireland.—Gregg, countryside rural, U.S., age 72 

PCH—Pacific Coast Highway in California—experiencing mountains on one side and ocean on the other.—EJ, country, Illinois, age 60

Right now – I’d like to bike in Europe with my family.  Maybe Copenhagen to start. I’d also like to do the same in Japan.—Phil, Oakland, CA, age 42

We were actually just talking about this. I would love to bike in Vermont, because they have really great trails there as well. And I’m from the East Coast, so it would be nice to get back there.—Hannah, Santa Barbara, CA, age 28

I think I would like to bike in the Alps. More for the views than for the challenge of it.—Gabe, Santa Barbara, CA, age 27

I’d love to bike in Tokyo, Japan. I’ve always wanted to visit the country and from what I’ve seen, there are many beautiful sites to see while on a bike.—Norm, Pacific Grove, CA, age 48

Of places where you’ve already ridden your bicycle, in your local area or elsewhere, what was one of your favorite places to bike?

Here [in Monterey County].—Epic, California, age 12

Monterey is pretty nice.—Patrick, Monterey, age 43

West Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz.—Frances, rural U.S., age 59

Amsterdam, definitely Amsterdam! The culture, even more than the infrastructure, was great in Amsterdam. Cars and pedestrians are expected to get out of the way; bikes own the road. The lifestyle around bikes is very different there. I’ve also biked on Governor’s Island in New York; no cars are allowed on the island, it’s all bikes. —Sierra, Connecticut, age 34

Louisville KY ring park.—Gregg, countryside rural, U.S., age 72

In childhood, biking from Mt. Pulaski to Elkhart, Illinois and back, a country day trip. And the highlight was the fun of flying down the steep Elkhart hill.—EJ, country, Illinois, age 60

Too many to count. I think exploring anywhere new by bike is a neat experience. I had a great time exploring as much of Brooklyn as I could many years ago on a rented cruiser. I rented bikes with a colleague and rode around Amsterdam, which was also so nice. One of my favorite portions of a bike ride was the swooping curves on Soquel-San Jose road on the way to Soquel.—Phil, Oakland, CA, age 42

My favorite place to bike is on the coastal trail from Pacific Grove to downtown Monterey.—Norm, Pacific Grove, CA, age 48

For Voices of People Who Bike, Part 4, click here.