Posted by Founder, Bicycling Monterey
Voices of People Who Bike, Part 4: Infrastructure, Socials, Community, and More
Over the past year, Bicycling Monterey has published responses to our Bike Month 2023 questionnaire. It posed 40 questions and invited people to respond to only a couple questions or as many as they wished. Responses came from people ages 12-82 from all over the USA.
For Bike Month 2024, we are publishing more responses in Voices, Part 4 (below). Missed the earlier responses? See Part 1, “Who bikes, why, and memories,” click here; Part 2, “Encouragement, support, barriers, bullying,” click here; Part 3, “Including, inviting, drivers, and inspiring places,” click here.
Your responses are welcome too. Simply “leave a reply” / comment at the end of this post.
In this post, hear responses to the following questions. Click any question if you’d like to jump directly to its responses.
For additional responses about infrastructure, see “Voices of People Who Bike, Part 3: Including, inviting, drivers, and inspiring places.”
What are some must-have items you carry with you while biking?
Has anyone helped you feel more included in a “bike community”? If so, how?
Have you biked where one or more helpful infrastructure improvements have been made? If so, where, and what were the improvements you found most helpful?
Yes, the Rail Trail is amazing!—Michael, Santa Cruz, CA, age 54
Yes, Mammoth downhill park; gondolas to ride uphill, bridges and wood berms, more other riders to ride with which encourages me more.—Epic, California, age 12
Yes, coastal trail.—Patrick, Monterey, age 43
Yes, the car-free coastal trail is great, other than people who go too fast on it. It’s sad to hear both women and men who are biking fast yell at kids “On your left!” instead of just slowing down around them, being patient and kind. Have you ever seen a little kid’s face fall when they feel scolded by a fast rider? The child is smiling and having fun and then it changes in an instant. These fast riders can be very discouraging to kids and their families. They can also be scary! —Frances, rural U.S., age 59
Water, air pump, benches with covers to get out of the sun.—Gregg, countryside rural, U.S., age 72
Haven’t yet but looking forward to biking on a car-free bike trail, a Rails to Trails, that is close to us. I also appreciate the bike lanes on the roads of our parks, although even better options anywhere are either having completely off-road bike/walk paths or, when bikes are on a road shared with cars, having the bike lanes separated with a physical barrier. Those are much safer! —EJ, country, Illinois, age 60
Only in Sanibel, where they have special bike paths. On a bike path like Sanibel’s, you feel safer riding your bike! When you bike where there aren’t bike paths, you just have to stay on the sidewalk—until it gets cut off by a road!—Skyla, Florida, age 12
Yes! Protected bike lanes make riding a lot less stressful. Milvia St in particular with its concrete curbs has been good: https://ascentale.com/fantastic-berkeley-bike-lanes-riding-on-milvia-street-on-a-sunny-day. In Oakland, Telegraph Avenue is protected by plastic bollards and some concrete. It is a busier street than Milvia, so it’s not as low-stress. But it is dramatically better than before. There is a Dwight Way intersection in Berkeley that has been improved for crossing by bike, though I liked the temporary structure better than the final implementation: https://ascentale.com/dwight-way-and-california-st-intersection-traffic-improvements-berkeley. It slows cross traffic and makes people on bikes more visible. —Phil, Oakland, CA, age 42
Definitely the rec trail is awesome, it gets you through! And then some of the back trails; I like to use AllTrails.com, that app shows you of the different pathways. Also Strava, so you can get from place to place, like from Monterey to Carmel, and it’s pretty safe. I wasn’t aware of the Transportation Agency for Monterey County bike map.—Rae, Monterey, CA, age 40
We have a nice trail coastal trail.—Frederic, Pacific Grove, CA, age 15
Yes. I really like this bike path here in Monterey County. And I was biking in Morro Bay, and there are some good trails there too. I’m also really impressed by the trails in Goleta and Santa Barbara. We’re grateful to be here in Monterey, and it’s nice to live in a state that’s so bike-friendly.—Hannah, Santa Barbara, CA, age 28
The bike path through the Fort Ord dune area (coastal trail alongside Fort Ord Dunes State Park) is maybe the most beautiful bike path I’ve ever ridden on, it’s incredible. It’s so wide, it’s separated, it’s clean, it’s not super covered in sand; that was really lovely. We have some amazing bike paths in Santa Barbara as well. I haven’t been to all that many places.—Gabe, Santa Barbara, CA, age 27
They just put a bike path right outside our all-ages gated community, Paseo, on Penzance street. It’s a beautiful new bike path, with solar lights that keep it lit up in the evening. That bike path connects to another bike path. One reason the new path on Penzance was needed is that one man got killed on his bicycle on that street. They had a bike and flowers there for him for close to a year. That’s probably what got the bike path on Penzance built. Now that there is a bike path, there are even more bikers, which is really nice.—Cammie, Fort Myers, Florida, age 71
What infrastructure improvements would you like to see in the area where you ride—or where you’d like to ride, if the infrastructure were better?
More bike specific lanes! —Michael, Santa Cruz, CA, age 54
I would like more bike lanes.—Patrick, Monterey, age 43
Bike lanes separated with a physical barrier. Slower speed limits and other changes to slow down cars. Conveniently located bicycle parking racks everywhere, that work well for all sizes of bikes (have people who select and install racks actually try to lock up some bikes on racks, to see if the racks work well). Bicycle lockers at remote places, like parks, where you want to lock up your bike and leave it for hours to go hiking.—Frances, rural U.S., age 59
It would be nice to have a bike path where I live, but I don’t think it would be safe regardless. It’s very hilly on my road, not enticing for riding to do errands, etc.—Sierra, Connecticut, age 34
Some of the sidewalks and roads have potholes, so you could fall easier. And also they don’t sweep them, so there is a lot of debris and stuff, especially after the hurricane, so it’s kind of hard to ride.—Skyla, Florida, age 12
I’d love for there to be more protected lanes everywhere. So many more people would bike if they (or their kids) felt safe doing so.—Phil, Oakland, CA, age 42
There are plenty of places needing better infrastructure. Anywhere that has long stretches without separated bike lanes, where riders are expected. It’s particularly common where biking is uncommon, you just don’t have separated bike paths. And then people aren’t used to bikers, and it compounds on itself, it’s just more and more dangerous. Things like that are really hard. So it’s nice to come to places like Monterey where biking is common and there’s a lot of good resources for it.—Gabe, Santa Barbara, CA, age 27
Have you ever attended bike-related meetings (by phone, Zoom, or in-person) of your county’s transportation agency, or your city’s traffic advisory committee, or a city council meeting that had a bicycling-related item on the agenda? How did you find out about the meeting? Did attending make you want to attend such a meeting again—and why or why not?
Yes, with my bike club, Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz (MBOSC).—Michael, Santa Cruz, CA, age 54
No.—Epic, California, age 12
Yes, and I found out about the meetings on social media. It feels important to show up and let public officials know you care about bike issues. But meeting agendas don’t usually allow much time for public input. It would be nice if they hosted some open meetings for more public discussion, even a couple times a year. They want the public to write letters and fill out surveys, but not to really share input at meetings. You don’t really know if writing letters or filling out surveys is making any difference or if you’re just wasting your time doing those.—Frances, rural U.S., age 59
No.—Gregg, countryside rural, U.S., age 72
No.—EJ, country, Illinois, age 60
Our school is next to a gated community, and lots of the kids who live there ride their bikes to school. There is a sidewalk alongside the road, and most of the kids bike on the sidewalk. The school asked the kids how they could make it safer, so nothing happens to the kids when they are riding their bikes. The school also asked like the PTA parents how they could make it safer for the kids to ride their bikes to school, or even walk to school. Most kids and their parents said to start cleaning off the sidewalks, because there are rocks on them.—Skyla, Florida, age 12
Yes, I’ve attended Bike East Bay member meeting, Bicyclist and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) meeting, and our local Safe Routes to School meeting. I found out about the Bike East Bay meetings because I am on their email list. For BPAC, I think through email from a friend and social media. One of those meetings was very contentious because the city of Oakland was removing the Slow Streets that had been installed earlier in the pandemic. And for Safe Routes to School meetings, I’m a volunteer with the org, so I received an email. Did I want to attend again? Bike East Bay – Yes, it was good to see people we knew and learn about new happenings. BPAC – I didn’t care for the procedural stuff and especially didn’t like listening to people complain about additional bike infrastructure. But I felt it was important to try to show support for keeping our Slow Streets. Safe Routes to School – Not much new stuff happened, but it was good to see other people who are involved with the organization in person.—Phil, Oakland, CA, age 42
Have you ever been to a Bike Party (large group social ride)? If so, what did you enjoy most about it? What, if anything, did you or others find challenging?
Yes. Super fun — very supportive and aware organizers. Loved the community based vibe with everyone enjoying themselves.—Michael, Santa Cruz, CA, age 54
Used to do group rides from my school but they were small groups.—Epic, California, age 12
Yes, Open Streets in San Francisco. Also, some Fridays, a San Francisco bike party, which was kind of like a fair for bikes or like a triathlon—stop for dancing and socializing along the route.—Patrick, Monterey, age 43
Yes. Liked the mixed ages, and the friendliness. As for challenges, although they might not always be that way, some rides I went on were very loud (amplified music), fast, and felt reckless at times.—Frances, rural U.S., age 59
No.—Gregg, countryside rural, U.S., age 72
No.—EJ, country, Illinois, age 60
Yes. It’s very cool to see so many people happy and biking together. And to see fun bike lights and other unique bikes. Challenging part, I was out way past my bedtime 🙂 so I can’t do it too often, and some of them were too much “party” for me.—Phil, Oakland, CA, age 42—Phil, Oakland, CA, age 42
Yes. A large group (roughly 30 people) went mountain biking at Fort Ord, near the CSUMB campus. The trails were not too bad, but biking through sand can be a bit of a challenge. The other challenge we faced was not knowing the trails. Some people in our group took a wrong turn but made it back to the trail start—they used their phones to navigate their way back.—Norm, Pacific Grove, CA, age 48
What are some must-have items you carry with you while biking?
Toolkit, extra tire tube, iPhone, water.—Michael, Santa Cruz, CA, age 54
Water, dried fruit, nuts, apple, tangerines, occasional Luna bar.—Epic, California, age 12
Crescent wrench, pliers, screwdriver, Allen wrench, and tire patch kit.—Patrick, Monterey, age 43
Cell phone, eyeglasses, bike lock and key, helmet, small tire pump. And usually gloves, drinking water, lights, and if I’m going very far, snack, some cash, a patch kit, tube, tire wrench, and all-in-one tool.—Frances, rural U.S., age 59
My wallet, water bottle, cell phone, helmet, and if out a long time, snacks.—Sierra, Connecticut, age 34
Water, protein bars, air pump, tire patch, helmet, glasses.—Gregg, countryside rural, U.S., age 72
Water! That’s most important. And a snack.—EJ, country, Illinois, age 60
Water bottle and my phone, just in case of emergency. And we have these lights that slip onto our bikes so people can see us better if it get dark. If my little siblings are riding with me, I carry Band-Aids in the basket on the front of my bike, in case they fall.—Skyla, Florida, age 12
I almost always bike with a water bottle and a multitool, tire levers, a pump, and a spare tube. I usually bike with a pannier and a lock and lights.—Phil, Oakland, CA, age 42
Bringing water on our bike trips is essential.—Norm, Pacific Grove, CA, age 48
When biking to a nearby destination, does it ever take you almost as long to find bike parking, lock up, and remove anything you don’t want to leave on your bike (e.g., lights) as it did to bike there? And if so, what are some remedies you’ve found to shorten that process?
Sometimes! If it takes a long time, it’s usually because there aren’t good available spots to lock up, or we have more than one bike to lock up. Multiple u-locks helps (usually I’m out with my kid, and it’s way easier if we have a separate lock for their bike).—Phil, Oakland, CA, age 42
Takes less time.—Michael, Santa Cruz, CA, age 54
It’s 50 miles to nearest 5+mile trail.—Gregg, countryside rural, U.S., age 72
Yes, occasionally. So I prefer going to places that have better bicycle parking! Or only go to places where I can always see my bike and whatever accessories I’ve left on it.—Frances, rural U.S., age 59
Do you ever bike in “dress up” attire, such as a business suit, a dress or skirt, etc.? If so, how do you find this compares to biking in casual clothes?
I have not dressed up while riding.—Michael, Santa Cruz, CA, age 54
No.—Epic, California, age 12
Sometimes bike dressed up.—Patrick, Monterey, age 43
Not often, but occasionally. I’ve had a skirt caught in spokes before, so I’d want a skirt guard. Dress-up shoes can be hard to bike in. Shoes that are better for comfort and safety are important to me.—Frances, rural U.S., age 59
No.—Gregg, countryside rural, U.S., age 72
No.—EJ, country, Illinois, age 60
One time I tried to bike in a dress, and it got caught in a chain.—Skyla, Florida, age 12
I rarely dress up these days. 🙂 I messed up pants in the past and when I would dress up more, I’d ride in different clothes, then get changed when I got to the destination.—Phil, Oakland, CA, age 42
Do you ever bike to a place of worship—e.g., to church, mosque, or synagogue? If so, do any others bike there too?
No, I have not, but I would if I did worship.—Michael, Santa Cruz, CA, age 54
Yes.—Epic, California, age 12
Yes. Very few others do.—Frances, rural U.S., age 59
No.—Gregg, countryside rural, U.S., age 72
No.—EJ, country, Illinois, age 60
No. No one really bikes to my church, they mostly drive their cars.—Skyla, Florida, age 12
Not very often. I did not see any the last time that I did.—Phil, Oakland, CA, age 42
Do you ever attend large bicycling events such as festivals, expos, races, or other large events? If so, what have you found most and least enjoyable about them?
Yes. I love the vibe and the people watching, plus interesting vendors.—Michael, Santa Cruz, CA, age 54
Yes, Sea Otter.—Epic, California, age 12
Yes, nonprofit races.—Patrick, Monterey, age 43
Yes. It’s fun to be at an event where everyone likes bikes. The enthusiasm is contagious, and many are excited to share their love of biking in conversation. What’s not fun at such events are the snobs who seem to think if you don’t look like them or ride their type of bicycle, you don’t belong. This happens with snobs regardless of their gender. Some are not only cold and unfriendly, they are downright mean.—Frances, rural U.S., age 59
No. I don’t like crowds.—Gregg, countryside rural, U.S., age 72
No.—EJ, country, Illinois, age 60
No.—Skyla, Florida, age 12
Yes, when I can! We recently went to the Bay Area Bike Swap, last year to Biketoberfest Marin. I have been to Interbike a few times years ago, and Pedalfest in Oakland when it was still happening. The Bay Area Bike Swap was great because they had a small but nice group of vendors, lots of kids bikes to demo, a neat bike swap for checking out other bikes, and BMX riders who would do some neat stunts. And a few organized rides as well. There were no negatives other than I wish I had told more friends about it and I think that they can do a better job encouraging more people to bike there instead of drive there. Biketoberfest Marin was nice, to be among so many bikey people. It’s in Fairfax, so a slightly different crowd that is more geared towards higher-end recreational riding. In the past it’d been half bike, half beer. Recent ones are more 1/3 bike and 2/3 beer. I’d prefer more bike in that ratio! Interbike had lots of neat stuff, but I had to work the show and it was very exhausting. There was also a lot of stuff that wasn’t very interesting to me there also. And it was in Las Vegas so travel to and from was a pain. And biking around the Las Vegas strip is not comfortable. —Phil, Oakland, CA, age 42
Some people enjoy “pub crawls,” or biking from one beer spot to another (use caution, and avoid a BUI). Have you participated in similar non-alcohol biking activities, e.g., a “progressive dinner party,” such as biking from one taqueria to another?
No, I have not, but would love to! —Michael, Santa Cruz, CA, age 54
Bike to sports bars to watch Super Bowl.—Patrick, Monterey, age 43
No, but that would be a nice change. So many bike fundraisers or social events seem to be focused around beer or wine.—Frances, rural U.S., age 59
No.—Gregg, countryside rural, U.S., age 72
Yes! We used to run these [pub crawls] and raise funds for Bike East Bay. We’d pick 3-4 breweries, and then visit each one, get a tour, have some samples, and then ride to the next one.—Phil, Oakland, CA, age 42
Has anyone helped you feel more included in a “bike community”? If so, how?
Yes and no. Sometimes the riders in SC are click-ish and don’t invite me to rides, others have been generous with group rides, etc.—Michael, Santa Cruz, CA, age 54
Yes, a bunch of friends. Try to give bikes to people who really need them.—Patrick, Monterey, age 43
Not as much as I’d like, so I try to help others feel more included.—Frances, rural U.S., age 59
No.—Gregg, countryside rural, U.S., age 72
Yes, the founder of Bicycling Monterey. Just all Bicycling Monterey does to encourage people that it’s beneficial because of being out in nature, benefiting their health, and more.—EJ, country, Illinois, age 60
Probably, though I like to think of it as all you need to do to become a member of a bike community is to ride your bike. This way there aren’t perceived barriers to doing so. It’s just nice to get introduced to other people, and then through riding it’s nice to see those people you’ve met! —Phil, Oakland, CA, age 42
Anyone that bikes is part of the bike community; I usually ride with family.—Epic, California, age 12
Have you participated in a non-bicycling social event that helped people get acquainted and feel more a part of “bike community”—without any stress about whether they can “keep up” on a ride (e.g., potluck meal, bike movie night)? If so, how did you learn about this social event?
Yes, I have been on the Turkey Ride in Los Gatos — super fun.—Michael, Santa Cruz, CA, age 54
Yes, a bike movie night at a coffee house. And a potluck supper to welcome international visitors who were biking through our area. Learned about it through a personal invitation from someone who was going.—Frances, rural U.S., age 59
No.—Gregg, countryside rural, U.S., age 72
No.—EJ, country, Illinois, age 60
Maybe? We watched the Motherload movie at an Oakland library one time, and there was a ride associated with it, but the screening was paid for by the library and anyone could show up. I think we learned about it because the organizer also had children who attended the same school.—Phil, Oakland, CA, age 42
Does your community have a road riding (“roadie”) bike club? If so, does it include beginner rides as well as advanced rides? Are members typically helpful to newcomers, such as kindly sharing tips on group ride etiquette, group ride safety, etc.?
Yes, SC has a road bike club. SC road bike club is very difficult to be a part of — a lot of egos. I prefer the organized rides like AIDS Ride, or Strawberry Fields.—Michael, Santa Cruz, CA, age 54
Yes, and they aim to be helpful. But wherever I’ve lived, the bike clubs seem to be only for people who have very high-quality, expensive bicycles, which leaves a lot of people out.—Frances, rural U.S., age 59
No.—Gregg, countryside rural, U.S., age 72
Not that I know of.—EJ, country, Illinois, age 60
Yes, probably many! There are different ride levels, I think 3? I have not ridden with them in a long long time, but people were very friendly and accommodating—Phil, Oakland, CA, age 42
I’ve seen Bike Life before, I’ve heard of that. It’s like about a hundred people biking on city streets. I’ve never ridden with them before, and I don’t know if I have any intentions to either; I’ve seen videos on TikTok about them where they even ride through the tunnel.—Frederic, Pacific Grove, CA, age 15
There are actually a ton of clubs in Santa Barbara and Goleta. I have been fortunate to just have buddies who also bike, so I end up just biking with friends instead. I have never joined any sort of formal club, but there are plenty of them.—Gabe, Santa Barbara, CA, age 27
Is there a mountain bike club in your area? How do the club’s leaders or other members help fellow mountain bikers learn about “responsible mountain biking,” including protecting the land, sharing trails with hikers and equestrians, etc.?
Yes, and the FEMALE group called GIRLS ROCK are really supportive. The men, not — too many egos.—Michael, Santa Cruz, CA, age 54
No.—Gregg, countryside rural, U.S., age 72
No, it’s pretty flat here.—EJ, country, Illinois, age 60
Yes, I think many, but I’m less aware of the mountain bike side of things.—Phil, Oakland, CA, age 42
Yes, there’s MORCA. And the Fort Ord Cycle Paths, they are a good one. And there’s Santa Cruz Girls Rock. Those are all good ones I’ve participated in. Santa Cruz seems to have a lot of really developed biking groups where they go and clean up trails and stuff too, which is nice.—Rae, Monterey, CA, age 40
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This post was published on 24 May 2024. One or more changes last made to this post on 2 July 2024.
