Last April, West Hollywood gave away 50 free bicycles to encourage residents to get around the city without a vehicle.
Survey results taken throughout the year and released this week offer valuable insight into the needs and wants of WeHo’s fledgling bicyclists. The findings include some surprises — only 20% of the participants feel more bike lanes are needed in West Hollywood.
Recipients of the free bikes were selected at random from a pool of 200 people who applied for the city’s pilot program. They committed to riding at least 20 miles per month and to completing occasional surveys.
Thirty-six of the 50 recipients owned a car, five owned a bicycle already and only one owned neither.
Before receiving the free bike, most said they got around by walking or driving.
The cyclists mostly used the bikes for recreation (41%) or running errands (27%), while 23% said they used them to commute to work or school.
From June through December, the cyclists rode an average of 29.5 miles per month, exceeding the minimum requirement, for a combined total of 3,356 miles.
The cyclists were roundly satisfied with the program, with 61% saying they were very satisfied. Those who weren’t said the reporting requirements were a burden, and some had issues with storage, safety, and mechanics.
The surveys included an open-ended question: How could the biking experience be improved in West Hollywood.
20% asked for bike lanes, specifically protected bike lanes that would provide a buffer from traffic.
Other themes that emerged from the open-ended question included:
- Slowing vehicular traffic
- Providing a pedal assist option
- Organizing social events
- Providing more protection for bicyclists making left turns
- City-wide bike map
- Widespread bicyclist education and awareness
- Lighter or smaller bike options that are easier to maneuver and store.
What cyclists need is to get off the road. What they want is to be a smug inconvenience to normal people.
Before the bike giveaway, did they not know how bikes work and that no one is giving up their car anytime soon to become roadkill on L.A.’s streets, inevitably run over by some 50-year-old driver and “Saved by the Bell” loyalist googling “Screech’s Secret Sauce”* while going 75 mph down city streets?! (*It’s happened. Google it.)
Yep. Even don’t try the dedicated lanes in Beverly Hills. You’ll be rode kill. I always bike through the side streets.
This is folly. Riding a bicycle in a city with broadly 15 million people is ridiculous. This is a car city, and it always will be. Trying to introduce bicycles like it’s China or something is complete folly and trying to change that is not only futile, but dangerous. we need to focus on how to improve traffic for automobiles and motorcycles overall. Bicycles are too slow and it’s just all two dangerous in a city and county this dense. City government should focus on higher-priority agenda items that affect the people of the city. We need to elect and… Read more »
The West Hollywood “Motor-Bicycle and Scooter Coalition” will disagree with you.
Of course they want to do things like China. You’re talking about communists!
Can we leave Fountain Ave alone now?
All these accommodations that bicyclists want greatly impacts the rest of us. Somehow bicyclists are given a level of virtue that is undeserving that I see as arrogance and selfishness. Unfortunately, it seems most people have bought into the premises that we need to reduce the use of cars ….. of which I would encourage a critical reexamination.
Unless you’re advocating for the government to provide the people with cars who cannot afford them, it’s you who is being arrogant and selfish AND ELITIST, but what else is new?
There are busses.
For two years from 2014-2016 I rode the bus. I had a pass for a discounted fare.
I managed!
Is the word bus mentioned anywhere in your first comment? No, no it’s not, it’s entirely about cars. And my point stands, people have the right to pursue alternative modes of transportation and to share the space, that doesn’t make them entitled, it makes anyone trying to deny that entitled. Teaching an old dog new tricks isn’t easy, but you’re welcome.
How about the government stop taxing and spending like drunk retards and get out of the way of the economy so people can *checks notes* afford eggs?
The cyclists want to ride illegally on our sidewalks. That’s why they don’t want bicycle lanes.
I’m inclined to agree with that, otherwise what possible reason would a cyclist not want a protected lane, do they prefer it as risky as possible in the street, for fun?