Getting around the SCV on a bicycle is a challenging but rewarding affair. I wrote a few weeks ago about how I had ditched my car in favor of a new bike, and since then, gas prices have gone up even more (20% by my calculation) so I thought I’d write a few lessons I’ve learned about biking in Santa Clarita.
5 Things I’ve learned about biking in the SCV
- Stop Lights are welcomed: The suburban bicyclist finds out quickly that stop lights are a welcome occurrence along his/her route. When you’re driving, you come to hate stop lights and how long they last; they are, after all, slowing you down on your route. But on a bike, the experience is completely different. You learn to welcome stop lights because they give you a break and they help to calm the vehicle traffic around you. When I hit a stop light, I usually ride up between the cars and plant my butt right at the front of the intersection so that everyone can see me. So please, City traffic engineers, keep doing what you’re doing! Stop lights are wonderful!
- McBean and Valencia Blvds might as well be freeways: I’d be hesitant to ride a scooter let alone a bicycle on McBean or Valencia Blvds. Traffic routinely can hit 55 to 60 miles per hour on these road and it’d be insane to ride in the “slow” Lane. Part of these roads lack bike paths that run along side them, and even though there are sidewalks, I always prefer to ride in the street. So I’ve found that with few exceptions, it’s just not safe to ride those streets. Fortunately, in that part of town, there are many paseos and bike paths. Lyons, on the other hand, is relatively safe due to how wide it is. I can’t speak for Canyon Country, though I do appreciate the bike path along Soledad
- Santa Clarita motorists are, for the most part, a friendly bunch: I don’t know if it’s just surprising for SCV motorists to see a guy on his bicycle in the street, signaling and changing lanes, but I’ve found most motorists are friendly enough and will yield to me, even if I’m only going 20mph. In return, I obey all traffic laws as if I were driving a vehicle. This is no small task for the suburban cyclist; it takes a lot of effort to come to a complete stop and start back up again, but that’s why I’ve lost 4lbs since I started!
- Others, however, could use a lesson in courtesy and common sense: I think every cyclist has experienced taunts, rude gestures, and even had objects thrown at them by motorists. Fortunately for me, I’ve not had anything thrown at me yet, but I have experienced teenagers in big trucks and other cars taunting me by either revving up their engine at a stop light, swerving close to me, or shouting slurs at me. Perhaps they’re just angry over my $0.00 patch on my messenger bag. Other motorists have good intentions but lack common sense. If you want to pass me, please go ahead, you have way more power than I do and there’s still a 1/4 mile until the intersection. Don’t follow me then get frustrated at how slow I am and angrily speed past me!
- Riding on the valley floor is easy: Sure the SCV is surrounded by mountains, but in Newhall, Valencia, parts of Saugus, and much of Canyon Country, Santa Clarita is just about as flat as the midwest. This is great news for the beginning suburban cyclist and I think scores of new cyclists are discovering this. On the other hand, one can’t avoid hills getting to COC, the West side, or other areas.
My experiment with riding is catching on. My two brothers bought bicycles in the last weekend, and one of the shops here in town reports sales are “brisk.” The temperatures are still mild outside and Bike to Work Day had more participants than ever before. The City says some 268 employees participated in the event and saved “around 80 gallons of gasoline and over 1,100 pounds of carbon dioxide.”
For me, it’s been a lot of fun and by my accounting, I’ve saved at least $300 in gas in the three months I’ve been riding to work, to the grocery store, and all over town. I’ve put 400+ miles on my bike in that time, and next month the lease is up on my car. I’m 90% sure I won’t be getting a new one.
And now that I’ve added a Lakers flag to my bike, I’m getting many more honks and waves from motorists. 