Nice ride and camera work! I’ve had terrible encounters on the roads that are supposed to be alternatives to the 10 — Venice Blvd buses makes me grrrrr and twice in the last month cops have pulled me over on bike for 1) not following the stoplights of the cars while in walking bike in pedestrian lane and 2) not following pedestrian walk signs while riding in vehicle lane. Every time I look at the officer and begin to ask them where exactly I should ride and when; never once have they been able to come up with a better solution than the path I’m riding. Sidewalks have no cutouts in many places yet cops have told me that I should be riding on the sidewalks…but only in LA, because it’s illegal in Santa Monica and West Hollywood frowns upon sidewalk riding (or so I’m told). It’s a mess out there.

I’m sorry, but if you’re getting “right hooked 3 times by 2 cars and a bus Friday afternoon,” maybe it’s time to work on your bike handling skills. I know that west side tends to be less bike friendly than other areas, but I commute on bike every weekday, and ride every weekend, and getting right hooked happens to me VERY rarely. If the freeway works better for Mr. Bringetto, then so be it. Experienced cyclists know that a congested freeway isn’t a particularly dangerous place to ride anyway, so that’s not an issue. But if your handling skills suck, your going to get into accidents anywhere you ride. Not to mention the fact that I think that riding on the freeway makes anyone look a little like an a-hole.

@uncompressed

Interesting, I never knew that “bike handling skills” could control the behavior of cars and buses.. I guess I should reconsider holding my line and riding with the flow of traffic.. Could it be possible that I spend more time on the road than you, take many different routes, maybe ride a little faster??? probably..

@uncompressed

Right… those guys hit by the car on Mandeville by the doctor should have handled their bikes better. My girlfriend who was hit by a car, that wasn’t paying attention, she should have handled her bike better. And when I was 3 years old, I was hit by a car, thrown 30 feet, then run over. I should have handled my feet better.

Enjoy your beach cruiser commute on the sidewalk, away from cars ;-]

Define “VERY rarely”. I think getting right hooked once in your lifetime is enough.