I sent this letter to the editors of the radio show Living on Earth, from Public Radio International, about their piece "It's No Copenhagen", about cycling advocacy in Los Angeles, which aired on 09/03/2010.

Hello. As a cycling advocate and instructor, I am always interested in hearing news about cycling advocacy, such as your piece "It's No Copenhagen". However, I believe that you missed an important perspective on this issue. I live in Massachusetts, far from Los Angeles. However, I know other instructors who live that area and I am familiar with the issues.

There is a movement among cycling advocates to push for special road features, such as bike lanes and trails, to separate bicycle traffic from motor vehicle traffic. However, these features impose excessive danger and inconvenience to cyclists. Unfortunately, many cyclists and would-be cyclists do not realize this because of their intense fear of motor vehicle traffic.

You must understand that cycling among motor vehicle traffic is not especially dangerous, even in places with dense and aggressive motor vehicle traffic. Cyclists who are assertive and who obey the basic rules of the road are very safe among motor vehicle traffic. The problem is that very few people understand proper cycling technique or recognize its importance. One person that you interviewed in your piece raised this issue when he mentioned his being threatened by motorists who misunderstood the traffic laws. I often say that the hardest part of being a cycling instructor is convincing people that there is something valuable to learn. They assume that if they can balance and steer then they have nothing more to learn. Nevertheless, these techniques are very easy to learn and are accessible to people of nearly all ages and abilities. With these easily learned techniques, a person can cycle safely and effectively on any road under any conditions.

People who do not understand effective cycling techniques are often very afraid of motor vehicles. They are too afraid to take control of their space on the road. Their fear leads them to either limit their cycling activity or cycle in a timid manner that actually puts them in great danger. Some simply accept the danger as inevitable, which leads them to behave in a dangerously aggressive manner.  

Since they believe that motor vehicles impose an overwhelming danger, they also believe that separating themselves from motor vehicles will make them safe. They push for bike lanes and trails and such. However, these features actually put them in greater danger due to more complex traffic patterns, more turning conflicts, and thoughtless design and construction. In fact, many bike lanes are extremely dangerous. They make the road less reliable and predictable for cyclists and so make cycling confusing and inconvenient as well

In fact, I take issue with the title of the piece. Copenhagen does have a lot of bicycle traffic due to its tradition, its topography, and its compact, pre-motor vehicle layout. However, its special road features should not be applauded. They are, in fact, some of the dangerous features that I mentioned. A recent traffic study has even demonstrated that they have led to many unnecessary collisions. Danish cyclists also suffer from more severely discriminatory laws than Californian cyclists, that prohibit them from cycling in a safe and convenient manner. California laws, while not free from discriminatory language, are far from the worst.

I would be happy to discuss these issues with you. Alternatively, you might want to talk to a Los Angeles area cycling safety expert. Dan Gutierrez is a cycling instructor and traffic engineer in Long Beach. ... Thank you.

Eli Damon

I have removed Dan Gutierrez's contact information to protect him from spam.