Letter: Some bike lanes would ease troubles

I have seen a spate of letters recently in the News-Press about bicycle riding in Glendale. Under the law, bicyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as motorists. They are typically slower than cars, but then so are, for example, street cleaners — and motorists seem to manage to co-exist with street cleaners. Attempting to pass a cyclist without changing lanes is a good way to kill someone.

I ride both in Glendale and in surrounding areas. There are clearly marked, separate bike lanes in Burbank, in Eagle Rock and in Pasadena. I always know I have crossed the boundary into Glendale, on Colorado Boulevard for example, because the bike lane disappears. All Glendale has managed to do is paint little pictures of bicycles in regular traffic lanes, which from my experience have zero effect on motorists. If Glendale were to invest in creating real bike lanes as neighboring cities have done, it would go a long way toward resolving conflicts between cyclists and motorists.

Daniel Platt
Glendale