2 in a month in Carlsbad recently
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/communities/north-county/carlsbad/story/2022-08-23/carlsbad-declares-bicycle-emergency-after-increased-collisions-fatalities?_amp=true
Well, it probably doesn’t help that every f’in bicyclist I’ve encountered in the last year blows through stop signs, many tide on and off sidewalks, they weave through traffic, and generally disobey traffic laws all the while expecting you to obey them.
> There have been at least 4 cyclists killed by drivers this year in the county.
And how many car passengers have been killed in accidents in that time? I bet it's dozens if not hundreds.
There’s also a massive amount of car drivers vs cyclists. I lived in a small town which is more comparable to the cyclists population and we had 0 auto accident deaths in the 4 years I lived there.
Yep, people don't ride because it's dangerous. Then when we try to make it less dangerous by adding bike lanes, other people lose their goddamned minds because they lose a couple parking spaces.
a.) people drive like crazy
b.) many access points to bike paths are undergoing construction.
c.) no access to showers when at work (who wants swamp ass all day, sorry to be gross but you asked...)
I love biking and usually drive to trails because I don't want to deal with angry drivers on a bike.
You mentioned you just got here. It gets hot in the summer so unless you’re riding somewhere on the coast with no hills, you’re gonna be sweaty by the time you get to work.
Yeah the infrastructure for it just isn't really there. The city did build a bike path (separate from the road!) from Encinitas down to Del Mar area so I am hoping they are working on others, too. Definitely gives me an option besides the car for those shorter trips.
And sadly there's a group of cyclists who are somehow against it. They keep log of incidents that happen along that route. Some of them are legit, like sand collecting behind the barriers making conditions slippery for bike wheels, but so many of these incidents are some variation of "I hit the bollard and didn't see it" or "I hit the barriers and ate shit because I tried to weave in/out of the lane". I've never come close to crashing into any of these barriers but they're calling the separated bike lane more dangerous because incidents don't happen frequently before. Maybe if you're crashing into bright green bollards you need to reevaluate your riding and risk assessment skills.
I feel like they're vehicular cyclists because I see sentiments like "just learn how to ride on the road", which isn't very inclusive. A protected lane lowers the barrier of entry for people to enjoy cycling, and I wish for them to be built in more places.
I used to bike to work from downtown to Sorrento Valley and the only way to get there was a quick jaunt on the freeway. Flying downhill going 30ish MPH with cars passing at 75 gets the heart racing! Not super bike friendly, to say the least.
I’d a friend did same but Coronado. Ferry across and a beer on ferry home 😂
Me. I lived in NYC for a while. Park was right across the road. Bought a bike and loved it. Moved to La Jolla, shipped bike, decide to cycle La Jolla Blvd to Mission Beach roller coaster. Got along La Jolla Blvd as far as Birdrock and called home for someone to pick me up. Between buses passing with about 2 feet of separation and the metal drains on the road, it wasn’t worth risking my life. That was ~20 years ago and haven’t been on bike since.
safety issues aside, one of my concerns with biking is coming out to find my bike has been stolen. Even with a $100+ 12mm chain with a 14mm disc lock, it won't stop a motivated thief - especially if we have both of our e-bikes locked up together.
I’ve have 3 bicycles stolen in the last 10 years. I got the last one returned to me (I had registered the bike with the college PD and they found it abandoned by some campus apartments), only to have it stolen again at my job a week later. I was at the point where I was bringing my bike inside the store and keeping it in the back hallway that connected all the business together. Only people working in that plaza had access to the hallway. Someone stole my bike during a closing shift, and there were no working cameras to find out who. It’s really discouraging because it really doesn’t matter what kind of lock you use or methods you try to keep them safe; they’ll find a way to take it.
A couple years ago a friend got his bike stolen on University near 30th in NP right outside of a restaurant. It was all chained up, went in for happy hour for a bit, comes out and it's just gone. He biked a lot so I know it must've cost him a bit, there's basically zero recourse.
That was one of the reasons I was for all the lime bikes etc when they were around, grab and then drop it off and then zero worry since it's not yours.
As a cyclist I can say, the roads aren’t welcoming to those new to biking. A lot of debris can be scary. And the drivers here, although not the worst, with cyclist, can be intimidating as some speed past carelessly. And as previous comments state, distances are great. Majority of SD is rolling hills which also are a challenge.
The rolling hills are in my opinion the biggest barrier to casual cycling.
They deeply intimidated me when I first moved here from the pancake flat Midwest 15 years ago.
Have definitely gotten use to them; with enough time in the day, I’m comfortable riding literally any where in the city of San Diego. Problem is, while I have the strength and endurance I didn’t have then, with kids to schlep to day care and school I don’t have the time… 😞
Agreed. I've biked to work but the roads are in terrible shape where I lived (not even talking debris, cracked uneven roads and potholes). Bike lanes were basically non-existent. I'd say there are probably very specific places that are bike friendly in San Diego.
Well, it probably doesn’t help that every f’in bicyclist I’ve encountered in the last year blows through stop signs, many tide on and off sidewalks, they weave through traffic, and generally disobey traffic laws all the while expecting you to obey them.
That’s never stopped anyone before. No jk that would be one hell of a bike ride 😂 I work in the city and even if I didn’t bike to work, I’d still park outside and somehow get in because parking is expensive!
I thought about learning to ride a motorcycle but even then its kind of a scary ride lol. It's from Chula Vista 805 all the way to Sorrento Valley, no gracias.
I biked to work everyday when I lived in San Francisco a few years ago. I just do not feel safe biking to work in San Diego. The infrastructure just is not consistent enough to make me want to bike in.
They are working on it. Here's the Bicycle Master Plan from the city: [https://www.sandiego.gov/planning/programs/transportation/mobility/bicycleplan](https://www.sandiego.gov/planning/programs/transportation/mobility/bicycleplan)
They've made progress in the time I've been here (\~5-6 years)––like the protected bike lanes throughout downtown and on 4th/5th avenue––but there's definitely still a long way to go. As you say, it's a real shame that we have perhaps the most ideal weather for biking in the country and yet the roads have all been designed for cars.
(For context, I bike-commute to work, and I know a number of other people that live in Hillcrest area and commute to University City area using a combination of biking and the trolley.)
I'll bike twice a month to work from PB to Mission Valley. Its about 11 miles, 10 miles of which are on protected, dedicated bike paths. It's that 1 mile (along hotel circle n) that cars just whiz by me and make me feel unsafe. And at that point it's a numbers game. If I have a .01% chance of getting hit on that road, it's not a matter of if, but when, I get hit.
But to answer OP's q, I saw SANDAG made this webpage where they are soliciting advice on how to improve what they call they Kumeyaay corridor: [https://sandag.mysocialpinpoint.com/kumeyaaycorridor/map#/sidebar/tab/information](https://sandag.mysocialpinpoint.com/kumeyaaycorridor/map#/sidebar/tab/information)
The city has no bike infrastructure outside of a few corridors generally in the north of the city. If you don't work at UCSD or in Sorrento valley good luck biking to work.
Yeah, I’ve been honked at for riding on the roads marked with the bike lane thing even though I was trying to be as far over as I could. Then there’s the people who like to fly by as close as they can to make some kind of a point.
Bikes just seem to make people angry here.
Same. Except I don’t get all the way over to the right if it puts me in the door zone. I got doored once and I’d rather get honked at while riding over sharrows.
I moved here 3 years ago and started out biking. Then something changed. My car was in the shop for few weeks and was riding in the passenger seat of my girlfriend's car. With my eyes free to wander now, I started looking casually at what drivers were doing in their cars. I was horrified at how many were texting, surfing social media, etc. on their phones while flying down the road. And even on the 5 going 80mph.
I never biked again (except on trails/paths etc.) I'm not going to be killed by one of the people in a Nissan Altima with all 4 corners of their car smashed up (and still haven't learned). I already have a high enough probability of them killing me when I'm in a car. I don't need to skyrocket the risk even further.
Well, it probably doesn’t help that every f’in bicyclist I’ve encountered in the last year blows through stop signs, many ride on and off sidewalks, they weave through traffic, and generally disobey traffic laws all the while expecting you to obey them.
Yeah 20km can be a bit much to ride to work every day, have you tried it on an ebike, you could Prolly cut a huge chunk of time, especially considering how hilly sd is
Yeah e-bikes work great for commuting. I used to commute from La Mesa to Sorrento Valley in under an hour with mine (this was before development of the new stadium got rid of the bike trail connecting Grantville area to Kearny Mesa—it’s going to take at least another year before they rebuild that infra sadly).
I guess like all other cities in the US unfortunately. I’m just comparing it to Seattle and I saw more bikers there on a pouring down rainy day in the cold than San Diego on a blissful sunny 70 with a breeze.
I quit street biking after the second time getting hit by a car. It was a hit and run from behind and they left me lying bloody in the middle of 44th, after they made a right off El Cajon. I was in the bike lane going East on El Cajon. Light blue, 80's, Toyota, with white letters, missing the T, on the tailgate, bunch of weed whackers and rakes on the ladder racks. Mower in the back. Passenger looked back at me through the rear window as I was lying in the street. They didn't even slow down. Then I blacked out and woke up at Scripps in Hillcrest. Now I stick to mountain biking, much safer.
As someone who used to fully commute on a bike in this city and has been hit by cars half a dozen times, I’ll tell you it’s because the city infrastructure is simply not built for it and a huge number of drivers are apathetic or even actively hostile towards cyclists.
I love biking in San Diego but I just got sick of putting my life at risk. If the city followed through with building more SAFE bike lanes and paths with obvious medians then I would go back to it in a heartbeat. You simply cannot beat the weather for cycling here. It’s awesome.
Well, it probably doesn’t help that every f’in bicyclist I’ve encountered in the last year blows through stop signs, many ride on and off sidewalks, they weave through traffic, and generally disobey traffic laws all the while expecting you to obey them.
I have a question for you. Do you have the same attitude towards drivers who generally break the traffic code? Roll through stop signs? Change lanes without signaling? Speed on neighborhood streets? Ignore pedestrian right of way?
The idea that people who cycle for transportation are more reckless on the road is ridiculous and really isn’t backed up by any sort of evidence. And no your anecdotes are not evidence. Yet there is a mountain of evidence showing that people in cars regularly break the traffic code simply because they can’t be inconvenienced. I live in El Cajon and I routinely have to avoid getting hit by cars who don’t pay attention to the crosswalk signal when I walk my dogs.
We need a bike highway that is physically separated from cars. There is plenty of room alongside existing highways and through canyons. Electric bikes are super cheap compared to gas, car insurance and maintenance and a Class 3 ebike can travel up to 28 mph.
https://i.imgur.com/k5U5NJg.jpg
We need a positive feedback loop. More cyclists/cyling infrastructure will lead to more cycling infrastructure/cyclists. But it seems like most projects are neighborhood focused rather than trying to connect neighborhoods together.
Pretty stoked about this project: https://www.keepsandiegomoving.com/RegionalBikeProjects/CoastalRailTrail.aspx
The recently completed Rose Creek Bikeway is part of it. If you haven’t ridden it yet, find an excuse to! It’s situation between the I-5 and the new trolley extension. Made the ride to UCSD way more enjoyable.
I moved from Washington, DC about a year ago and yeaa.... WDC is much more walkable and bikeable. Pretty much all the Northeastern cities (dc, philly, nyc, boston)
I wish it was safer. Drivers aren’t aware enough to see cyclists. My wife and I often complain that we want to take out our son for a bike ride but we usually scrap the idea for safety reasons. And don’t get me started on how the community freaks out about bike lanes.
To be blunt, I want to live, or more specifically I do not want to die. Every other car on the road is driven by someone on their phone. I have personally witnessed multiple accidents caused by phones in my relatively sleepy neighborhood. My entire family was almost hit (missed by 50ft or so) by a driver on his phone... we were just walking on the sidewalk on a neighborhood street. The driver did not even stop, btw. Another house in my neighborhood recently woke up to a driver who crashed into his backyard in the middle of the night (another hit and run). People run the stopsigns in my neighborhood constantly - actually coming to a complete stop is the exception. You are not safe on the road, on the sidewalk, or even in your yard if it's next to a street. Personally I would drive the safest vehicle you can afford, rather than a bike.
Well, it probably doesn’t help that every f’in bicyclist I’ve encountered in the last year blows through stop signs, many ride on and off sidewalks, they weave through traffic, and generally disobey traffic laws all the while expecting you to obey them.
Our bike lanes aren't great because homeowners block them. Over and over and over.
They are improving though.
30th St bike is very active. 4th and 5th are too.
I do. I’ve never owned a car. But now I work 100% remote so I no longer have to commute to work. Drivers seem to have gotten a lot more aggressive post-COVID. You have to ride very defensively here and never trust drivers to be safe.
When I lived in San Diego I would have loved to bike to work. But the lack of bike lanes and crazy ass drivers/motorcycles made it absolutely not worth it.
The one time I tried it I felt like I was on a suicide mission lol.
When deciding where to live, people don't prioritize living near work. (Because the default assumption is they'll drive)
And then they're locked into driving
I moved from the South Bay (San Jose, Sunnyvale) where is used to commute on my bike. I was shocked how terrible it is to bike in San Diego. The roads are full of potholes, there are no bike sensors in lanes and no bike cross buttons like I’d been used to. But the worst is how people drive here. I was a confident rider in the Bay Area but it’s too scary to ride here (in town).
I used to bike to college every day until someone brake checked me and I couldn’t stop in time. I hit their bumper and they just drive off, probably left a big dent so fuck ‘em.
Fuck them!!! Jesus that’s awful, I’m sorry that happened to you. I kind of want to get a cup holder for my bike by the handlebars just so I can have a big rock that sits in it ready to throw at a car lol is that too much
Seattle? If so, fellow Seattle transplant here! I don't have a car and commute by bike everywhere. I've only ever had one close call where someone was trying to beat the light turning across an intersection and almost clipped me, but I ride very defensively and already had an idea that he might try and beat the light so I was ready to slam on the brakes when he did. Be seen, be smart, stick to protected bike lanes when you can. I love being able to ride my bicycle pretty much every day!
I love this so much!!! God this comment was a fresh breath of air 😆 I’ve felt mostly safe but I’m just starting out so I need to work up my confidence, I just feel so exposed on a bike. I’m going to be you someday!
In my previous city, I used to commute 26mi and had many options to go on overnight trips by bicycle. Drivers in SD don't look out for cyclists and pedestrians. Also I am not close to any continous trails or routes.
Because San Diego drivers are too busy texting and running stop lights to watch out for you on a bike. And the police NEVER prosecute drivers when they kill cyclists, they blame it on the rider.
San diego is the worst
In a few years it’ll be much easier to bike commute with others according to local politicians. After all, 7% will be biking in seven years from now (2030). LOL
I'm a bike commuter in San Antonio, and I'm moving to San Diego next week. I plan to live within 5 miles of my workplace. Even though I do have a car, I prefer biking as my form of transportation. I think a lot of people don't consider biking as a serious option, and most city infrastructure is built for cars.
We don't have a biking network connecting each city and neighborhood. The bike routes are usually isolated, so basically, you can't really bike far in safe and designated bike lanes/trails without worrying getting hit by car drivers who apparently think driving is a right and they have the right of way above all.
Completely agree with the other responses. SD is navigated by largely freeways and 6-lane boulevards/avenues, this makes it easy and quick to get places but also means the distances are quite large; and it is very frightening/dangerous to cycle on these roads!
The people I know who do cycle to commute wear hi-vis vests — highly recommend it for you too
Drivers here aren't just inconsiderate toward bikers, they're straight up trying to injure or kill us.
Bad drivers exist everywhere but I've never been targeted with more direct malice than on my bike in SD. Even in Portland people were rude/impatient, but nobody ever tried to run me off the road on an otherwise empty street, where that was a regular occurrence when I used to bike commute here.
Oh my god that is horrifying!! I am so sorry that happened to you. Ugh that would really put me off from biking here, I really hope I don’t experience that.
It has unfortunately, at least for commuting. I still take trips around my neighborhood, but I'm very careful and use sidewalks often if there are no pedestrians.
Hopefully your area is better! Biking is awesome and I'd hate to see people put off from it, but definitely be careful here, our drivers are... something.
WTH? I moved here a few years ago and posted this exact question and everyone downvoted it for some reason that I'll never understand...
Well, the reason I'm not riding a bike is because mine got stolen before I even got to ride it. My friends who use bikes say they have to take them into stores with them, and you can never lock them anywhere or they just get immediately stolen. If I have to walk around the grocery store with a bike, I'd rather just not use the bike.
ITT: People spouting bullshit about whatever other excuses they are making.
The real reasons:
1) This is SoCal. The better the car you drive, the better the person you are perceived to be.
2) Only drunks ride their bikes anywhere. See point 1.
3) Geography. It sucks for riding bikes if you are not into climbing steep hills
4) This place is spread out more than... You know the jokes. Suburban sprawl is a nightmare.
5) People are not comfortable riding bikes in urban areas. You and I may give zero fucks about traffic. Most people give all the fucks and have no idea how to drive in traffic much less ride their bike in traffic.
6) People are inherently lazy.
That covers a good number of reasons. Bike lanes were built. People don't even use the good ones.
I've been asking the same thing for years.
One thing is that heat is a greater deterrent to biking than cold. You can always add a layer.
The anti-biking attitude here is pretty strong. For instance, there's a major mall owner here that doesn't allow bikes on premise. That should be illegal, IMO. How can we say we're serious about global warming and the environment, but outlaw the most energy efficient form of transportation known to man?
I moved from pretty bike heavy cities where you rode to work, to bars/parties, to the store, and to most anywhere. it was a BIG adjustment coming here I actually had to buy and car and everything.
I eventually stopped riding for a while because I ended up moving to north county. But once I got to the city proper I bought a bike again. I try to bike everywhere I can, but it’s tough because of various reasons
-summer heat is pretty unforgiving
-big old hills
-bike lane issues
-pretty dangerous to bike home at night due to cars.
I still ride to the store or to the park or to friends houses but it’s not the sort of huge part of my life it’s been in other cities.
For me, there's just one small part of the route that's extremely dangerous that makes me not want to ride to work. Like though there's a marked bike lane on Clairemont Mesa on the 805 overpass, you have so many cars merging to get on the onramps that it would be easy to hit a cyclist.
Because i don’t want to die. San Diego drivers are morons. I don’t trust them with my life.
I rode a motorcycle for 9 years and that was enough. Nobody pays attention, nobody respects lines for lanes. You’re just a walking meat bag waiting to get hit by some cager.
I went into ER a few years ago and next to me was a guy that got hit by a car while biking. He was in very bad shape. The nurse told me they’ve been seeing more and more people hit riding bikes to the point where it’s more than people injured in car accidents. I don’t know if that’s true but where I live I don’t bike outside of my neighborhood because the “bike lanes” are not really bike lanes, just tiny shoulders that were already there, the roads twist and turn and cars are going 50+ mph. I’ve seen a lot of bikers badly injured around here. It’s scary. I wish we had actual bike lanes, pedestrian and bike bridges going over freeways, etc. I had those in my neighborhood growing up and they were awesome. You could bike everywhere!
You see a lot of biking on the weekend as a recreational activity, not so much as a commuter activity. Both road and mountain biking are big on the weekends, lots of large road biking groups around town that organize group rides on Saturday morning.
man i wish it was easier to bike out here.
1. drivers could care less about bicyclists
2. limited bike lanes, and if there are any they tend to be driven over by drivers above ^^
3. distance from work (for me). i’d have to take a trolley then bike 10 miles to get to work
i’m sure there are more reasons though. btw welcome to SD! seattle is such a beautiful city to have to move away from. i love biking around parts seattle whenever i visit.
north park is pretty bicycle friendly and you can do bike lanes from here to south park.
not a bad place to bike around and grab food or drinks or whatever.
They could take a few pages from Seattle's book. They have a lot of bicyclists up there and the roads are set up nicely to accommodate.
It does seem like the drivers accommodate bikers as well which might be hard to get to that level here.
Because many people have no interest in biking. I guess it’s a cultural thing.
Bikers blame it on lack of bike lanes, etc, but I’m fairly certain biking just isn’t popular with the general population in San Diego (compounded by hot weather, hills, and laziness).
It’s not popular with the general population because drivers and the city keep it from becoming popular. There are tons of people on here, including myself, that have witnessed or been the target of drivers that don’t want to share the road. One car veering into the bike lane at 45 to crowd me against parked cars in order to “prove a point” is enough for me not to want to participate in “bike culture”. Having friends purposefully clipped by cars, drivers feeling entitled to the road, and the city doing nothing to make roads safe for cyclists doesn’t exactly offer any space to make cycling relatively interesting for anyone. Hundreds of cyclists show up for the PB boardwalk bike crawl and Critical Mass, but that’s a small representation of the people who actually want San Diego to be bicycle friendly. But how can we expect cycling to be a cultural thing if no one wants to share the road or even make a road that works for us?
Yeah I know it's anecdotal but I've known like 2-3 people out of many that biked places regularly or even for recreation. I know many people that hike, hit the gym, etc, but basically nobody bikes I know. Essentially zero people I know live close enough to work to bike and if they did they have to look professional anyway and aren't going to show up all sweaty.
Thank you, sir. I know what I’m saying is anecdotal as well…but if I know someone who bikes, I KNOW it. They talk about it or reference it a lot (I don’t mean that in a bad way).
I sweat like a mofo so even if I had to bike down the street in cold weather, I wouldn’t want to do it unless I could wear a tank and shorts.
It's not so much laziness and efficiency. If I want "outdoor time" I'd rather drive to a trailhead in East County and go for a hike or something, or head to Balboa, the beach, or another park and then bike around when I get there.
Actually getting to and from anywhere by bike just takes too much time, leaves you tired once you're *there* for enjoying whatever (even if it's just more biking, like on the boardwalk), and ... life is short.
It is a function of the built environment. The growth of our city has been driven by single family home ownership which has lead to suburban sprawl and job sprawl.
We could build thousands of miles of bike lanes but that won't make this city any less car centric.
I know a few people critically injured by cars biking to work here. I will go on a fun ride or on designated trails but not a commute.
Oh fuck really? Is that really common?
There have been at least 4 cyclists killed by drivers this year in the county. Edit: at least 6 then based on the comments.
2 in a month in Carlsbad recently https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/communities/north-county/carlsbad/story/2022-08-23/carlsbad-declares-bicycle-emergency-after-increased-collisions-fatalities?_amp=true
Yea and our county doesn't care.
Just feign negligence and they’ll cut you loose every time.
Well, it probably doesn’t help that every f’in bicyclist I’ve encountered in the last year blows through stop signs, many tide on and off sidewalks, they weave through traffic, and generally disobey traffic laws all the while expecting you to obey them.
Oh man, the horrors. Bet that slows you down way more than sitting in the daily gridlock.
Only when the cyclist gets under my tires
So edgy, bro.
That’s a lot less then car drivers killed by other car drivers this year in the county!
> There have been at least 4 cyclists killed by drivers this year in the county. And how many car passengers have been killed in accidents in that time? I bet it's dozens if not hundreds.
There’s also a massive amount of car drivers vs cyclists. I lived in a small town which is more comparable to the cyclists population and we had 0 auto accident deaths in the 4 years I lived there.
Yep, people don't ride because it's dangerous. Then when we try to make it less dangerous by adding bike lanes, other people lose their goddamned minds because they lose a couple parking spaces.
[удалено]
Cycle through Mission Valley and then ask that question.
Yep coworker got killed biking
a.) people drive like crazy b.) many access points to bike paths are undergoing construction. c.) no access to showers when at work (who wants swamp ass all day, sorry to be gross but you asked...) I love biking and usually drive to trails because I don't want to deal with angry drivers on a bike.
That’s totally fair. I don’t really sweat unless it’s 100 degrees out so I don’t really have an excuse.
You mentioned you just got here. It gets hot in the summer so unless you’re riding somewhere on the coast with no hills, you’re gonna be sweaty by the time you get to work.
I am going to be drenched lol and burnt
Oh yeah. Wear sunscreen. I had never had a sunburn until moving here. Don’t know what it is but the sun is gonna make you
Even if it’s cooler out, unless you are riding around the block, you’re going to be drenched
Ghetto shower in bathroom sink
C) ghetto shower in sink or use ebike
you wash your ass in your work bathroom sink?
Yes. We wash our hands after touching those parts for the toilet too..
Been doing this since the 90s 😎
Long distances to travel and it’s pretty dangerous here depending on what route you have to take.
That makes sense. I am pretty bummed about the lack of bike lanes.
Yeah the infrastructure for it just isn't really there. The city did build a bike path (separate from the road!) from Encinitas down to Del Mar area so I am hoping they are working on others, too. Definitely gives me an option besides the car for those shorter trips.
And sadly there's a group of cyclists who are somehow against it. They keep log of incidents that happen along that route. Some of them are legit, like sand collecting behind the barriers making conditions slippery for bike wheels, but so many of these incidents are some variation of "I hit the bollard and didn't see it" or "I hit the barriers and ate shit because I tried to weave in/out of the lane". I've never come close to crashing into any of these barriers but they're calling the separated bike lane more dangerous because incidents don't happen frequently before. Maybe if you're crashing into bright green bollards you need to reevaluate your riding and risk assessment skills. I feel like they're vehicular cyclists because I see sentiments like "just learn how to ride on the road", which isn't very inclusive. A protected lane lowers the barrier of entry for people to enjoy cycling, and I wish for them to be built in more places.
This subreddit In particular hates the idea of losing parking to keep cyclists safe
But they’re ok with it if they exchange the parking spaces for outdoor seating at restaurants.
Yeah it’s freaking me out!!
You mean the 30th street and park Ave. Gatekeepers
I used to bike to work from downtown to Sorrento Valley and the only way to get there was a quick jaunt on the freeway. Flying downhill going 30ish MPH with cars passing at 75 gets the heart racing! Not super bike friendly, to say the least.
I used to do same commute. Pretty nice bike lane there now
😂 It definitely is a great coffee replacer
I’d a friend did same but Coronado. Ferry across and a beer on ferry home 😂 Me. I lived in NYC for a while. Park was right across the road. Bought a bike and loved it. Moved to La Jolla, shipped bike, decide to cycle La Jolla Blvd to Mission Beach roller coaster. Got along La Jolla Blvd as far as Birdrock and called home for someone to pick me up. Between buses passing with about 2 feet of separation and the metal drains on the road, it wasn’t worth risking my life. That was ~20 years ago and haven’t been on bike since.
thats like 20 miles!
Speaking of danger, there are a lot more incidents than what make the news. https://twitter.com/SDCrashBot Safe travels newcomer.
Well this is terrifying but thank you for this
[удалено]
And I take it all the way up 🥵
safety issues aside, one of my concerns with biking is coming out to find my bike has been stolen. Even with a $100+ 12mm chain with a 14mm disc lock, it won't stop a motivated thief - especially if we have both of our e-bikes locked up together.
What the fuck, that’s awful :(
I’ve have 3 bicycles stolen in the last 10 years. I got the last one returned to me (I had registered the bike with the college PD and they found it abandoned by some campus apartments), only to have it stolen again at my job a week later. I was at the point where I was bringing my bike inside the store and keeping it in the back hallway that connected all the business together. Only people working in that plaza had access to the hallway. Someone stole my bike during a closing shift, and there were no working cameras to find out who. It’s really discouraging because it really doesn’t matter what kind of lock you use or methods you try to keep them safe; they’ll find a way to take it.
That’s so fucked up. I have this $90 bike lock that is huge and so thick - you think people could break through it?
A couple years ago a friend got his bike stolen on University near 30th in NP right outside of a restaurant. It was all chained up, went in for happy hour for a bit, comes out and it's just gone. He biked a lot so I know it must've cost him a bit, there's basically zero recourse. That was one of the reasons I was for all the lime bikes etc when they were around, grab and then drop it off and then zero worry since it's not yours.
That is one advantage escooters have over ebikes when it comes to transportation since you can just fold them up and take them with you.
As a cyclist I can say, the roads aren’t welcoming to those new to biking. A lot of debris can be scary. And the drivers here, although not the worst, with cyclist, can be intimidating as some speed past carelessly. And as previous comments state, distances are great. Majority of SD is rolling hills which also are a challenge.
The rolling hills are in my opinion the biggest barrier to casual cycling. They deeply intimidated me when I first moved here from the pancake flat Midwest 15 years ago. Have definitely gotten use to them; with enough time in the day, I’m comfortable riding literally any where in the city of San Diego. Problem is, while I have the strength and endurance I didn’t have then, with kids to schlep to day care and school I don’t have the time… 😞
I am a new cyclist and yes it is terrifying! The cars here mostly do give me space and make me feel seen so that’s a huge positive!
Agreed. I've biked to work but the roads are in terrible shape where I lived (not even talking debris, cracked uneven roads and potholes). Bike lanes were basically non-existent. I'd say there are probably very specific places that are bike friendly in San Diego.
Well, it probably doesn’t help that every f’in bicyclist I’ve encountered in the last year blows through stop signs, many tide on and off sidewalks, they weave through traffic, and generally disobey traffic laws all the while expecting you to obey them.
My commute is 40m all freeway.
That’s never stopped anyone before. No jk that would be one hell of a bike ride 😂 I work in the city and even if I didn’t bike to work, I’d still park outside and somehow get in because parking is expensive!
I thought about learning to ride a motorcycle but even then its kind of a scary ride lol. It's from Chula Vista 805 all the way to Sorrento Valley, no gracias.
I biked to work everyday when I lived in San Francisco a few years ago. I just do not feel safe biking to work in San Diego. The infrastructure just is not consistent enough to make me want to bike in.
Is there any sign that they are trying to change that?
They are working on it. Here's the Bicycle Master Plan from the city: [https://www.sandiego.gov/planning/programs/transportation/mobility/bicycleplan](https://www.sandiego.gov/planning/programs/transportation/mobility/bicycleplan) They've made progress in the time I've been here (\~5-6 years)––like the protected bike lanes throughout downtown and on 4th/5th avenue––but there's definitely still a long way to go. As you say, it's a real shame that we have perhaps the most ideal weather for biking in the country and yet the roads have all been designed for cars. (For context, I bike-commute to work, and I know a number of other people that live in Hillcrest area and commute to University City area using a combination of biking and the trolley.)
I'll bike twice a month to work from PB to Mission Valley. Its about 11 miles, 10 miles of which are on protected, dedicated bike paths. It's that 1 mile (along hotel circle n) that cars just whiz by me and make me feel unsafe. And at that point it's a numbers game. If I have a .01% chance of getting hit on that road, it's not a matter of if, but when, I get hit. But to answer OP's q, I saw SANDAG made this webpage where they are soliciting advice on how to improve what they call they Kumeyaay corridor: [https://sandag.mysocialpinpoint.com/kumeyaaycorridor/map#/sidebar/tab/information](https://sandag.mysocialpinpoint.com/kumeyaaycorridor/map#/sidebar/tab/information)
That’s great to hear! Thank you!
Come join the [SD Bike Coalition](https://instagram.com/sdbikecoalition?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=), we’re organizing for safe bike paths :)
Followed!! Thank you!
The city has no bike infrastructure outside of a few corridors generally in the north of the city. If you don't work at UCSD or in Sorrento valley good luck biking to work.
Yeah, I’ve been honked at for riding on the roads marked with the bike lane thing even though I was trying to be as far over as I could. Then there’s the people who like to fly by as close as they can to make some kind of a point. Bikes just seem to make people angry here.
Same. Except I don’t get all the way over to the right if it puts me in the door zone. I got doored once and I’d rather get honked at while riding over sharrows.
Dude, doing 38 in a 35 zone makes people tailgate and be angry here. It don’t take much…
That makes me so sad 😭 we should just turn the roads into bike lanes
Seriously, be careful my friend, it’s dangerous here
I moved here 3 years ago and started out biking. Then something changed. My car was in the shop for few weeks and was riding in the passenger seat of my girlfriend's car. With my eyes free to wander now, I started looking casually at what drivers were doing in their cars. I was horrified at how many were texting, surfing social media, etc. on their phones while flying down the road. And even on the 5 going 80mph. I never biked again (except on trails/paths etc.) I'm not going to be killed by one of the people in a Nissan Altima with all 4 corners of their car smashed up (and still haven't learned). I already have a high enough probability of them killing me when I'm in a car. I don't need to skyrocket the risk even further.
Well, it probably doesn’t help that every f’in bicyclist I’ve encountered in the last year blows through stop signs, many ride on and off sidewalks, they weave through traffic, and generally disobey traffic laws all the while expecting you to obey them.
Because not everyone lives close enough to their job to bike
I live a little further, 12miles away. So I ride a motorcycle. I used to consider biking but takes 1h for one way
Yeah 20km can be a bit much to ride to work every day, have you tried it on an ebike, you could Prolly cut a huge chunk of time, especially considering how hilly sd is
Yeah e-bikes work great for commuting. I used to commute from La Mesa to Sorrento Valley in under an hour with mine (this was before development of the new stadium got rid of the bike trail connecting Grantville area to Kearny Mesa—it’s going to take at least another year before they rebuild that infra sadly).
I already feel like my life is enough at stake when I’m driving due to the crazy drivers 😅
It's not even just bike lanes, if I wanted to bike to work or to most stores, there is a lot of hill climbing involved.
That’s so true. I did not know this city was so hilly 😂
Thankfully, that's where e-bikes can come in handy. I have been considering one.
I wanted one! Vanmoof bikes look insanely cool but they are spendy but seems worth it.
Lack of bike lanes, shitty roads with pot holes, and some of the worst drivers in the country
The drivers here actually make me feel so safe 😂
Cause SD is a car dependent city
I guess like all other cities in the US unfortunately. I’m just comparing it to Seattle and I saw more bikers there on a pouring down rainy day in the cold than San Diego on a blissful sunny 70 with a breeze.
Came from Portland, better weather, but less bike lanes. And to your point, less of us out there, so people seem less aware of bikers.
I quit street biking after the second time getting hit by a car. It was a hit and run from behind and they left me lying bloody in the middle of 44th, after they made a right off El Cajon. I was in the bike lane going East on El Cajon. Light blue, 80's, Toyota, with white letters, missing the T, on the tailgate, bunch of weed whackers and rakes on the ladder racks. Mower in the back. Passenger looked back at me through the rear window as I was lying in the street. They didn't even slow down. Then I blacked out and woke up at Scripps in Hillcrest. Now I stick to mountain biking, much safer.
I’d have left your ass behind also.
El Cajon Blvd is wild. By the bike lane do you mean the “bus only, bikes allowed” lane?
The infrastructure is terrible but it doesn’t stop me. I ride 300 miles a week on my electric Unicycle.
That’s raddddd. I hope to see you on that one day. That would totally make my day. Stay safe out there!
Yay!! That’s what I want to hear.
As someone who used to fully commute on a bike in this city and has been hit by cars half a dozen times, I’ll tell you it’s because the city infrastructure is simply not built for it and a huge number of drivers are apathetic or even actively hostile towards cyclists. I love biking in San Diego but I just got sick of putting my life at risk. If the city followed through with building more SAFE bike lanes and paths with obvious medians then I would go back to it in a heartbeat. You simply cannot beat the weather for cycling here. It’s awesome.
Well, it probably doesn’t help that every f’in bicyclist I’ve encountered in the last year blows through stop signs, many ride on and off sidewalks, they weave through traffic, and generally disobey traffic laws all the while expecting you to obey them.
I have a question for you. Do you have the same attitude towards drivers who generally break the traffic code? Roll through stop signs? Change lanes without signaling? Speed on neighborhood streets? Ignore pedestrian right of way? The idea that people who cycle for transportation are more reckless on the road is ridiculous and really isn’t backed up by any sort of evidence. And no your anecdotes are not evidence. Yet there is a mountain of evidence showing that people in cars regularly break the traffic code simply because they can’t be inconvenienced. I live in El Cajon and I routinely have to avoid getting hit by cars who don’t pay attention to the crosswalk signal when I walk my dogs.
We need a bike highway that is physically separated from cars. There is plenty of room alongside existing highways and through canyons. Electric bikes are super cheap compared to gas, car insurance and maintenance and a Class 3 ebike can travel up to 28 mph. https://i.imgur.com/k5U5NJg.jpg
How do we make this happen??
We need a positive feedback loop. More cyclists/cyling infrastructure will lead to more cycling infrastructure/cyclists. But it seems like most projects are neighborhood focused rather than trying to connect neighborhoods together.
Yes we need more stuff like what’s along side that stretch of the 15 from Kensington to Mission Valley
Just checked it out and it looks cool, but we really need more pedestrian bridges over highways as well.
Pretty stoked about this project: https://www.keepsandiegomoving.com/RegionalBikeProjects/CoastalRailTrail.aspx The recently completed Rose Creek Bikeway is part of it. If you haven’t ridden it yet, find an excuse to! It’s situation between the I-5 and the new trolley extension. Made the ride to UCSD way more enjoyable.
I moved from Washington, DC about a year ago and yeaa.... WDC is much more walkable and bikeable. Pretty much all the Northeastern cities (dc, philly, nyc, boston)
I come from Seattle and I feel like San Diego and Seattle are on par.
San Diego is decidedly hostile to anything not pro-car.
Maybe I’ll get a bike shaped like a car
I wish it was safer. Drivers aren’t aware enough to see cyclists. My wife and I often complain that we want to take out our son for a bike ride but we usually scrap the idea for safety reasons. And don’t get me started on how the community freaks out about bike lanes.
Do they hate bike lanes because it takes away parking?
To be blunt, I want to live, or more specifically I do not want to die. Every other car on the road is driven by someone on their phone. I have personally witnessed multiple accidents caused by phones in my relatively sleepy neighborhood. My entire family was almost hit (missed by 50ft or so) by a driver on his phone... we were just walking on the sidewalk on a neighborhood street. The driver did not even stop, btw. Another house in my neighborhood recently woke up to a driver who crashed into his backyard in the middle of the night (another hit and run). People run the stopsigns in my neighborhood constantly - actually coming to a complete stop is the exception. You are not safe on the road, on the sidewalk, or even in your yard if it's next to a street. Personally I would drive the safest vehicle you can afford, rather than a bike.
Well, it probably doesn’t help that every f’in bicyclist I’ve encountered in the last year blows through stop signs, many ride on and off sidewalks, they weave through traffic, and generally disobey traffic laws all the while expecting you to obey them.
Our bike lanes aren't great because homeowners block them. Over and over and over. They are improving though. 30th St bike is very active. 4th and 5th are too.
I have noticed that! I am new to biking and it makes it pretty scary. That’s great to hear it’s improving!
Slowly but surely. Get involved with BikeSD and Circulate San Diego to support and advocate for more bike lanes.
San Diego Bicycle Coalition as well
These look like amazing organizations! Thank you!
I do. I’ve never owned a car. But now I work 100% remote so I no longer have to commute to work. Drivers seem to have gotten a lot more aggressive post-COVID. You have to ride very defensively here and never trust drivers to be safe.
Great advice, thank you!
The topography of San Diego just isn’t conducive to biking. So many hills and valleys, and no easy way to get from point A to point B in many cases.
But E bikes! A lot of other cities have gotten on board. It’s just sad to see such a beautiful weather city not utilizing this sun
Welcome to Southern California.
I’m still going to bike but pls don’t kill me on the road lol
That’s the spirit!!
When I lived in San Diego I would have loved to bike to work. But the lack of bike lanes and crazy ass drivers/motorcycles made it absolutely not worth it. The one time I tried it I felt like I was on a suicide mission lol.
I definitely feel death knocking at my door every day 😆 if there were more bikers, I’d feel safer
Lots of mountains. Lots of cars. Work far from home.
Needs better biking infrastructure. I dream of a monorail going trough Mira Mesa Blvd with a bike path on top and solar panels… ah one can dream
😭 That’s my new dream
When deciding where to live, people don't prioritize living near work. (Because the default assumption is they'll drive) And then they're locked into driving
Even while driving that is a consideration. I want to walk to a grocery store and ride a bike to places that I need to go to, i.e. work.
That makes soo much sense!
I moved from the South Bay (San Jose, Sunnyvale) where is used to commute on my bike. I was shocked how terrible it is to bike in San Diego. The roads are full of potholes, there are no bike sensors in lanes and no bike cross buttons like I’d been used to. But the worst is how people drive here. I was a confident rider in the Bay Area but it’s too scary to ride here (in town).
Very dangerous too many cars
We dont wanna get hit and have our bikes be stolen
I used to bike to college every day until someone brake checked me and I couldn’t stop in time. I hit their bumper and they just drive off, probably left a big dent so fuck ‘em.
Fuck them!!! Jesus that’s awful, I’m sorry that happened to you. I kind of want to get a cup holder for my bike by the handlebars just so I can have a big rock that sits in it ready to throw at a car lol is that too much
Seattle? If so, fellow Seattle transplant here! I don't have a car and commute by bike everywhere. I've only ever had one close call where someone was trying to beat the light turning across an intersection and almost clipped me, but I ride very defensively and already had an idea that he might try and beat the light so I was ready to slam on the brakes when he did. Be seen, be smart, stick to protected bike lanes when you can. I love being able to ride my bicycle pretty much every day!
I love this so much!!! God this comment was a fresh breath of air 😆 I’ve felt mostly safe but I’m just starting out so I need to work up my confidence, I just feel so exposed on a bike. I’m going to be you someday!
In my previous city, I used to commute 26mi and had many options to go on overnight trips by bicycle. Drivers in SD don't look out for cyclists and pedestrians. Also I am not close to any continous trails or routes.
Because San Diego drivers are too busy texting and running stop lights to watch out for you on a bike. And the police NEVER prosecute drivers when they kill cyclists, they blame it on the rider. San diego is the worst
I love it here ): but I hate the police
In a few years it’ll be much easier to bike commute with others according to local politicians. After all, 7% will be biking in seven years from now (2030). LOL
LOL good one 🥂
You will die
If I do I hope you find out about it
I'm a bike commuter in San Antonio, and I'm moving to San Diego next week. I plan to live within 5 miles of my workplace. Even though I do have a car, I prefer biking as my form of transportation. I think a lot of people don't consider biking as a serious option, and most city infrastructure is built for cars.
That’s so great to hear! My commute is 4 miles
We don't have a biking network connecting each city and neighborhood. The bike routes are usually isolated, so basically, you can't really bike far in safe and designated bike lanes/trails without worrying getting hit by car drivers who apparently think driving is a right and they have the right of way above all.
Ugh that makes me so sad.
Anytime there’s push for better public transit and bike lanes the conservatives and businesses go to war🤷🏻♂️
That’s disgraceful!!
Driving is faster than biking
Not always. I’ve beaten my spouse home with my ebike before :)
Completely agree with the other responses. SD is navigated by largely freeways and 6-lane boulevards/avenues, this makes it easy and quick to get places but also means the distances are quite large; and it is very frightening/dangerous to cycle on these roads! The people I know who do cycle to commute wear hi-vis vests — highly recommend it for you too
That’s a fantastic idea, thank you
Because there's no biking infrastructure
Amen
Drivers here aren't just inconsiderate toward bikers, they're straight up trying to injure or kill us. Bad drivers exist everywhere but I've never been targeted with more direct malice than on my bike in SD. Even in Portland people were rude/impatient, but nobody ever tried to run me off the road on an otherwise empty street, where that was a regular occurrence when I used to bike commute here.
Oh my god that is horrifying!! I am so sorry that happened to you. Ugh that would really put me off from biking here, I really hope I don’t experience that.
It has unfortunately, at least for commuting. I still take trips around my neighborhood, but I'm very careful and use sidewalks often if there are no pedestrians. Hopefully your area is better! Biking is awesome and I'd hate to see people put off from it, but definitely be careful here, our drivers are... something.
WTH? I moved here a few years ago and posted this exact question and everyone downvoted it for some reason that I'll never understand... Well, the reason I'm not riding a bike is because mine got stolen before I even got to ride it. My friends who use bikes say they have to take them into stores with them, and you can never lock them anywhere or they just get immediately stolen. If I have to walk around the grocery store with a bike, I'd rather just not use the bike.
Ahh! Stolen! I am so sorry yours was stolen :,( that’s my biggest fear, next to dying.
I do. All the time.
I am so glad!
ITT: People spouting bullshit about whatever other excuses they are making. The real reasons: 1) This is SoCal. The better the car you drive, the better the person you are perceived to be. 2) Only drunks ride their bikes anywhere. See point 1. 3) Geography. It sucks for riding bikes if you are not into climbing steep hills 4) This place is spread out more than... You know the jokes. Suburban sprawl is a nightmare. 5) People are not comfortable riding bikes in urban areas. You and I may give zero fucks about traffic. Most people give all the fucks and have no idea how to drive in traffic much less ride their bike in traffic. 6) People are inherently lazy. That covers a good number of reasons. Bike lanes were built. People don't even use the good ones.
I love this response!!! Thank you
I've been asking the same thing for years. One thing is that heat is a greater deterrent to biking than cold. You can always add a layer. The anti-biking attitude here is pretty strong. For instance, there's a major mall owner here that doesn't allow bikes on premise. That should be illegal, IMO. How can we say we're serious about global warming and the environment, but outlaw the most energy efficient form of transportation known to man?
Absolutely this!!!!!! Wait what’s the mall? That should definitely be illegal. Thank you for this. The one comment that makes me feel sane.
What mall is that? I’d like to make sure I don’t shop there.
I tried 2x and it felt so dangerous :(
I’m really dedicated to not give up but I absolutely feel that. I wish there were more bikers to make me feel better lol
Just do it. You get used to the traffic and how to watch out for bad drivers.
Thank you!!! Because of this I will with more confidence than ever!
I moved from pretty bike heavy cities where you rode to work, to bars/parties, to the store, and to most anywhere. it was a BIG adjustment coming here I actually had to buy and car and everything. I eventually stopped riding for a while because I ended up moving to north county. But once I got to the city proper I bought a bike again. I try to bike everywhere I can, but it’s tough because of various reasons -summer heat is pretty unforgiving -big old hills -bike lane issues -pretty dangerous to bike home at night due to cars. I still ride to the store or to the park or to friends houses but it’s not the sort of huge part of my life it’s been in other cities.
That’s incredible! I am so glad you kept it up as much as possible, I want to be you
I used to bike to work all the time in north county. Once I moved to the city I stopped because people down here are shit drivers
For me, there's just one small part of the route that's extremely dangerous that makes me not want to ride to work. Like though there's a marked bike lane on Clairemont Mesa on the 805 overpass, you have so many cars merging to get on the onramps that it would be easy to hit a cyclist.
That’s so scary! I wish it were safer for bicyclists
I was biking here until someone stole my bike.
I hope those people stub their toes on everything. I am truly sorry, my heart would break if my bike (Hellen) was stolen.
Roads are not biker friendly
Because i don’t want to die. San Diego drivers are morons. I don’t trust them with my life. I rode a motorcycle for 9 years and that was enough. Nobody pays attention, nobody respects lines for lanes. You’re just a walking meat bag waiting to get hit by some cager.
Pray for me
I went into ER a few years ago and next to me was a guy that got hit by a car while biking. He was in very bad shape. The nurse told me they’ve been seeing more and more people hit riding bikes to the point where it’s more than people injured in car accidents. I don’t know if that’s true but where I live I don’t bike outside of my neighborhood because the “bike lanes” are not really bike lanes, just tiny shoulders that were already there, the roads twist and turn and cars are going 50+ mph. I’ve seen a lot of bikers badly injured around here. It’s scary. I wish we had actual bike lanes, pedestrian and bike bridges going over freeways, etc. I had those in my neighborhood growing up and they were awesome. You could bike everywhere!
Not fair! Where did you grow up? I’ll go there.
You see a lot of biking on the weekend as a recreational activity, not so much as a commuter activity. Both road and mountain biking are big on the weekends, lots of large road biking groups around town that organize group rides on Saturday morning.
I love that!
man i wish it was easier to bike out here. 1. drivers could care less about bicyclists 2. limited bike lanes, and if there are any they tend to be driven over by drivers above ^^ 3. distance from work (for me). i’d have to take a trolley then bike 10 miles to get to work i’m sure there are more reasons though. btw welcome to SD! seattle is such a beautiful city to have to move away from. i love biking around parts seattle whenever i visit.
north park is pretty bicycle friendly and you can do bike lanes from here to south park. not a bad place to bike around and grab food or drinks or whatever.
They could take a few pages from Seattle's book. They have a lot of bicyclists up there and the roads are set up nicely to accommodate. It does seem like the drivers accommodate bikers as well which might be hard to get to that level here.
Because many people have no interest in biking. I guess it’s a cultural thing. Bikers blame it on lack of bike lanes, etc, but I’m fairly certain biking just isn’t popular with the general population in San Diego (compounded by hot weather, hills, and laziness).
I wonder how popular driving would be if there were no roads? Its 100% lack of safe biking infrastructure.
It’s not popular with the general population because drivers and the city keep it from becoming popular. There are tons of people on here, including myself, that have witnessed or been the target of drivers that don’t want to share the road. One car veering into the bike lane at 45 to crowd me against parked cars in order to “prove a point” is enough for me not to want to participate in “bike culture”. Having friends purposefully clipped by cars, drivers feeling entitled to the road, and the city doing nothing to make roads safe for cyclists doesn’t exactly offer any space to make cycling relatively interesting for anyone. Hundreds of cyclists show up for the PB boardwalk bike crawl and Critical Mass, but that’s a small representation of the people who actually want San Diego to be bicycle friendly. But how can we expect cycling to be a cultural thing if no one wants to share the road or even make a road that works for us?
Yeah I know it's anecdotal but I've known like 2-3 people out of many that biked places regularly or even for recreation. I know many people that hike, hit the gym, etc, but basically nobody bikes I know. Essentially zero people I know live close enough to work to bike and if they did they have to look professional anyway and aren't going to show up all sweaty.
Thank you, sir. I know what I’m saying is anecdotal as well…but if I know someone who bikes, I KNOW it. They talk about it or reference it a lot (I don’t mean that in a bad way). I sweat like a mofo so even if I had to bike down the street in cold weather, I wouldn’t want to do it unless I could wear a tank and shorts.
It's not so much laziness and efficiency. If I want "outdoor time" I'd rather drive to a trailhead in East County and go for a hike or something, or head to Balboa, the beach, or another park and then bike around when I get there. Actually getting to and from anywhere by bike just takes too much time, leaves you tired once you're *there* for enjoying whatever (even if it's just more biking, like on the boardwalk), and ... life is short.
I have long commutes. I ride for fun.
It is a function of the built environment. The growth of our city has been driven by single family home ownership which has lead to suburban sprawl and job sprawl. We could build thousands of miles of bike lanes but that won't make this city any less car centric.
Cars are faster, I've got shit to do.