Improve Lakewood Biking By...Biking In Lakewood!

Historically, it is rare for a single person to convince a large mass to change their lasting opinion or behavior. From global issues all the way to liking new foods, we are a species of experience...we don’t feel connected enough to be proactive until we’ve felt through a situation or topic first hand.

The same can be said for biking. When considering the issues we have on our hands as cyclists, locally as well as on a larger scale, it always seems that the solutions would come easier with a broader base of people. It’s a pretty simple theory: the more people riding bikes, the better the experience will be for all cyclists.

So logically, it would make sense to do things in Lakewood that would make biking safer, more reliable, and more appealing, in order to get more people to ride. Or do we have to get more people to ride before we can get those things in order?

Now we have a dilemma. There are a lot of people out there (you might be one of them) who won’t ride because Lakewood streets are densely packed with parked cars, auto traffic, buses, and other cyclists who don’t always follow the laws correctly. If you’ve ever experienced a near head-on collision with another cyclist in the road because they’re on the wrong side, you know what I’m talking about. Then there’s the issue of where to safely park your bike...while we have ample telephone poles, stop signs, and handrails, to name a few, none of these places are ideal for locking up what can (and should) be a prized possession.

But if these (and many other) issues are keeping people off their bikes and in their cars, it shows a significant lack of presence for the biking community. And that seems to be the key here, a large community of active cyclists can get things done. We can get laws passed, we can start to change infrastructure, and we can make cycling a more efficient, practical, and safe means of travel.

So how do we do it? How do you convince your neighbor with their dusty Schwinn that has been hanging in their garage for ten years to break it out and go on a spin with you? Maybe that’s just it...keep bugging the people close to you to go for a ride. Then maybe they’ll do it, and they’ll bug somebody else to go for a ride. Then, before we know it, everybody in Lakewood will be biking and we won’t even own cars!...I know, I know, now I’m just getting carried away.

There are also already a few things in motion in Lakewood as we speak. BikeLakewood has released a tentative plan for the cities cyclists that is going to be discussed in a public forum on December 1. The plan is available to be read by the public before the meeting, and should be closely read by anyone who has concern for these issues. The plan can be found through blog.onelakewood.com or on the Lakewood Observer Forum, under the thread entitled Lakewood Bike Master Plan Released. Involvement from the cycling community is going to be crucial in this case, to ensure that any laws passed will be effective change for bikers.

There are also plans in the works for bike racks in the city, which not only provide safer spaces for locking our machines, but also communicates a much stronger presence for cyclists, as well as showing Lakewood’s commitment to its citizens needs and wants. I’d like to see some actual street parking spots sacrificed for large-scale covered bike parking, for even safer parking in inclement weather.

I have lots of ideas for Lakewood’s biking future, and I bet there are many of you out there who do, too. Let’s make sure to contribute those ideas and be involved in these processes so that we can continue to grow and expand on what is already a great biking community.

The first item on my list of bike-things to accomplish is getting an advocacy group back together in Lakewood which will take a lot of effort and cooperation among many people.

What's the first thing on your list which would help contribute to Lakewood's biking future? I would love to hear your ideas and suggestions. Sign on to www.lakewoodobserver.com, click on Member Center, sign in, and submit your suggestions. Make sure you put, "For Two Wheels column" in the title space, so I can include your ideas in this space in my next column. Thank you! 

...And don’t forget about Lakewood Sunday Mass! Lakewood’s organized group bike ride. The second Sunday of every month, starting at the entrance of Lakewood Park. Two rides, one at 11 a.m. and one at 7 p.m. See you there!