The personal injury lawyers at Rahman Law PC are powerful advocates for people who have been injured through no fault of their own. These personal injury blogs contain articles with information relating to personal injury law, personal injury lawyers, and personal injury cases of interest.
At the end of 2023, California Governor Gavin Newson signed into law SB 413, making it illegal in California to park within 20 feet of the approach of any marked or unmarked crosswalk, whether or not there is a red curb painted or a sign.
What is the ‘California Daylighting Law’ is all about?
The new law (SB 413 or the ‘California Daylighting Law’) amends Section 22500 of the California Vehicle Code, adding a new section to the law prohibiting stopping, standing or parking of a vehicle within 20 feet of any marked or unmarked crosswalk or within 15 feet of any crosswalk with a curb extension. For now, cities can only issue a warning if the law is violated, unless the area has already been painted red or a sign erected. On January 1, 2025, violators can be cited.
Daylighting, or removing visual barriers within a minimum of 20 feet of a crosswalk or intersection, makes everyone on the street easier to see.
Why do we need this law for pedestrians?
Until AB 413 was passed, California was one of only 10 states that did not have a law restricting parking near crosswalks, despite the high rate of pedestrian injuries and fatalities. The law allows cities to implement a pedestrian safety concept called daylighting which increases visibility for both pedestrians crossing the street and drivers approaching an intersection. With daylighting, pedestrians no longer have to edge into the intersection to try and peek around parked cars for approaching traffic. Daylighting increases safety for drivers too as it gives drivers a clear view of the intersection, allowing them to see if someone is waiting to cross, well before they reach the intersection. This also helps drivers more readily identify children, who are less visible at intersections behind parked cars, who are waiting to cross the street.
Preventing fatal pedestrian injuries
Some cities, like San Francisco began implanting daylighting in 2015, after adopting Vision Zero, a nationwide movement putting safety first to decrease traffic deaths to zero by 2024. San Francisco started their program in some of the high injury network streets where there are the most concentrated numbers of severe and fatal pedestrian injuries. By 2019, San Francisco had implemented daylighting in the collection of intersections throughout the city where more than two-thirds of all severe and fatal traffic crashes happen.
Won’t this California Daylighting Law remove parking spaces?
In moving cities toward a new mindset where streets are shared by pedestrians, cyclists, transit and cars there will always be trade-offs between safety and convenience. The reality is at some point during an average day, most of us will be a pedestrian, whether we define ourselves that way or not. Whether you drive and park your car to run and errand and cross a street, or are car-free and walk everywhere, you are a pedestrian and now there is a law in California that will help improve the chances that you can get from one side of the street to the other safely.
Recently, the San Francisco Chronicle’s Pilot Proposal Contributors, through its SFNext project, posited an interesting idea to revitalize downtown San Francisco. (“Could this idea for pedestrian-friendly streets bring new life to downtown S.F.?”, San Francisco Chronicle, 11-13-23; https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/pedestrian-streets-downtown-18457711.php) The post (and some pre) pandemic issues plaguing San Francisco from Civic Center Plaza to the Financial District have been much talked about, making local headlines on what seems like a daily basis. The Chronicle Contributors boldly suggest that the solution to revitalize these areas of the city can be found in the creation of the “Big Wiggle”, which they liken to a “cousin” of the Wiggle on the west side of town, a route for cyclists from the Panhandle through Golden Gate Park. The Big Wiggle as imagined would instead be pedestrian focused, carving out car-free and enjoyable paths for pedestrians from Civic Center Plaza to Embarcadero Plaza, an idea that is particularly timely in light of the Governors Highway Safety Association report showing the U.S. is at a 40-year high for pedestrian fatalities.
The idea of creating safer, more enjoyable spaces for pedestrians is not a new one in our town.
Non-profits WalkSF and Livable City have been advocates for safer pedestrian access to city streets, and effective conduits to making necessary changes in partnership with the City and County of San Francisco. The concept of the Big Wiggle seems to build on the years of pedestrian advocacy work, initiatives like Vision Zero and the renewed dialogue surrounding the use of public spaces. As the Chronicle Contributors gently walk us through the turn-by-turn descriptions of what pedestrians would experience traipsing through the Big Wiggle, you can feel the ideals of renewal and rebirth in places that now seem forgotten by those in charge of governing our city. The Big Wiggle is more a reimagined landscape for our city, rather than a stodgy public works project and would entail buy-in not only from city officials but by the private sector, and of course residents. The idea is a bold call to action directed at the powers that be in San Francisco government, but the call is not to tackle this as an en masse project, but to use it as a guiding principle to start minor projects focused on a few pedestrian-only streets.
While the call for even small-scale pedestrian friendly car-free spaces is often met with a chorus of complaints about traffic congestion, lack of parking and the increased “burdens” to drivers, in reality San Francisco has carved out such spaces, and done so successfully at various points and times. The question now is will San Francisco meet the moment, not with band-aid fixes of intermittent street cleaning and SFPD sweeps for grand conventioneers and political royalty, but with a thoughtful plan to re-imagine San Francisco for its residents and regular folks visiting to enjoy the brilliance of San Francisco? Time will tell.
In California, someone riding a bicycle may move out of the bicycle lane when “reasonably necessary” to avoid hazardous conditions, even if they are moving slower than traffic (Cal. Veh. Code § 21208). When vehicle traffic is heavy and few pedestrians are in sight, it might be tempting to ride on the sidewalk to avoid road hazards, but as personal injury attorneys here in California, we want to share a few thoughts about riding a bike on the sidewalk. Ask yourself if it’s really safe to ride a bike on the sidewalk? Or, for that matter, if its even legal where you are?
Safety Considerations
Too often, cyclists are hit and killed by vehicles and California is in the top three states for pedestrian and cyclist fatalities due to collisions. Speed is often a contributing factor, but most fatalities from a collision involving a cyclist occur in urban areas. The reality is that many cyclists are not seen by drivers until it is too late. Riding on a sidewalk where the driver of a vehicle isn’t expecting you may mean they are not looking for you. If a car is backing out of a driveway, they might be looking for coming traffic on the road without looking for a bike coming down the sidewalk. Trucks coming in and out of alleys making deliveries are also a high-risk factor for a cyclist on a sidewalk as the buildings along the alley may block their view of you on the sidewalk. Being seen is vital for cyclists. Nearly 25% of bicyclist fatalities in California happen at intersections.
Additionally, sidewalks don’t have the same advantages of maneuverability as the roadways. Even if there’s a bike lane, a cyclist can enter the vehicle travel lane(s) as needed to avoid hazards. Trees and landscaping, uneven surfaces, benches, mailboxes, and other things take up a lot of real estate on the sidewalk, and can create unexpected obstacles with little room to avoid them.
Pedestrians also don’t anticipate faster moving bicycles or scooters and combined with the limited space a sidewalk provides can lead to devastating collisions with those on foot.
Legal Considerations
Local governments in California are allowed to make their own regulations when it comes to the use of bikes, skates, and scooters on sidewalks. For example, in San Francisco, children under the age of 13 may ride a bike on the sidewalk (unless otherwise posted) per the San Francisco Transportation Code, Section 1007. In San Luis Obispo, California, the Municipal Code Section 10.72.100 restricts all people from riding a bike on the sidewalk. However, the City of San Luis Obispo has re-opened discussions within the Active Transportation Committee on allowing bikes to ride on the sidewalk, believing ticketing cyclists for riding on the sidewalk to be a deterrent from riding as a way of commuting. San Luis Obispo has set a goal of raising the share of commuter trips by bike to 20% by the year 2030 and is actively implementing new safety measures and bike lanes for that purpose. San Francisco is also working diligently to make the streets safer for cyclists. As a result, it would be best to keep an eye on the regulations and policies in these and other cities in California for the legal implications of riding a bike on the sidewalk.
Children Riding Bikes on the Sidewalk
Many children learn to ride a bike on two wheels in a driveway or residential area with minimal vehicle traffic. They will also likely have parental/guardian supervision while learning to balance and pedal. As children become more comfortable riding on their own, they may be hesitant to ride in the street, which is understandable as cars are much bigger and faster than a child on a bike. In some areas in California, like San Francisco, it may be legal for a child to ride their bike on the sidewalk, but the same safety considerations that we outlined above apply to children, too. Even in a residential area, there will be cars going in and out of driveways. Parked cars, trees, and other objects may limit the visibility of the sidewalk to a driver as they navigate a driveway and children can be even harder to see as they are not as tall on a bicycle as an adult. And keep in mind, most fatal collisions with a bicycle happen between 6:00 and 9:00 PM, which may be when people are returning home from work and children may be out riding in their neighborhood. Children may also be tempted to use the sidewalk when the commute on a bike going to and from school as they may think the route is safer or more familiar, but they will then face the same challenges as an adult riding a bike on the sidewalk with limited maneuverability, reduced visibility at intersections, and increased hazards.
Sadly, children under 14 make up 37% of all fatal bicycle collisions each year and one of the hardest things we ever have to do as bicycle accident attorneys is represent the family of a child who lost their life while riding a bike.
Be sure to talk to your children about the safety considerations of where they ride, even if it is legal in your area for them to use the sidewalk on a bike.
If you or a loved one has been injured while riding a bike, contact us today for a free consultation.
When it comes to rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft the benefits to using them as a passenger may seem pretty obvious: a ride home when you’re too tired to drive; a lift to get you closer to your destination when a parking lot is full; a shuttle between a train station or airport and a hotel when you’re traveling… Unfortunately, these idealized use cases tend to blind many riders to the pitfalls and risks behind using a rideshare service.
In most cases, the rider doesn’t experience a problem, so we continue to believe these Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) are safe, or a “safer” alternative to driving yourself. There are other factors that contribute to our perception of these services as safe, and one of the biggest is the suppression of information from the rideshare companies themselves.
Let’s examine some of the most common pitfalls of rideshare service apps and what might make you think twice about deeming them as safe.
You’re putting your safety into the hands of an average driver. This driver is an independent contractor who has most likely not completed any additional driver training to ensure rules of the road are followed and that you remain as safe as possible. The driver could be aggressive, show signs of road rage, or simply be too distracted by the app on their phone telling them about their next pickup opportunity. Typically, someone who is a professional driver has undergone additional training that highlights the differences between just getting in your car to run to the store and driving in a commercial setting.
The driver isn’t usually being paid fairly. When all of the time and costs to operate are taken into account, many drivers say they earn less than minimum wage. So if you feel like they’re in a rush to drop you off to go get the next rider, it’s probably true. The drivers need to maximize their earnings which leads many to speed. And we say this one all the time: speed kills. The State tried to protect drivers by making them employees, but Proposition 22 (which was sponsored by Uber) reversed that.
You have no control in-the-moment. We have a team member with a service animal. Although the rideshare services all have a policy that service animals are allowed provided that they, too, abide by the rules (which a real service animal will without any issues), the driver can still prevent you from entering their car for any reason by simply locking their doors and driving off. She waited at a train station in Los Angeles where not one, not two, but three drivers refused her with her service animal. Or they may pick you up and not take you to your destination. They are behind the wheel and you lose your control. You can complain to the TNC, but that doesn’t mean anything will come of it, despite the fact that they have records of which drivers responded to your request in the rideshare app. Yet another pitfall of rideshare apps.
More traffic and impact on the environment. Studies have been conducted and there is a statistically significant increase in traffic congestion brought on from these rideshare service apps – as much as 13.4% in San Francisco County. This is also what leads many to believe rideshare is the root to the current rise in traffic fatalities.
These are just some of the many pitfalls of rideshare apps. Unfortunately, there isn’t enough data made public due to gag orders placed on lawsuits and settlements from these service providers to accurately represent the odds of something going wrong the next time you use an app to hail a ride from a TNC. If you’ve been hurt while using a rideshare, or involved in a collision with a rideshare service driver, you may already be aware of these pitfalls and the uncertainty in identifying the party(ies) responsible.
We take our work in the bike community seriously and we are always here to talk to cyclists and answer questions about what to do if you’ve been injured or had your bicycle damaged in a car crash. Sometimes, we just help cyclists navigate a claim on their own with an insurance company (you can download our free toolkit to help you with your property damage demand to get the insurance company to pay for your bike here), but sometimes having a lawyer in your corner is the best option. Here are answers to some of the questions we get asked most often:
Is there a statute of limitations on a personal injury lawsuit?
Yes. Generally, in California, you have two years from the date you were injured to file a lawsuit. However, there are some types of personal injury cases like those involving public buses (MUNI or SamTrans), trains, or other transit (BART) that have much shorter deadline to file a lawsuit, and require a claim to be filed first within 6 months of an injury, before a lawsuit can be filed. If you’ve been in a bike crash it can give you piece of mind to call us as soon as you can to get the information that applies to your specific facts.
Should I get a police report if I’m hit by a car?
In an ideal world, police officers will automatically prepare a police report in every traffic collision. Sadly, it is not a perfect world. If police are sent to the scene of a collision and are told no one was injured, most officers will not do a report. If the call to 911 says no one was injured, the police will usually not be sent to the scene either. Understandably, cyclists just hit by a vehicle are often in shock and do not understand if they are actually injured. It’s important to try to take a moment to assess not only if you feel pain but if you just don’t feel right, you should request an ambulance. If the police won’t do a report, if possible to gather as much information as possible at the scene like names of witnesses, the license plate number of the vehicle that hit you, the name of the driver and insurance information. If you’re able pull out your phone and snap a quick picture of their insurance card and driver’s registration as these two documents will have a lot of the information you need You can also go to the nearest police department and file a counter report.
Can I recover lost wages?
Yes. If you missed work as a result of your injury, even just the day of the accident, it is possible to recover lost wages. This is actually quite common in a bicycle accident resulting in an injury. There may be time spent in a hospital, time recovering at home, or frequent doctor visits that force you to step away from work. Be sure to keep track of the hours you miss as a result of your injury.
Can I recover medical expenses?
Yes. If you were injured as a result of a cycling accident, you are entitled to all past and future medical expenses, even if your health insurance company paid for those expenses. Your health insurance provider may cover your medical bills initially, but be sure to keep records of your visits and co-pays If you were injured, the first thing you will want to do is seek medical attention. It is so important to take care of yourself. Many people feel confused about if they should or shouldn’t go to the doctor after an accident. If you’re hurting or are worried about a potential injury like a concussion, seek help.
Can I recover the cost of my bicycle and helmet? What about a broken phone?
Yes. If you have been in an accident while riding your bicycle and as a result your helmet, bike or other personal property, like your phone, gets damaged, you are entitled to be reimbursed for these expenses. If you were not injured but had your property damaged, take a look at our free toolkit on writing a property damage demand letter to the insurance company. If you get stuck, give us a call.
Do I need a lawyer if I’m injured?
We get this question a lot. Here’s our best answer – there are some cases where we feel that having a lawyer just won’t add value to your case—meaning you would do better handling it on your own. There are other cases where we believe we can really help you. But more importantly we will have a long conversation with you and discuss what is right for you. We never look at whether a case is “big enough” or “small enough”, we take each person who calls us as a unique situation and try to find a solution that makes sense.
How much does a personal injury lawsuit consultation cost?
Our personal injury lawsuit consultations are free. You can contact us here to get started or call us at either our San Francisco office at (415) 956-9245, or at our Paso Robles office at (805) 619-3108.
What if I got hurt because of road conditions and not a collision with a car?
We handle many cases that involve dangerous roads poorly maintained or designed by cities, counties or the State. These cases are very complex and because of that, it’s important to contact us as soon as possible so that evidence can be preserved.
Pedestrians are safest in crosswalks. However, crossing the street outside of a marked crosswalk is still something pedestrians do and is commonly known as jaywalking–crossing between adjacent intersections controlled by traffic signal devices or law enforcement where there is no crosswalk. California law has historically prohibited jaywalking allowing police officers to issue citations for a moving violation to pedestrians carrying a fine of up to $250.00. (California Vehicle Code section 21955).
Unfortunately, California has seen an inequitable number of jaywalking fines going to minority groups, which is part of what started the momentum behind the “Freedom to Walk” act signed in by Governor Gavin Newsom. Phil Ting, a San Francisco assembly member helped write the legislation along with fellow assembly member Laura Friedman of Glendale. Mr. Ting commented that “minority groups don’t need to be harassed by law enforcement.” Data from the California Racial Identity Profiling Act shows that Black people in San Diego are 4.3 times as likely to be cited for jaywalking as white pedestrians and 3.7 times as likely to be cited by the Los Angeles Police Department. Effective since January 1, 2023, the new law restricts police officers from stopping pedestrians for jaywalking unless “a reasonable person would realize there is an immediate danger of collision with a moving vehicle or other device moving exclusively by human power” (which would be something like a bicycle). The new act, AB-2147, also applies to pedestrians walking against a traffic light or pedestrians not walking closest to the left side of the road.
The key here is “reasonable person.” A police officer may still issue a ticket to a pedestrian that violates the laws that apply to pedestrians if they believe you are going to cause a collision.
AB-2147 was enacted to rectify the disparity of the imposition of monetary fines on minority groups and the targeting of individuals for minor infractions of the law. The changes to the law decriminalizes jaywalking and the law now can’t be used as a pretext to detain someone. But, there are still laws on the books that require pedestrians to use crosswalks, obey traffic signals and other basic traffic laws. The sad fact is that even when pedestrians follow safe practices for walking and crossing the street, including using crosswalks and obeying traffic signals, pedestrian fatalities in the U.S. are high. 2022 was a record-breaking year for pedestrian fatalities with an estimated 7,485 pedestrian deaths in the United States, the most in four decades. San Francisco saw 13 pedestrians killed in 2021, and on average more than 500 are severely injured each year. So while we support the goal behind AB-2147 to end targeting of racial minorities and low-income communities, we believe that whenever or wherever you are walking you need do whatever you can to stay safe and stay visible to cars. We support Vision Zero and we won’t stop advocating for pedestrian safety until we see ZERO pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities each year.
If you or a loved one wishes to speak with a pedestrian accident lawyer in California, please contact us. Consultations are free. We have offices in San Francisco and Paso Robles, California.
In a podcast a few years back, principal and founder of Rahman Law, Shaana Rahman, mentioned the fear she had when first riding in San Francisco. There were new ins and outs that she had to learn including how to cross railcar tracks safely (go straight across) and negotiate busy intersections. Urban riding can be dangerous, but we’ve pulled together some great tips for you to conquer your fear of cycling in the city.
If you live and/or work in an injury corridor, you may not be able to avoid all of the intersections known to be dangerous, but you will know to be extra alert when passing through. Awareness and planning can really help reduce the fear of cycling in the city.
Practice Outside of Rush Hour
If you’re planning a new route or riding for the first time in a while, it will help you conquer your fear by riding outside of the rush hours before and after work and at lunch. Try riding first thing Saturday morning when there is less traffic as you become familiar with your route. Or for an even more positive experience, try riding your route a few times with a friend. Remember to ride in line and not side-by-side.
Be Visible
When riding at night in California, a headlight is required plus a rear reflector or red light along with the standard side-facing reflectors on both sides of the bicycle. And while the lights and reflectors required by California law are a great start, the more visibility you can give yourself, the safer you’ll be. Invest in a reflective jacket you can wear over your work clothes if you plan on being a cycling commuter. You can also put lights on during daytime riding, especially in foggy San Francisco, for an extra layer of visibility. You can also add reflectors to your helmet if it doesn’t include them already.
You may not find wide bicycle lanes available throughout your planned route, though San Francisco has been increasing the visibility of these lanes where possible as part of the Vision Zero initiative. If you’ll be riding along lanes of parked cars, be prepared to use the vehicle travel lane by always giving yourself a safe escape window while riding. Parked cars can lead to open doors and opening doors can lead to injuries. You have the right to use the vehicle travel lane when needed.
Conquering any fear takes work. Taking the time to plan your route, practice it, and being familiar with traffic laws can all help you be more confident when you take to two wheels in the city. We also recommend having our phone number saved in your phone in case of a collision. Call 911 first if there are any injuries, gather as much information as you can on the scene, then give us a call if you need help reclaiming damages from a broken bicycle or injury. We’re personal injury lawyers and we’re here to help. Consultations are free.
Contact us at our San Francisco office at 415.956.9245, or our Paso Robles office at 805.619.3108.
Here in our blog, we try to provide as much information as we can on updates to laws and ordinances in California to keep you safe. As personal injury attorneys, that information generally relates to pedestrian and bicyclist safety, but we’ve talked about schoolyard bullying and safety for your kids as well as e-scooter rental policies and defective products. Today we want to talk to you about rental cars and some new legislation already in effect and what it might mean for you if you get into an accident with a rental car.
Assembly Bill 901
Assembly Bill 901 makes modifications to rental passenger vehicle transactions, namely fees.
Rental car companies can now add a fee to your rental if you let an unauthorized driver drive your car. This means renters must take extra caution and add all drivers who might drive the car to the rental agreement at the time of renting. There are exceptions to the penalty for family members like a spouse, parent, or sibling, but be cautious about letting someone not on the rental agreement drive your rental car. Not being on the rental agreement can also mean this other driver is not covered by insurance.
Rental car companies can also raise the cap on damage waivers to $25 per day or partial day for small vehicles and beginning in January 2023, the cap can be adjusted “according to the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers.” And while many may believe the optional insurance of a rental vehicle to be optional, and want to take the newly-more-expensive damage waiver, there are new disclosures that must be outlined to the renter to make sure they are aware they are liable for damages that can reach the full value of the vehicle (just in damage to that vehicle, not including damages to other people and/or vehicles). Check with your car insurance company to find out if they cover rental cars and how much of the damages they cover if so, before you plan to take the damage waiver.
Assembly Bill 901 was produced by the American Car Rental Association, Avis, Enterprise, and Hertz, alongside the California Travel Association and the state’s Teamsters union. It was introduced in 2021 while rental car companies were struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic and went into effect on January 1, 2022. Read Assembly Bill 901 here.
What This Means if You Get into an Accident with a Rental Car
Collisions happen. It’s an unfortunate truth. And collisions can happen with rental cars. If you are a driver, pedestrian, or cyclist and you get into an accident with someone driving a rental car, first check for injuries and call 911 if needed, then get as much information from the driver as you can at the time of the collision. You’ll want to get both their renal agreement insurance and their personal driving insurance information because you may have to navigate through claims with one or both. There is a chance that they are not insured through their rental agreement, are not an authorized driver, or are underinsured. Take a picture with your phone of their rental documents for a fast way to save the information. Make sure you get their name and phone number, too.
If you have damages such as vehicle or bicycle damage, or have injuries needing medical care resulting in loss of income (those are damages, too), contact the lawyers at Rahman Law. We are here to help you. Navigating through insurance companies’ paperwork is a tough job (especially if there are 2 companies involved) and you don’t have to do it alone.
National Bike Month is here and we want to celebrate! A lot of what we post relates to rules of the road, laws and ordinances, and safety, but today we’re going to talk about all the fun ways to celebrate National Bike Month with bike activities that can be enjoyed by the whole family.
Plan a Ride with a Local Group
Ever city has cyclist riding groups, sometimes you just have to look for them. And most of them offer rides for varying degrees of skill. Some groups post their rides on the website and app Meetup (https://www.meetup.com) where you can find others to ride with for free. In San Francisco, there is the San Francisco Cycling Club (http://www.sfcyclingclub.org) and the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition (https://sfbike.org) that frequently post scheduled rides. You can also talk to the Coalition as they may know other groups with organized rides. In Paso Robles, there is a list of groups that ride at Cycle Central Coast (https://www.cyclecentralcoast.com/resources) including a group that goes out every Sunday from Templeton and they frequently have beginner rides. You can also talk to Bike SLO County (https://bikeslocounty.org) to find other organized rides and events.
Tune Up Your Bike
A lot of riders are “fair weather riders” and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. If you put your bike away for the winter, and even if you don’t, the spring is a great time to get a tune up on your bike. You can tune it up yourself if you’ve got experience, or take it into a local bike shop for some help. In San Francisco and San Luis Obispo, there is the Bike Kitchen (http://bikekitchen.org and https://bikeslocounty.org/programs/kitchen) available on select nights where you can bring your bike in and tune it up alongside other cyclists. This can be a great bike activity to make new friends and riding buddies.
Introduce Your Kids to Riding with Others
Many kids have a bike and ride around on their own street but don’t go much further. This month is a great time to introduce your kids to an organized ride. Talk to other parents and plan to have adults front, middle, and back of a few kids riding together in a quiet area. There are bike trails to keep them away from traffic completely, or you can make this a time to learn the rules of the road by finding a route with minimal traffic and wide bike lanes to give them room. Remember to ride single-file and obey traffic ordinances like red lights and stop signs. Both the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and Bike SLO County organize riding events for kids, so be sure to check their calendars and see if there is an event you’d like to bring your kids to: https://sfbike.org and https://bikeslocounty.org.
Set Up an Obstacle Course
This bike activity can be fun for the whole family or you can arrange it for adults with a few modifications to the difficulty levels. Break out some sidewalk chalk on a street or set up cones (sometimes you can find small cones at the $5 and under stores or at sporting-goods stores). You can make it exciting with a few water balloons on the ground you have to ride over to pop or use a pool noodle to create a limbo pole. You can set up tight curves or even really thin lines to make a sort of on-the-ground balance beam to help work on precision riding.
Ride to Geocache Locations
Have you ever gone Geocaching? It can be a lot of fun and even a little bit addictive. There are even Geocaches in hard-to-reach places like bike trails that normal Geocachers can’t get to, which makes this an excellent activity for cyclists. What is it, you ask? It’s a game where you use GPS coordinates (and your phone) to guide you to hidden compartments that contain a log book for you to sign and sometimes an object for you to trade with. Always bring a pen with you to sign the log book as some compartments are too tiny to hold a pen. For objects to trade, think small: a friendship bracelet, charm, keychain, or small plastic toy can all be Geocache treasures to trade for what you find in the compartment, if it has something for you to trade with. Learn more here: https://www.geocaching.com/play.
Ride to Rewards
If Geocaching isn’t your idea of a treasure hunt, think of something worth riding for, like ice cream or a fancy doughnut. Call up some friends or grab your family and ride to a local boutique with your favorite treat. Afterall, it’s National Bike Month and that’s something worth celebrating with ice cream!
Make it a Game
If you’ve got a group of kids, there are lots of great bike activity games out there you can play. You can play music and all riders must freeze when it stops, or cycle in a line and play copy-cat with the leader of the line. There are 20 games outlined in this PDF we found: https://www.cyklistforbundet.dk/media/mksfflaz/cykellege_bog_engelsk_4.pdf.
Whatever you do, have fun! We like to think ever month is bike month, but really, May is our National Bike Month and it’s time to get your bike prepped and go out there are ride!
I can still remember my first ride on a two-wheeler. It was a hot, sticky summer day in New York and my brother and I were out in the front yard, my brother tooling around on his Evel Knievel big wheel and me riding in circles on my prized possession-my very first bicycle, a pink number, with training wheels, a sparkly banana seat and rainbow-colored ribbons coming out of the handlebars. For weeks, I had pestered my mom to take the training wheels off of my bike and it was on this summer day she finally capitulated and carefully unscrewed those little wheels. When the deed was done, I took hold of my new and improved bike, swung my leg over the seat and got ready to start racing the big kids on the block up and down our stretch of jutted sidewalk. Before I could put my feet on the pedals, my mom gently explained that this was like a new bike and I had to learn how to ride without training wheels. She suggested we practice riding with her holding onto the back of the seat to help me. I found this to be a ridiculous notion, and tried to tell her that I was big enough to do it by myself and didn’t need any help—that was for babies. She ignored my protests and wordlessly took hold of the back of my seat and told me I could start pedaling.
With the first stroke of the pedal, I felt something different than usual in my well-worn bicycle. It felt wobbly and unsteady. I wasn’t sure I liked this. I was used to a smooth, unadulterated ride. It was then that I started to feel afraid. Without those two extra little wheels, my world was unbalanced and I would have to learn on my own how to stay upright. I yelled to my mom that I wanted to stop, that I was going to fall, but my bike kept moving forward, and after a few seconds, the wobbling stopped and I was cruising along the sidewalk. The fear dissipated and all I could think about was how far I could go now. I yelled back at my mom that she could let go now, but I could no longer hear her behind me, or smell her perfume. When I realized she had already let go, there was a distinct moment of panic that was overcome by the newfound freedom that comes with navigating your own way.
And it was in that way that cycling always seemed to mimic the contours and challenges of life from childhood to the transition to adolescence and finally adulthood, and somehow the milestones of my own life transitions are marked by memories of biking.
Long after I outgrew my wonderous banana seat bike, I began to covet my older cousin’s sleek, baby blue Schwinn 10-speed. By then, we had moved out of the city and into the suburbs on Long Island, with wide, flat, tree-lined streets, nature preserves, a bike route to the beach and of course, shopping malls. As a pre-teen (what we call “tweens” now), oh how I thought a 10-speed would change my life. With it I could travel great distances far and wide on this island we lived on, no more begging rides from my mom or failing that, the dreaded slow pace of walking to get to where I needed to go. And then one day, the unthinkable happened. My cousin came over to our house, gliding into the driveway, already swinging one leg off the bike of my dreams before it had come to a stop. She gave the kickstand a whack, so I could get the full view of the bike standing tall in all its splendor. She told me the bike was mine if I wanted it. Mind-blown, I couldn’t even stammer out a proper thank you before I climbed up on it and asked if I could take it for a spin. She started to explain to me how the brakes were different than on my bike—they were on the handlebars! And that this bike had gears. So much information, much of which was important, I would later learn, but I waved her off. I know, I know. I can do it myself. And with that I pedaled out of the driveway and down the street. I tried to remember how my cousin would hunch down low over the handlebars, gripping the curved bars, with fingers fluttering over the brakes, just in case. I adjusted my position, into something that seemed like what I had seen, and gave the brakes a little tap to make sure they worked, and then pedaled flat-out. The speed at which I travelled seemed faster than a car and it was glorious. This was the bike that I would ride with my friends down to the mall, to the beach, to school, to wherever we could go that was away from our parents to our own world. This was the bike that ushered me into my teenage years and allowed me the freedom to explore. I loved the simplicity of this freedom. Just grab your bike and go out into the world—no plans, no responsibilities, no limits on what you could do.
Many years later, after I moved to San Francisco and became a lawyer, I was bike-less and living in a concrete world, with hills like mountains and traffic that was unrelenting. It didn’t particularly seem like a hospitable place for riding but I saw bikes all over. When I decided to buy a new bike, I was certain that I would ride only within the safety of car-free trails, too afraid of the traffic congestion, but once I got on my new bike, (and put on a helmet, of course) it was like being transported to childhood—a few minutes of riding released my worries and made me feel free from the heaviness of my day-to-day obligations. I slowly started venturing out on short rides close to home, and then farther, plotting out my routes to take advantage of the growing number of bike lanes, and minimizing my interactions with the dreaded MUNI busses. It was a different kind of riding, one that was less care-free, but energizing, nonetheless. It was then that I got involved with the local bike coalitions, and began representing cyclists injured by drivers. The work felt important, as each case made small changes to the way the driving world viewed cyclists and the ways in which cities decided to prioritize traffic. 20 years after my first bike ride through San Francisco, the cycling infrastructure there is a pure amazement, connected bike routes, segregated bike lanes, and people ditching their cars for bike-only living.
After moving to Paso Robles, I had to readjust my riding once again. Riding through the rural areas of North County is serene, with horses, cows and farms replacing honking horns, truck exhausts, and angry bus drivers. I still get surprised when a grape harvester passes me by or when I have to slow down for my neighbor riding her horse in front of me. It reminds me of the peacefulness of my teenage riding days on Long Island. In town, here and there, I see the glimmers of bike advocacy creating change in the form of bike lanes, and marked share lanes, but we have a long way to go before catching up to the work that has been done in San Luis Obispo, with the help of Bike SLO County. I’m looking forward to someday being able to bike to my office in downtown Paso through a secure, connected network of bike lanes.
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