Since May was “Bike Month,” it’s worth mentioning that more than one half of our area’s population won’t be seen biking the city’s streets this month or next. It’s not that our citizens don’t like biking or don’t know how to ride a bike (though there is a bit of that); to the contrary, 47 percent of the people in the Saratoga area are “interested, yet concerned” when it comes to riding on streets. However, our fear of automobiles, the speed at which we operate them, and a lack of the necessary skills and knowledge required to feel confident biking in town, keep us from riding bikes. Most cities are now taking this into great consideration and building protected bike lanes, which use parked cars, planters, or bollards to separate bike riders from automobile traffic. More than providing a safer place for riding bicycles, building protected bike lanes create greater order on the streets, and opens up the possibility of bike riding to half of the area’s population who would normally be nervous with the thought of biking to the store or to work. If our city made the commitment to put the safety of people first and provided safe and accessible bikeways while reducing the in-town speed limit to 20 mph, residents would be healthier, happier and more confident hopping on bikes and riding around town. Traffic would be reduced, parking demand would decrease, and local commerce would thrive since more residents would be biking to local businesses because it would be more fun and make more sense then driving to the mall.
- Ian Klepetar
