Some of you who follow me on Strava have wondered about the strange meandering routes I sometimes take through the city of Santa Clara. You’re seeing my Ride Every Road Santa Clara project. So far this year, I’ve covered maybe 70% of the 240 miles of surface streets in Santa Clara.

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I am a long time avid cyclist. I presume to know what’s best for you. We mock those who don’t obey the Rules. You must wear the right clothing and wear the right shoes, ride the right bike, and don the correct helmet. We’ll even mock your choice of handlebars.

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How long before this happens?

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San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR) yesterday posted a discussion about traffic Level of Service. Level of Service or LOS is the metric used by planning agencies when designing road networks. Level of Service “A” is the mythical world of car advertising, with letters progressing to LOS “F,” which is near gridlock. Many city streets in the Bay Area are generally somewhere between these two extremes.

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Long time readers of Cyclelicious understand the historical context of pedestrian and cyclist road rights in the United States. To very quickly summarize, roads were once a public throughway for all modes of transportation. Before about 70 years ago, common law and public opinion recognized the operator of the more dangerous conveyance was responsible for injuries and death that he caused.

A concerted and deliberate effort by the automotive and oil industries brainwashed American society into believing that roads are the exclusive domain of fast, motorized vehicles. A fair percentage of the population believe “share the road” means “get out of my way!” When bike event organizers tell the 3,500 participants of their charity ride to bike single file for “safety” even when bikes outnumber cars, something is seriously broken.

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