Re: Colleen Cason’s Dec. 23 column, “County cyclist is victim of a hit and rant�:
Cason should re-examine her negative thoughts about sharing the road with cyclists. Better support by the city of Simi Valley is needed to provide bicycle/car safety. Bike lanes or striped road shoulders help rider and driver know how much space is available. Anyone who has driven on a multilane road when lane lines are missing knows the difficulties of sharing the road without lines.
The city can and should give cyclists more consideration. For example, a popular ride for cyclists is in the new Big Sky development. The sidewalk along Erringer Road measures 10 feet wide, while the right lane, which is shared between cars and bikes, measures a mere 12 feet. How was this approved? On Tierra Rejada Road, two lanes with a wide shoulder in Moorpark becomes three lanes and no shoulder in Simi Valley
A year and a half ago, The Star featured an article about police ticketing cyclists who were using the sidewalk. I called the police department for clarification. They said that it is illegal to ride on the sidewalk, and if there is not enough room for a car and a bicycle on the road, the cyclist should take the whole lane.
I am extremely grateful for the additional striping that has been done in our city, particularly on Los Angeles Avenue and Tapo Canyon Road. How sad it is that Long Canyon Road was approved for a bike lane only after a cyclist was killed.
Many of our neighboring cities have provided for cyclists so that they can benefit from riding to work or school on safe routes. I think Simi Valley can rise to the challenge as well.
— Barbara Poehls, Simi Valley
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