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Portola Valley: Rights, responsibilities and interests of cyclists are key in new committee

by Dave Boyce

The question "What's in a name?" could not be more relevant in the matter of the Portola Valley Town Council's deciding recently, by a unanimous vote, to change the name of the all but moribund Traffic Committee to the Bicycle, Pedestrian & Traffic Committee.

"The interactions between bicycles and cars is really one of the more important issues in this town," Mayor Ted Driscoll said to open the discussion at the council's Sept. 14 meeting.

Indeed. To say that Alpine and Portola roads, the town's two arterials, are popular with cyclists is to significantly understate the situation. Cyclists in ones and twos are an ongoing presence, as is a knot, similar to a racing peloton, of anywhere from 30 to 100 cyclists speeding by at least once a day when the weather is good.

But incidents over the past few years, not to mention a scattering of cycling fatalities, tell a story.

• A water bottle, with water in it, thrown by a cyclist at an elderly pedestrian woman, hitting her in the face and leaving it black-and-blue;

• Sheriff's Office deputies camped out on weekends at a right-turn stop sign to ticket right-turning cyclists rolling through after a long uphill climb;

• A rock allegedly thrown by a cyclist at a boy walking his dog on the roadside — there are no bike lanes or sidewalks — and hitting him in the chest;

• Drivers who loom ominously behind pelotons traveling at maybe 30 mph in a 35 mph section and which acquire certain privileges to use an entire lane when bike lanes are absent;

• Two equestrians crossing Portola Road who became engulfed by a peloton that scared one horse into dumping a rider and both of them into galloping along with the cyclists, some of whom are alleged to have heard but ignored the remaining equestrian's plea to slow down.

Councilwoman Ann Wengert, a cyclist and veteran of crossing the United States by bike, reminded Mr. Driscoll of his suggestion made in June that the committee be renamed and that the new name start with the word "bicycle."

"My own views are that we should be moving that to the fore. I would hate to encumber a newly chartered committee," Ms. Wengert said. "We recognize that a lot of these issues being created right now are related to bicycles."

Councilwoman Maryann Derwin said she was fine with the name change provided the committee steers clear of advocacy.

Go to tinyurl.com/PV-apply to fill out an application and be considered for membership on the committee. The filing deadline is 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28. The first meeting is likely to be in early 2012.

Like the town's 16 other committees staffed by volunteers, this one will offer the Town Council advice on matters that come under the purview of its name.

As was done in 2010 with the Trails Committee, which had developed a reputation for not representing the interests of all trail users, the new Bicycle, Pedestrian & Traffic Committee membership will be based on applicant interviews by a council subcommittee with a mission of obtaining balanced representation.

Posted by dubious, a resident of the Portola Valley: Westridge neighborhood, on Sep 27, 2011 at 3:35 pm

I am very dubious that the "alleged" incidents in this article actually happened. Did a bicyclist get off his bicycle, find a rock on the side of the road, then heave it at a boy? Come on. Maybe his tire kicked up a pebble, but that is hardly what the article states. A passing car could kick that stone at a much higher velocity. This kind of yellow journalism just increases road rage instead of helping to create safer streets for everyone.

Posted by A Cyclist, a resident of another community, on Sep 28, 2011 at 1:32 pm

Equestrians should get their horses under control. As I understand, this ride was rerouted to avoid the stable area.

Also, the jackboots who were ticketing cyclists for "rolling through a right turn" might want to give the same treatment to the vehicles who routinely follow and menace cyclists (not to mention, who *also* roll through right turns). It's all about revenue generation, after all...

As a cyclist, I have equal rights to these roads, and I WILL use them.

Posted by anonymouse, a resident of the Menlo Park: Sharon Heights neighborhood, on Sep 30, 2011 at 7:36 am

Just so we're clear about the Loop. There are no "bike lanes" as legally defined by the CA Code on the loop, except for Sand Hill. The other areas are shoulders marked with little bicycle symbols in the hopes that cyclists will ride on an area they are not legally required to ride. They're not continuous or wide enough to be considered "bike lanes" according to CA Code

Posted by Brian, a resident of the Woodside: other neighborhood, on Sep 30, 2011 at 11:33 am

I hope that the Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Traffic Committee can come up with creative solutions to address the use of public roadways within Woodside. Most of the publicity and interactions have been negative and have only served to polarize and divide the community. This needs to change in order to achieve resolution.

Posted by Ano Nymous, a resident of the Woodside: other neighborhood, on Sep 30, 2011 at 3:50 pm

Woodside and Portola Valley are widely known for their bicycle-hating, dog-hating, and pretty much everything-but-horse hating ways. They despise having "foreigners" intruding on "their" roads and (it's hard to believe they think this way), "their" trails.

Woodside has commandeered an entire division of the San Mateo County Sheriff's Dept. specifically to harass/ticket cyclists for "violations" that never receive notice if committed by motorists.

Meanwhile, their horses poop with abandon outside the doors of restaurants, and pretty much own the public (as in taxpayer-supported) parks in the vicinity.

If these communities were actually interested in public safety, they would focus on speeding vehicles, on Alpine, Portola, Canada and, particularly up on Skyline (where cars and motorcyles commonly race, unmonitored, at speeds in excess of 100 mph).

PS--Ms. "representative of the cyclists" Weingart: Many local cyclists "cross the country" 5-10 times every year; they just do it on local roads, and while actually holding down a real job.

Posted by Ano Nymous, a resident of the Woodside: other neighborhood, on Sep 30, 2011 at 3:53 pm

So Ms. Derwin, does that mean no advocacy of cars? Horses? Snotty Woodsiders and Portola Valleyites?