While on a recent road trip via bicycle with B.O.B. one wheel trailer, the ever watchful CHP pulled in front of me on the 101and motioned me to stop.

The conversation begun as a rapid fire interrogation from two CHP officers with nothing better to do that fine sunny day but waste taxpayer dollars harrassing a lone bicyclist..

"Why are you riding your bike on the freeway? Did you see the sign that said no bicycles? What if you get killed? Where are you from? Where are you going?"

My reply was "Am getting off at the next exit, no, i was not aware of any sign that stated i could not ride on the freeway."

Apperantly i was somehow supposed to know about a county road that semi-paralleled the freeway, though this was my first time on this route and there was no "bike route" sign that indicated i should exit on this county road..

Since the CHP is suddenly so concerned about my well-being (and where i'm from, and where i'm going, etc..), perhaps they can help by recommending bike route exit signs be posted by Cal-Trans that parallel freeways so travelers know where to go..

As far as me getting killed, the 101 is most likely the safest route so far, though i almost got killed on a two lane county road when an oversize pickup truck with motor home attempted to pass me on a steep downhill slope. Since i was going fast downhill, he decided he had to be faster, so he gunned the engine and almost collided into an oncoming vehicle, forcing me off the shoulder into gravel (try that going fast, really fun to get skin scraped up while skidding) so i didn't get clipped by the motor home..

Safety is the responsibility of the people driving, learn to share the road with bikes or live with the lifetime knowledge that you committed manslaughter/homocide because you couldn't wait one fucking minute..

Riding bicycle is fun for me and also my only means of transportation. When traveling longer distances, the freeways are the most direct route to my destination. Safety is relative to people driving, wether county road or freeway. Therefore i will continue to ride my bicycle on the freeways..

The freeways are not the property of CHP nor the SUVs, we all have the civil rights to access freeways on our bicycles. bicycles are an alternative form of transportation that don't contribute to petroleum dependency besides the tubes and tires that are petroleum byproducts. Other than that, we sure don't waste as much gasoline as the SUVs that speed by on their way to oil war oblivion..

The CABO - California Cyclist Freeway Access website has more info on freeway cycling..

that's great! i think that's a great place to ride one's bicycle. maybe if a large group did it at once, there would be less harrassment--maybe not. though you might get a distracted hummer driver too busy stuffing their face with a big mac to notice that they're veering past the far right lane...

Why is the "It's my civil rights!" mantra the first line always trotted out by losers like this nut. I'm a cyclist. Ride every day. Often ride to work when the opportunity presents itself. There are plenty of good reasons not to ride on the freeway. Most people are smart enough to figure it out without the help of the CHP. But hey, don't let common sense and the vehicle code stop you. Get out there and ride! After all, it's your civil rights.

While I am no supporter of authoritarianism, and also a hater of the automobile culture, I don't think it is a good idea to ride a bike on the freeway. That is asking to be killed, and you will not be the only victim if you are - think of your family and of the person driving the vehicle that kills you.
I do have an issue with bike riders: many seem to want all the rights of a car driver and all the rights of a pedestrian but not the responsibilities of either. If they are on the street they think they can ride right through red lights - to hell with pedestrians who are trying to cross the street. Many think nothing of riding on urban sidewalks at a high rate of speed, apparantly expecting people to jump out of their way or perhaps assuming that there is no such thing as a pedestrian in California, since their mommies and daddies back in suburbia never walked anywhere. Some of these people need to grow up a bit.

See my experiences here

I cycled on a 50mph road once, in a designated bike lane. It was okay, but the lane was pretty wide. I think a freeway with 70mph traffic is a different deal. LA freeways are often sunk down into the ground, so there are these inclines on each side, and there's trash on the side of the road. Besides that, there's the issue of onramps and offramps with adequate space for cyclists.

It's workable, I suppose, but the insurance expense would be pretty high, with all the additional risk of being hit at 65mph, and the net gain within LA seems to be minimal at best. It might matter in places like the desert.

What you fellows need are some of my patented Segways! Speeding LA semis are boung to yield to Segways, provided you're wearing my patented orange safety triangle T-shirt. Retail: $16.99