Q&A with Colin Bogart

A: I ride my bike to work, not everyday, but usually at least two to three days a week. I live in East Hollywood; it’s about six miles one way. It’s a good book end of the day, actually. It’s nice to start the day with a ride and it’s nice to end the day with a ride.

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Q: Do you think there is a large cycling following or culture in Glendale that will actually use bike lanes?

A: I think that there is already a lot of people who ride in Glendale. We are just not aware of them. It’s easy to miss them. I see people riding bikes all the time when I am coming to work in the morning and going home in the evenings .?.?. More importantly, I think there is a lot more people who want to ride bikes, but are currently afraid to.

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Q: Why do you think they are afraid?

A: Part of it is there is nothing visibly out on the streets that clearly says bikes belong here, and without that, a lot of people won’t ride. It’s pretty well-established that if you put in bike lanes people start using them.

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Q: About how many cyclists are there in the city?

A: I couldn’t put a number on it. I have no idea .?.?. That’s the thing, there is no official count. It’s always sort of anecdotal. It’s pretty common in a lot of places that people don’t really know how many cyclists are out there. Statistically speaking, we know that every year there are more bicycles sold than cars and trucks put together. But how many cyclists are there, nobody’s really ever sure.

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Q: Why should more residents hit the streets and start cycling?

A: We have high rates of childhood obesity and high rates of Type 2 diabetes, so we really need to encourage residents to get out and exercise more. And not everybody is going to have a membership at the gym, and sometimes the easiest way to get some exercise is to just make it a part of your daily life. Walking or riding a bike to the store, instead of driving .?.?. The fact of the matter is, this is a national trend, not just in Glendale. We need to provide more transportation options in this county, let alone in this city. And those transportation options, in addition to cars, also include transit, include walking and also include biking. So we need to address those options and make sure that they are viable and easy for people to access.