LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. – Students have spent long minutes on the corner of Los Alamitos Blvd. and Cerritos Ave. waiting for the light to turn green and for traffic to move. Caught into worry if they were going to make it to school on time and trying to find a way around. The whole time many students were wondering: Why is traffic so backed up? The reason for this is the newest addition to Los Alamitos safety, the bike lane. 

In cities everywhere, bike lanes are promoted as a way to make biking safer and encourage people to have a more environmentally friendly way of transportation. But in our city the bike lane has turned into a dangerous mess. Not only does the new bike lane put cyclists at risk it creates more traffic problems. 

At first the bike lane seemed like a great idea. The city wanted to give the community a designated space on the road, separate from cars. This means a lesser chance of people getting hit and a safe way of transportation for our community bikers. 

However, the design turned out to only cause problems. Instead of creating an area fully separated from cars, the bike lane is often full of cars trying to turn right. This forces bikers to have to swerve, with cars inches away from them.

To make matters worse, the bike lane was built on what was previously the turn lane. On school days this was essential for the rush of kids trying to get to school. Now drivers are forced to wait longer in traffic, struggling with cars trying to find a way around.

“Coming back from break the traffic was terrible because of the bike lane. I had to find a way to go around the traffic and I was almost late to class” a ninth grader at LAHS who wished to go unnamed said.

Many cyclists have reported several close calls, inches away from being hit. The bike lane is supposed to be safer than riding in the street, but in reality it only makes bikers more vulnerable. Bikers are constantly swerving around cars, which makes riding to school or work very stressful.

“Personally as a bike rider I have almost been hit almost three or four times on my way to work since the new bike lane was installed,” Mr. Sells, a Biology teacher at Los Alamitos High School, said.

The effects of the bike lane are visibly noticeable during the morning rush when students are trying to get to school. With a lane taken away, students who drive to school or take the bus are stuck in longer delays. During the first few months of the bike lane, students were often late to the first period and arrived stressed because of problems out of their control.

It is clear that the current design of the bike lane is not working. Having the bike lane as wide as an average size car causes drivers to assume they can use it. This leaves fellow bikers left in fear while riding.

With some change, the bike lane could do what it was meant to do— improve safety for bikers.

“I proposed the bike lane 10 years ago that is the funny part. I think if they made the bike lane smaller, it would work just as well as other bike lanes do” Mr. Sells said.

What was meant to be a positive change for Los Alamitos has become a dangerous and frustrating problem. The bike lane is putting bikers at risk and causing traffic to back up. If the city wants to make biking safer and improve traffic flow, some improvements need to be made. Until then, the bike lane will continue to be the talk of the town and a danger for everyone on the road.