A squirrel trying to get a nut.

Dear Will Kempton,

Do you know the hardest part of learning to ride a bicycle? The answer is the pavement. This routine is constantly learned and reminded when riding through the dangerous streets or Orange, CA. With the poor state of the economy, bicycle shops become a booming business for people who commute short distances to work and school. As OCTA focuses on “Big Picture” things like “Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Kempton to run Caltrans and oversee 50,000 lane miles of state highways, an annual budget of nearly $14 billion”, they are continuing to miss the smaller problems surrounding the safety of cyclers namely in Orange, CA. If I had it my way, the OCTA $14 billion budget would spent covering the state of California with bicycle lanes. However, for the purposes of greatly enhancing bicycle safety in Orange, CA, creating bicycle lanes in highly commuted areas is the best solution.

As a student at Chapman University in Orange, CA, I have personally seen the changes in bicycle popularity over the past few years. I recently became concerned for the safety of Orange cyclists after a major road rage accident that changed my life. Riding through the beautiful streets of Old Towne Orange I pedaled through a crosswalk just as a speeding car failed to stop at the stop sign across the street. The car nearly ran me off the road, causing me to fall to the pavement. As I stood up and began to brush off the debris from the pavement, my father’s favorite quote was constantly flashing in my mind. “It’s my world and you’re just a squirrel trying to get a nut”. Researching the city’s laws and regulations I found that cycling on the sidewalks of Old Towne Orange was in fact illegal. As I pondered why the reckless person in the speeding car did not care why I was nearly run over I thought about the fact that I was merely a cyclist in an automobile’s world. Forcing cyclists to share car lanes with drivers is an extreme safety hazard and should be changed by adding bicycle lanes. Although the incident did make me more aware while riding in the streets, it has since made me scared and paranoid to ride long distances in the city of Orange.

Please Will Kempton, help make the streets of Orange a safer environment for cyclists by adding bicycle lanes to the cities most heavily trafficked regions. Safety is my concern and cycling is my passion.

Sincerely,

Preston Walker

(1985 Panasonic Sport 500 Road Bike)