Invisible Cyclists: Immigrants and the L.A. Bike Community

GOOD Magazine recently examined the role that the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition’s City of Lights program has taken in giving voice to the overlooked and under-represented bicyclists. A program that started by handing out lights to immigrant cyclists and has become a national model for bicycle advocacy by focusing its efforts on safety to those underserved by government.

The above film, by Spot.us reporter and producer Alex Schmidt, is intended as a companion piece to the article in GOOD. The video does a great job explaining what City of Lights is really fighting for. They’re not dedicating their lives to improving conditions and resources for immigrant cyclists because they think cycling is great and fun. They’re doing it because making it attractive and safe to bicycle gives a new freedom to a population that is by and large car-free by necessity.

Taken in concert, the story and article do a great job outlining the twin challenges faced by City of Lights. How does one get the city to address the needs of “invisible cyclists,” and how do you reach out to a long-ignored community?

In the video, Daniel Rivera says he finds cycling in L.A. too dangerous, so instead he borrows a car or bus fare to get around town. Asked if there were conditions that would make him consider biking, Rivera answers:

Of course. If there were bike lanes like there are in Santa Monica, then I would. Otherwise it’s too dangerous.

For the article, LABC organizer Allison Mannos was asked why so many bikes near the City of Lights Day Labor Center are chained to fences instead of the new bike racks. Her answer illustrates the second problem perfectly. Just putting in new amenities is not enough, when a community isn’t looking for them.

Immigrants, she says, are not accustomed to amenities that cater to them as cyclists. “They’re not used to someone giving them a light and saying, ‘What you’re doing is awesome, keep riding,” she says. “So it just takes a lot more education.”

Clearly, there’s a lot of work left to be done. You can read more about City of Lights on the blog Ciudad de Luces.