It was 11 years ago that Brandon Scales fully made the commitment.
The Southern California resident handed his car keys to his sister, wrangled a well-worn road bike from a neighbor, and officially gave up driving to work.
āI had a car and bunch of street sweeper tickets because I wasnāt using it anyway,ā Scales said.
When Scales started bike commuting full time, he was riding 4 miles each way to and from the office. Now, he commutes 48 miles each day.
Not only has he not looked back, but he has since dedicated his career to helping others make the same shift.
Three months ago, Scales, a PEARL iZUMi Crew member, started a new job with The Bike Center ā a subcontractor with Los Angeles Metro. The objective: to support and build commuter cycling in a county with nearly 8 million registered automobiles.
āItās the anti-bike shop,ā said Scales ā who doesnāt have an official job title ā of The Bike Centerās three-location commuter support network. āWe have no intention to sell anything. You can come in as a commuter, whether itās your first day or 11th year, and I am only here to help you. I turn wrenches, teach classes, but the biggest thing that we do is make safe spaces for commuters.ā



The Bike Center locations include 24-hour bike garages, showers, lockers, work stands, and on-site mechanic services. For a $15 monthly membership, commuters have access to it all via key cards.
āItās all the amenities you would get with a gym, without the gym. On the service side of it, weāre a licensed dealer for parts companies. But really what weāre there for is to keep bikes working so people can keep riding,ā said Scales, who noted that the charges for most repairs merely covers parts costs. ā(Commuters will) give me their bike in the morning and say, āI need new brake pads,ā and the brake pads are on there and ready for them when they get off work, so they can ride home. Itās a truck stop for bike commuters.ā
So far, there is a downtown L.A. location, one metro line site in Culver City, and the hub just off the coastal Marvin Braude Bike Trail ā known as The Strand ā in Santa Monica. But Scales said there is a deal in place with L.A. Metro to build similar spaces in the area going forward. Whether itās retrofitting spaces into existing parking structures or constructing purpose-built facilities wherever new rail line buildings go in, the network is set to take off.
So is ridership.
āAfter three months, Iām converting a dozen people a week,ā said Scales, who uses the time he spends on his bike to and from work as a form of daily meditation. āThese are people who have thought about it, but didnāt know where to begin.ā
Scales and company are striving to bridge that gap with a commuter pilot program that sets up aspiring bike commuters with a bicycle, mirrors, lights, and helmet.
āI loan it to you for two weeks for free,ā Scales said. āAfter that, Iāll sell you the kit or build you whatever kit you want.ā
The next step, Scales said, is instilling confidence in cyclists who may be literally merging into traffic for the first time.
āI would say that riding in traffic is the biggest hurdle that people have to overcome,ā Scales said. āIāll be the first to admit that, out here, itās totally fucking terrifying.ā




Kyle Wagenschutz, Director of Local Innovation at PeopleForBikes, said safety concerns remain the primary deterrent to bike commuting, and cycling in general.
āThe number one reason more people donāt ride bikes is that they donāt feel safe on the streets,ā Wagenschutz said. āOnly a small percentage of riders feel comfortable mixing it up with car and truck traffic.ā
Bike routes that improve both safety and navigation are the key to expanding rider confidence and participation, Wagenschutz said.
āFor decades, U.S. traffic engineers assumed that people on bikes could almost al-ways share the road with cars. But a shoulder ā even a striped bike lane ā on a street with fast traffic isnāt an appealing place to ride for most people,ā said Wagenschutz, who noted that people ride more when they can access networks that get them comfortably where they want to go.
āThe street network allows drivers to travel anywhere in the community without needing to think much about wayfinding. Complete bike networks offer the same flexibility to people who bike.ā
In L.A., Scales leads guided rides along popular commuter routes to show people the safest way to get to and from work, or just across town. When pedaling the streets is necessary, he emphasizes assertive riding.
āItās all about building confidence and learning how to behave on the road,ā Scales said. āAct like a car. Youāre on the street. Take the slow lane. Use lights, use turn signals.ā
Scales would love to see U.S. metro areas trend toward a European slant on bike commuting.
āCopenhagen has mega-garages that house thousands of bikes. (The Biker Center) can house about 100 bikes at any given time, but weāve never been full,ā Scales said. āWeāre just a drop in the bucket. But weāre the only drop going into that bucket right now. Most people have never seen or heard of anything like this. But thatās the United States.ā
Scales sometimes has to remind European tourists of where theyāre riding.
āThereās definitely a group of people (in the U.S.) who realize, (cars are) not the only answer,ā Scales said. āBut we also get tourists, who may come in and say, āI want to ride, Iām from Holland.ā But I have to tell them, āYeah, but that guy behind the wheel is definitely not from Holland.āā
He hopes the time comes when he doesnāt have to issue such warnings.
āA cultural and perspective shift is what weāre going after,ā Scales said. āIn the next 10 years, my goal is equality. I just want everybody to know that this ā the roads ā is a public space. Itās not just for drivers. Thatās just one method. Iām hoping just to have drivers give everyone else some sort of respect.ā


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