A safe place to ride... your neighborhood.

by ctn

The city of Los Angeles is finalizing its Master Bike Plan for the Department of Transportation and the new draft will be released in June. Here is a link to the plan as it stands as of this postings date.

• http://www.labikeplan.org/
  
  

Not enough is being done, fast enough, to facilitate alternative forms of transportation in Hollywood. There is talk of bike routes, bike lanes and bicycle friendly streets but no mention of Bicycle Boulevards.

Bicycle Boulevards are bicycle friendly streets on steroids. They are residential streets connecting schools, shopping areas and parks where the auto traffic is calmed so that cars and bikes can co-exist peacefully and safely. By steering bicycle traffic to certain streets it frees up space on more congested arteries like Santa Monica, Melrose and Beverly. One block north of Melrose is Waring Ave. a straight shot from Paramount Studios (@ Gower St.) all the way to the West Hollywood Park (@ San Vicente Blvd.). Along the way this Bicycle Boulevard would pass five elementary schools, one high school, three parks and a several different shopping districts including a couple of bike stores and two DMV offices.  The bicycle boulevard Paramount to Pinks to the West Hollywood Park must be the next step in bicycle safety.

By creating an environment where cars are slowed to travel at similar speeds as bicycles, appx. 15 miles an hour, the two share the public road more safely. In cities like Portland and New York these streets are being used to encourage people onto bicycles and out of cars, thus they become safe, comfortable passageways where children can ride to school and adults can run errands.

It is as simple and inexpensive as adding speed humps, painting sharrows, changing a few stop signs and, most importantly, re-directing some auto traffic away from these streets. The street is still very much open and all previous driving and parking rules apply. Residents find that closing down the street to heavy auto traffic has the benefit of opening the street to public use. Streets must be thought of as public spaces to be enjoyed and used by all forms of transportation, not just dangerous thoroughfares for cars and trucks.

Hollywood has very little infrastructure designed to promote bicycle use. It is a city that is relatively flat, has perfect weather and has a casual atmosphere; bicycle commuting will reduce traffic congestion and noise pollution. We must demand more from of civic leaders to help us make our neighborhoods cleaner, quieter and more livable. Automobile parking is always an issue in Hollywood. Bicycle parking is not. 

This could be your neighborhood