Garfield Cat

I just heard this on the radio. Figueroa Street downtown L.A.

https://la.streetsblog.org/2013/08/08...mental-review/

Chaco

That bike lane looks awfully narrow. Is it wide enough for people to pass each other?
From the MyFigueroa page, it appears that the lane has a width of 60 inches. Hmm. . . may be just wide enough for two.

CommuteCommando

The problem with much newer bike infrastructure is that so much of it is designed by committees of people who more often then not do not commute by bike, with way too much input from politicians who don't ride much outside the occasional photo op.

Elvo

Time to make a new strava segment!

TrojanHorse

That'll be great for all the messengers. My interest in riding on Fig is loooooooow.

Come to think of it, the thing I hate most about protected bike lanes is that it reinforces the idea that bikes belong in bike lanes. They're great next to freeways but please just leave room on the side of the road for cyclists and I'll make do - no fencing required on regular streets.

Chaco

On top of that, once they get even a little crowded, they're useless to anyone but casual riders.

JTGraphics

We should be happy they are even thinking about it! I'll never be on it but am glad some progress is being considered, thats better than nothing at all. First small step towards bigger and better projects, remember this is all new to these politician's

bitingduck

Montreal is a pretty reasonable model for how LA should be, and the tons of protected bike paths are both crowded and usable by more than just the casual rider. What seems to make it work is that cycling as transportation is perceived as a perfectly normal activity for *everyone*. People in business clothes, little old ladies, students, kids, adult commuters of every age and income. This leads to a very high skill level pretty much across the board. When I'm in Montreal and need to get to the main island, we have to cross a bridge that's just barely wide enough for two bikes either side by side or in opposite directions. Sometimes it has peds on it. But I can count on *anyone* I pass or who's riding in the opposite direction being able to hold their line perfectly well and not freak out and twitch into me or the wall. For any city, it has a really remarkable bike infrastructure. For one that's got weather that's absolutely hostile to cycling 7 or 8 months out of the year, it's spectacular.

The density and distances in Montreal aren't so different from LA, and LA has the advantage of nearly perfect weather for cycling year round.

Chaco

I think it would take a long time for things to be like that anywhere in the U.S. As you say, in Montreal, cycling is perceived as a perfectly normal activity for everyone. Not the case here. I won't go on most MUPs here, because they are filled with people wandering all over the path, their dogs on a 15 foot leash, and earbuds in their ear. I feel safer on the street.

bitingduck

I totally agree that it will take a long time for LA to get like that, but it's not impossible, and you have to start somewhere. I agree though about in LA there are enormous numbers of sketchy people on all the paths-- I brought it up as a pretty remarkable contrast.

TrojanHorse

Well, as you say, infrastructure projects that benefit cyclists are a start but in THIS country it seems to reinforce the believe that bikes are only allowed in specially marked areas.

Riding (or driving even) downtown is a mess anyway.

Ns1

I generally ride on the street, but on Figueroa? A protected bike lane would be welcome.

You 27mph riding roadies might feel comfortable on the street, but a 5mph granny would **** bricks.

Dunbar

On the west side they're doing good things. Santa Monica and Venice are adding more bike sharrows. The recently repaved Ocean Park Blvd has and added green areas painted just for cyclists to sit in front of cars at traffic lights. They already have some nice wide bike lanes in places with adequate buffers from parked cars. In the south bay I've just starting seeing signs saying bikes are entitled to use the full lane.

I still think the area from Westwood to downtown has a long ways to go for bike friendliness.

TrojanHorse

Actually, I'm at St. John's in Santa Monica for a few days (wife's having surgery and I'm doing the doting husband thing. She's at the hospital, I'm at a hotel and I found some Kwak at Whole Foods to enjoy while I'm sitting here. Woot!)

Anyway, there are tons of cyclists in this area (Santa Monica Blvd, Wilshire and points between) and I think that's the best possible thing for public awareness. There are plenty of striped bike lanes (and some people still riding on the sidewalks) but the presence is there.