A Bit of Progress in LA
 

Here's a bit of good news from a recent NY Times article

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/20/us...-co-exist.html

There's been some positive movement lately. Though it's worth pointing out that when people say "LA," they're often referring to Greater Los Angeles, and not just the City of Los Angeles, and there are many different municipalities within there. Santa Monica, for example, has taken a lot of great steps in recent years--lots more bike lanes put down, a big new Bike Center in the Downtown area, a few bike corrals in some shopping areas, etc. Same for Long Beach. Los Angeles moves much more slowly, though, and refuses to consider the possibility of cycle tracks/physically protected bike lanes, because they are not in the MUTDC. Long Beach has some, which they received approval for, but they still seem to be a no-go with LADOT.

Still, there are some good people in the bike program at LADOT. They recently unveiled a plan for a bikeway network in Downtown Los Angeles:

http://ladotbikeblog.wordpress.com/2...keway-network/

But for every piece of good news, there can be some bad...as part of the second leg of the new Expo Line light rail line, there is a bike path planned that would go from Santa Monica to Culver City, about a 5-mile long stretch of separated bike path (this is rare in Los Angeles). Some local homeowners are suing to block the bike path because...get ready for this...it violates environmental rules and would lead to traffic congestion. I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

http://la.curbed.com/archives/2012/0...ental_laws.php

Cry, they probably think it will kill their property values but they can't sue for that without being laughed at.

As a downtown LA bike commuter for the past 4 years, I have seen some progress in the biking infrastructure. Cyclavia was one of the first events that truly showed that "bikes belong...". The opening of the Spring St bike lane was also a real coup for improving the safety of downtown cyclists. Many of the streets during rush hour, (such as NB Figueroa between Olympic and Cesar Chavez), are still white knucklers, but are actually not bad at off peak times. In my experience, drivers are willing to cut you some slack and have always given me a wide berth when passing. I'm really stoked to see what the coming year brings in regards to the Downtown LA Bike Plan

Great! So maybe LA will be Bikable by the time I get sick of living in it and move out :|

Where in LA do you live and why do you hate it so much?

Personally I dont see what Cyclavia does to help bike commuters, because it is once a year on a limited route. It may raise awareness a little but how does it help me commute to work on bike when i am not traveling on the Cyclavia route that 1 day a year?

What am I supposed to do if i want to go east or west in the area of Sunset Blvd? Or North/south in the area of Vermont Ave? Or East West in area of Wilshire Blvd? Those streets are all pretty dangerous to ride a bike on in my opinion.

Also Ballona Creek Path is not rideable after the sun goes down, it is pitch black and would be a good place to get mugged (like is happening on SART.)

Ive only been biking in LA one year but I dont find it so bike friendly. Yes there is Venice Blvd with the bike lane.

Deending on what area of Sunset you are talking, but I take Foutntain everyday. It is not great but doable. N/S Vermont? Hoover would be what I'd take. Wilshire?, 4th is a great alternative. I've put on 5000 bike miles commuting in LA over the last 12 months. I see More people out riding than 12 months ago. I always meet new people on my commute that are just starting or have been doing it for years. I don't think it's super friendly to bike city, but it is making progress.

I think Cyclavia helps those who never ride to see that there are others out there and starts making people aware that you can bike in LA. Or to encourage them to fund bike infrastructure so they can start riding more.

I actually don't hate LA, I just tend to get bored of staying in one place for too long and want to move out. That being said, LA has its issues, but I could also think of worse places to be at. My biggest pro-LA argument I tell people is - with LA being so big, whatever it is you want, it IS somewhere in the city if you look hard enough.

Also I am near El Sereno / Alhambra which, I guess, is a bit different than from being in west Hollywood / Beverely hills and that area. I can see why, with tons of traffic and lights, regular biking being a pain there. In my part of town, I get wider roads and slightly less traffic at the price of much more uneven terrain (lots of hills) and pretty poor road quality in many parts.

Pasadena is by far my favorite part to bike at, and luckily I can get there in about 20mins... going uphill the whole time. But at least the return back is totally worth it ;)

A Bit of Progress in LA
 

I work at the SM Bike Center and I have noticed all the changes SM has made. It's all good but there is no " co-existence" yet. I use Venice blvd bike lane all the time to go to the Bikerowave and people still act obliviously around the bike lane and cyclists. Lots more people are riding but not enough to really make people notice what's up and change their behavior.

Yes, that is a challenge. People not from around here might not realize it, but when they're talking about "LA," they're usually talking about at least 5 or 6 different cities, plus all of the other cities that are in the Greater LA area. The governments don't always work together, which can be good, or bad. If Santa Monica or Pasadena moved at the pace of Los Angeles when it comes to bike issues, things would be nowhere near where they are now!

I appreciate the info on routes. I can benefit from looking at maps more, i have the City of LA bike map.
Hoover I see ends at Wilshire nbound, so it isnt as versatile as vermont.
4th St ends going westbound near LaBrea so it isnt as versatile as Wilshire.
Fountain ends going westbound near LaCienega so it isnt as versatile as Wilshire.
However i get the point that these streets you mention are safer than the big avenues i mentioned.
What i was mostly talking about above is going as far north as Hollywood blvd and going as far west as Santa Monica.
When i bike westbound now, the best option seems to be Venice Blvd due to the bike path. But theres a lot north and south of Venice Blvd going from east to west or west to east that Id like to bike to, without being forced to go via Venice Blvd because it is the only street with a bike lane headed that way west and east and much safer than biking on Olympic or Pico or Wilshire or Sunset, etc.
It is a similar situation with heading north and south all over town, the streets such as Vermont, Sepulveda, Western, LaBrea, are all not too safe to bike on, in my opinion. There are alternatives which you point out, that i can look into more but they are not as continuous or easy as opposed to if there were more blvds with bike lanes. There are certain routes that seem quite dangerous for instance if you wanted to bike on SUnset blvd in the sunset strip area or on Vermont in the Korea town area (I hear that street is one of the highest biking accident streets yet i tried to go on a Midnightridazz group ride and they went racing on that street at night.)
Wilshire Blvd across town doenst seem safe partiularly around Sepulveda where there is construction.
IF you look at the city of LA bike route map many major streets and blvds are just removed from view apparently because they are so unsafe for biking.

I recommend the Google Maps Bicycle layer instead. This way its always updated with latest lanes added.

You have to realize that with our current system it is going to be a little more out of the way to get across the city instead of just plunking down on one road and going. That is just the nature of the beast at this point. Hoover keeps going, just have to ride around a park and continue on the other side.

I ride east west from Silver Lake to Santa Monica every day and have been for the last year. I don't think its terribly difficult to get across that section of the city. Granted I spent a lot of time riding so I am used to it now.
(Sunset-Fountain-Crescent Heights-Santa Monica Blvd-Sepulveda-Ohio Ave-Westgate-Arizona.)37% bike lane on that route.

I do my best to avoid Wilshire and Vermont and some others that I know are not friendly. Usually there is a street that is much slower and calmer a few blocks in either direction, even it means going a bit out of my way.