LADOT Releases List of Planned Bike Lanes – 6th Street West of La Brea Included

LADOT released the cumulative list of Year 2 planned bicycle lanes on Friday, January 17. See the list below for the street name, council district and the respective mileage and limits of each project.

This Year 2 list contains the next 40 miles of bicycle lanes prioritized for installation. According to the LADOT, each project is part of the effort to strategically close gaps in the City’s bikeway network by connecting new infrastructure to existing bicycle paths, lanes and routes in Los Angeles. A number of these projects are funded through the Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP).

One of the more interesting proposed set of bike lanes in CD4 on the list is 6th Street between Fairfax and La Brea. That stretch of road has been the subject of much debate due to motorists travelling at high rates of speed through the tight gap, with multiple left turns and parked cars that reduce flow from two lanes down to one. The choice of the future General Manager of LA’s Department of Transportation looms large when it comes to the vision for LA’s bike future and what is possible for 6th Street and beyond.

Readers should stay tuned for more information about future stakeholder meetings.

Next- LADOT will begin traffic and safety assessments for these Year 2 projects.

Then- Results from this analysis will be made available in a public report.

Public Engagement- Upon completion of Traffic and Safety Assessments, LADOT and the Department of City Planning will hold a series of public hearings to disclose the analysis and give interested groups an opportunity to express their support or concern over the proposed bicycle lanes.

Examples of How Other Cities are Incorporating Bike Lanes:

Tech Talk: 19 Beautiful Ways to Protect Bike Lanes

Streetfilms: Physically Separated Bike Lanes (video below)

This video is from Streetfilms, produced in 2007. It’s interesting to view…since it was filmed prior to NYC’s bike renaissance.  Take a few minutes to watch what the vision was in 2007…then watch the TED Talk video below of former NYC Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Kahn sharing the NYC DOT’s success in implementing the vision.

Physically Separated Bike Lanes from Streetfilms on Vimeo.

Now…Sadik-Kahn’s TED Talk sharing NYC DOT’s accomplishments…including floating parking – which adds a layer of protection between bikers and moving car (good for both bikers and drivers).

By the way…Sadik-Kahn is available. As a part of former NYC Mayor Bloomberg’s administration, her term as NYC Transportation Commissioner came to an end with the New Year and new Mayor de Blasio’s City government.