Path to improving biking on campus a rough ride lately

An effort to improve conditions for campus bicyclists appears to
be stalled.

Transportation Services started the project, formally known as
the Bicycle Improvement Effort, last year. Not very much has been
done since.

The decision to undertake the effort began last year after
public outcry at the exclusion of bicyclists from Transportation
Services’ long-term plans.

The first draft of the Long Range Development Plan ““ an
agreement between UCLA and the city of Los Angeles regarding
university plans in transportation, capital projects and other
aspects ““ extensively detailed plans in areas such as
parking.

More than a dozen people sent e-mails or letters criticizing the
exclusion of bicycling improvements.

The criticism prompted Transportation Services to amend the LRDP
to work with the Bicycle Advocacy Committee, a campus bicyclist
group, on developing a campus bicycle plan.

But collaboration since the agreement has been limited to one
meeting on Feb. 4, when Transportation Services officials told BAC
the first step was to figure out how to formulate a plan, according
Todd Nelson, co-president of BAC and an urban studies graduate
student.

“The pace that has been set has not been rapid,”
Nelson said. “That has been a source of some concern for
us.”

Steve Rand, manager of traffic citation review, said
Transportation’s projects were ongoing, and some of the
recommendations BAC made take a lot of time by nature, such as
working with surrounding cities to add new bike routes to campus
and working with the Veterans Association to reopen paths through
the Los Angeles National Cemetery.

But Rand noted Transportation did have a timeline for some of
BAC’s recommendations.

“All Transportation Services programs are ongoing, but we
also have definite goals we want to achieve, such as updating bike
racks next year,” Rand said.

Transportation mentioned a “plan for producing a plan by
the end of the year,” as well as creating a survey to
identify the needs and concerns of campus bicyclists, Nelson
said.

BAC recommendations included measures to make streets safer for
cyclists by opening more bike lanes, posting speed limit signs, and
building speed bumps in the areas surrounding campus.

Since the February meeting, BAC has not had contact with
Transportation Services. Nelson said he sent e-mails to
Transportation Services to follow up on the meeting, but never
received a response.

Nelson said he was hopeful about the opportunity to help
Transportation Services, but added it has not informed him of any
definite plans beyond the survey idea.

“We’d like to know what’s going on,” he
said.

In a March meeting with the Daily Bruin, Transportation Services
said more had been decided.

Transportation Services has identified several goals in the
bicycle improvement effort, but expects more will be pinpointed
after the survey is conducted and analyzed in April, said Rand.

Transportation hopes the survey will give a better sense of the
prioritization of the issues cyclists face, Rand added.

“What are the most important things we need to
address?” he asked.

Among the short-term projects Transportation Services will
complete next year are changing bike maps to make them more
user-friendly and making bicycle information more accessible at the
Transportation Fair held each year.

Transportation will also update the bike racks to make them
safer and more accessible, Rand said.

An estimated 145 bicycles were stolen from campus last year,
said Reuben Carver, business analyst for the university police.
Eighty-seven bicycles were stolen in 2002, according to the UCPD
Web site.

The risk of damage or loss to her bicycle is one reason
fourth-year English student Sarah Farzan said she would not bike to
school.

“I wouldn’t trust bringing my bike here because it
might be vandalized,” Farzan said.

After learning of Transportation’s plans to renovate
bicycle storage racks next year, Nelson said he approved.

“It would be great if that does happen ““ it should
continue to happen,” he said.

But improving bicycle racks and updating maps should not be the
entirety of Transportation Services’ work, Nelson added.

“We need to address not only physical amenities, but an
institutionalized level of support and promotion of bicycling as a
viable and desirable form of getting to and from campus,” he
said.

About 2.5 percent of the student population, or 875 students,
use bicycles regularly to get to and from school, said Renee
Fortier, director of Transportation Services.

Correction: April 13, 2004, Tuesday

In an April 8 news story about efforts to improve bicycling
conditions on campus, it stated that UCLA Transportation Services
had not contacted members of the Bicycle Advocacy Committee since a
February meeting. However, Transportation Services had contacted
BAC on April 7.

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