Though Los Angeles is not typically considered to be a bike-friendly city, proposals from the Los Angeles Department of City Planning to construct additional bike lanes and bike routes could improve its reputation.
The construction of new bike routes on Gayley and Westholme Avenues, along with new bike lanes on Westwood Boulevard, is intended to reduce vehicle usage in Westwood, said Jordann Turner, Bicycle Plan Project manager for the city of Los Angeles Department of City Planning.
The construction proposals in Westwood are part of a larger plan to create a citywide bicycle network, Turner said.
He added that the long term goal of the plan is to make the city more mobile and accessible and to reduce the dependence on cars and shuttles.
“The bike will be used as a first- and last-mile tool,” he said. “It’s one part of a broader transportation network that hopefully makes the city more mobile in a variety of ways.”
Michael King, planning and policy analyst for UCLA Transportation, said he believes the plan could help fix the breaks in current bicycle infrastructure by providing safer bike routes around the city.
“Should the proposal go through, it would benefit the cyclists who are already commuting to campus,” he said.
But King added that he is skeptical as to how the plan will reduce traffic congestion and encourage biking to campus.
Keegan Leary, a fourth-year electrical engineering student who bikes regularly in Westwood, said he would appreciate an increase in bike lanes and bike routes.
“There are a few okay ways to get around town, but no matter where you’re going, you’re going to end up riding a sketchy street for at least a couple minutes,” Leary said.
He added that the construction of larger shoulders on roads would allow riders to bike more safely through the streets of Los Angeles and that he would be interested in biking more through the eastern parts of the city if it was easier and safer to do so.
But he also said he is skeptical of the ability to greatly increase the amount of biking in Los Angeles due to the lack of amenities, rough surface of the roads, and the hilly terrain.
Project delays and the convoluted nature of the planning process have drawn mixed reactions from some bicyclists who are skeptical as to how the plan will reduce traffic congestion and encourage biking to campus, King said.
He added that some doubt the potential value of the proposal and feel the plan did not equally accommodate low-income constituencies.
Turner said the implementation process may take a while, given the challenges posed by the car-centric attitude of the university and Los Angeles.
“Hopefully having a good plan out there will help change some of those trends,” he added.
The planning committee also hopes to use community input to improve the plan prior to the implementation process, Turner said.
“The more community input and advocacy there is, the quicker those facilities can happen.” Turner said. “Once it finishes, our plan is a big step in making our city more bicycle friendly.”
He added that community members will have the opportunity to give their input at public workshops in August, which will be held in four locations throughout Los Angeles, including West L.A., though the times have not yet been announced.
Community members can view the proposals at www.labikeplan.org.