Community Members Seek Improvements For LA Streets, Bike Lane Project On Hold…

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Bringing street improvements like bike lanes to a community can sometimes be a challenging process, but it can also be well worth the wait.

In Los Angeles, community members gathered at Nightingale Middle School and Franklin High School in May and June 2014 to show support for a bike lane to be installed on North Figueroa street.

At one of the meetings, members of the Figueroa For All coalition and supporters of the bike lanes wore green shirts and held signs to speak up for bike lanes.

One sign read: “Bike lanes + Crosswalks = Healthier Streets.”

Despite their efforts to get bike lanes installed, in a July 2014 statement, first district councilmember, Gilbert Cedillo announced that the bike lane project would be delayed until he could determine what the safest option for street improvements would be.

According to a Streetsblog LA article, improvements to North Figueroa street are part of Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Great Streets initiative, a neighborhood revitalization strategy aimed at improving public safety, and enhancing local neighborhoods.

In his statement councilmember Cedillo said that the district would consider street improvements like:

•Reconfiguring existing traffic signals
•Installation of pedestrian/bicyclist-activated hybrid beacons at uncontrolled crossings Figueroa
•Curb ramps to provide access for folks using wheelchairs, strollers, walkers, crutches, handcarts, bicycles, or who have other mobility restrictions
•Pedestrian lighting, with an emphasis on luminating pedestrian crosswalks
•Highly visible Continental Crosswalks at intersections
•Curb Extensions in order to shorten the distance that pedestrians have to cross on Figueroa
•Street Furniture, Bicycle Racks, Corrals, and Fix-it Stations
•Landscaping, Street Trees, & Parklets

According to the Figueroa For All website, bike lanes on Figueroa street were approved as part of a 2010 bike plan, however the community continues to rally support for the bike lanes.

Learn more about this change at the following links:
Figueroa for All: Creating a more livable North Figueroa Street
Streetsblog LA: Cedillo Kills Approved North Figueroa Bike Lanes Citing “Safety” Reasons