The Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition (LACBC) has launched a petition calling for the installation of bicycle lanes on North Figueroa Street.
The petition, posted on Change.org, had 214 signatures as of 11:15 a.m. on Monday.
Adding bike lanes on Figueroa will accent the people-oriented community Northeast Los Angeles has become and will ultimately make the area a more vibrant and livable community. Bike lanes on Figueroa incorporates a more complete-street approach and is an important backbone connector in the area.
These bike lanes are about more than just bicyclists: they will make our streets safer and our community more livable and prosperous.
The petition effort is spearheaded by the LACBC's East Neighborhood Bike Ambassadors, a group within the coalition tasked with supporting bicycle friendly projects in Eastside communities.
According to Josef Bray-Ali, owner of the Flying Pigeon bicycle shop in Cypress Park, the petition calls the installation of bike lanes that were promised in the city's 2011 bicycle master plan.
Bray-Ali was himself instrumental in raising local awareness about the bike lanes with the Fig For All initiative he launched that same year, though which he organized community meetings to discuss cyclist and pedestrian safety improvements on North Figueroa.
"With running the business, I've sort of run out of time to commit to the Figueroa bike lane thing, but I'm glad they stepped in. They want to see a better bike environment on Figueroa," he sad.
Numerous commenters on the petition page have supported the bike lane petition, including Kelli Bachmann, who said "I ride through this area on my commute almost every day. It is critical to provide a safe linkage in these neighborhoods."
However, bike lanes also have their opponents in Northeast neighborhoods. When newly installed lanes were placed between North Figueroa Street and Avenue 54 along York Boulevard, some residents and business owners complained that they slowed down motor vehicle traffic.
