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.
If you want to make it all about one person, then that is your right. I talk with lots of people from the community on a daily basis and I am not the only one who's in favor of bike lanes. Of course, this is a self-selected group (because they are mostly people in my bike shop already). However, they represent a fairly broad demographic sampling from the community - from the very top the bottom of the income scale, bums and millionaires. Most express some doubt that bike lanes are possible, but those same people show up to local meetings and ask that more be done for bikes in their community. I am very pro-bike - I started a bike repair collective, I have hosted hundreds of rides in this neighborhood, I ride all the time, I did a lot of bike advocacy work and political analysis a few years ago. What you are doing is like trying argue with a member of PETA who owns a pet food store about animal rights. I have made my case in the comments above. If you can't come up with a credible response (which it looks like you can't) then go ahead and make it all about who I am. It doesn't help your anti-bike lane point.
In the spirit of me having no self control with respect to commenting here, the logic to unpacked and refute your statements goes like this: Bikes and cars don't mix. We should therefore separate cars and bikes into individual lanes on the street. The resulting street will be safer for both bike riders, car drivers, pedestrians, and owners of buildings and businesses along this street. Making a left-hand turn on a street with up to two through travel lanes is legal in CA. City streets were designed for humans and only very recently have been re-designed to be for private cars. It is cheaper and better for local interests to turn over more of the right-of-way to people again. I feel like I dun got trolled, but now "Kathy" can respond and keep us all entertained.
so what's the deal MOFO????
Looking @ Creper Chimone
Furthermore, only one car lane of space on the road was used to make room for two bike lanes on York. As someone who has been an avid road cyclist for more than 30 years and having ridden over 100,000 miles I don't find anything you've said here to be much of a good argument.
During my last trip to Beijing I saw the devastation that has come with the masses being able to drive cars. The air was filthy. Streets were jammed with congestion. The noise pollution was astounding. The car lanes have grown while the bike lanes have shrunk. There were fewer people on the streets because everyone was sitting in their cars stuck in traffic. It's now just like Los Angeles (only worse). They traded a superior transportation system for an inferior one that we modeled for them and they're paying the price. Just as we have been paying the price. It's time to ditch the old car-centric transportation model. We need to get out of cars. Bring on the bike lanes!
See Figure 9, Customer Survey responses on pg. 34 "How did you get here today?" is the question. Less than 20% drove to the portion of York with a road diet. In the section without the road diet, less than 30% drove. The majority of customers surveyed (70% or more) DID NOT DRIVE to shop on York. The perception of customers and businesses, however, is that most people drive to shop in this district. Direct survey shows that this is a myth - and most people shopping in the district are walking, talking transit, or riding a bike. http://la.streetsblog.org/2012/09/25/economic-review-of-6th-street-road-diet-shows-bike-lanes-dont-cause-loss-of-business/
I can ride from Colorado Blvd, either West down San Rafael to So. Pas., Alhambra, and points in the San Gabriel Valley, or down Melrose; Ave 64, all on my bike. Never once have I found the need for special bike lanes. Then again, I think fighting for the road with an auto, while on my bike, would be stupid. If you are truly interested in the natural beauty of our area, wtf are you on York anyway? Take Aldama, or discover Sratford Rd.,one of the most beautiful streets any outdoor lover would enjoy! Ride down Carlota, the street that parallels the Arroyo Seco Parkway. Why would you want to compete with cars on maor streets? So you can enhale exhaust fumes? Oh! You want to get people out of their cars. Who needs to make one, large, trip to Smart And Final, or Galgos, when you can walk, or ride your bike multiple times for many smaller purchases? Doesn't that make sense? The idea that North Figueroa, and York are in desperate need of "safe bicycle infastructure" goes beyond exaggeration. It boarders hysteria.
It's hard to argue with someone that is in it for the benefits of his bike business. When he mentions that it benefits businesses, do you really think he's worrying about someone else's business?
How times change. Now the truth comes out. This is about the bicycle extremists and the removal of car lanes.