Bike lanes were recently installed on a one mile stretch of Aviation Blvd., between Imperial Highway and Century Blvd. These lanes add to the growing mileage of bike facilities in and around LAX. The Aviation Blvd. bike lanes connect with existing facilities on Imperial Highway – an important east-west backbone for the region’s bike network.
Continuing westward on Imperial Highway, you will have the ability to connect with existing bike lanes on Pershing Dr. Just 0.3 miles westward from Pershing Dr., Imperial Highway connects with the Braude Beach Bike Path – a nearly 22 mile, continuous Class I bike path that stretches from Pacific Palisades in the north to Torrance in the south.
The Metro Green Line Aviation/LAX station is also conveniently located near the intersection of Imperial Highway and Aviation and offers 12 bicycle rack parking spaces and 20 bicycle lockers for longer term bike storage. Bicyclists can also hop on the the Green Line for a quick ride either eastward towards Norwalk or westward towards Redondo Beach.
Furthering Connections
Speaking of the Green Line, did you know that Metro is currently examining ways to connect their growing rail network to LAX? Metro will be holding an open house on February 29 and two community workshops on March 1 and March 7 to update stakeholders on the alternatives currently under consideration. For more information about the open house event, click here. LAX could stand to benefit greatly from expanded transit and bikeway networks that will increase mobility options in and around one of the region’s major transportation hubs.
Future Plans for Manchester Ave.
Long term bikeway plans in the area call for adding one mile of bike lanes on Manchester Ave. between Sepulveda Blvd. and Osage Ave. This will give Manchester Ave. 2.3 miles of continuous bike lanes, extending from their current terminus at Lincoln Blvd. to Osage Ave. If you have any comments and suggestions concerning the Airport Bikeway network, feel free to leave a comment below.
Some bike lanes–with signage pointing to them!–leading INTO the airport would also be nice.
And, is there any hope of opening the Sepulveda tunnel under the runways to bikes in some way?
Farther north, there are bikelanes on Sepulveda itself, but IIRC they reach only from around Manchester to around Centinela, with no connection to other bikeways on either end. A little coordination with Culver City on the north, and an extension to at least Westchester Parkway, and better still Century, on the south, would be pretty helpful. (On the north, lanes down Jefferson to Playa del Rey would be the icing on the cake, and would serve Playa Vista and connect to the Braude beach bike path.)
I agree with Rick’s comments.
I might add that the Imperial Highway bike lanes (both directions) between Aviation and Vista del Mar are in very poor condition. Conditions haven’t changed much since BikinginLa reported about it here.
I also agree with Rick’s comments. Riding around LAX is my infrequent exercise loop.
Could you add a skull and crossbones for the unaware at the Sepulveda tunnel? Unless you’re in a big group with a major rear flashing light it’s a death trap for cyclists!
And I see a bike parking symbol in the center. Where and what is that?
And lastly, I’d like to think there could be a way to fly in or out of LAX arriving or departing the terminal via bike. It’s quite difficult, and really impossible for visitors, to find your way out via bicycle. Can we somehow find a way to welcome cycling visitors to LA? If they can just get to the Green Line or the Beach Bike path without being crushed in high speed car traffic …
[…] Read More: Expanding the LAX Bikeway Network […]
[…] in love with bikes; while an L.A. riders says it’s okay for roadies to be friendly, too. New bike lanes land on Aviation Blvd near LAX. While L.A. works on pilot projects, Santa Monica thrives by catering to bikes. UCLA gets […]
Maggie: If you ride these roads regularly and see debris, potholes, sand, or some other hazard – please report the issue to http://www.ci.la.ca.us/boss/request.htm. They do get things fixed up.
Thanks Tyler for the link. I have requested clean up and maintenance in the past, thanks to info provided to me by Ted of Bikinginla (I’m the ‘Margaret’ in THIS ARTICLE). The Bureau of Street Services did come and sweep up the sand pile featured in Ted’s article. I wish that the bike lane was on some semi-regular cleaning schedule.
As it is, the bigger problem with the Imperial Highway path is that the asphalt has big fissures and bumps, causing one to swerve constantly, and lots of plants growing through the cracks.
I was on that path briefly today…just until I can access and ride on Imperial Ave, which runs parallel to Imperial Hwy. It’s just not worth it to me anymore to ride in fear on Imperial Highway.
I see, thanks for getting the sand cleaned up.
I had a similar problem on Motor Avenue. The sharrowed region of Motor Ave was totally torn up. I requested street resurfacing. They didn’t resurface the street, but a couple of weeks later I came back and the road was much smoother. They did many little patches over the road. Sometimes they do a good job, sometimes not, but requesting resurfacing is worth a shot. Make sure to describe the fissures and plants so they can look for where to repair the road.
It would be great if there was a way to get to and from the airport via bike! I tried to get my bike home by hopping on the shuttle to the green line after I got off the plane, and the bus driver refused to let me bring a bike on the shuttle. I asked him how I was supposed to get to the green line, and he pretty much told me off, saying it was my problem and my fault for riding a bike anyway. I had to walk until I reached the El Segundo transit center, and then take a bus to bypass the Sepulveda tunnel. Not cool, LA!
Have Manchester and Westchester Parkway recently had bike paths installed? I’m seeing those gold markings, which the image indicates as a bike path, but I do not remember these at all (I used to live off of Manchester). The only thing I can imagine is that these are referring to the sidewalks, which are no different than sidewalks anywhere else in the city.
The colors look a bit off on the map
Gold = orange = bike path
Yellow = florescent lemon-lime = “moderately uncomfortable” street
Okay, I see the orange now! I’d say that the bike lanes on Manchester and Lincoln are still at least “moderately uncomfortable”–bike lanes are better than nothing, but it’s still not enjoyable to ride on those streets while traffic is passing at freeway speeds feet away from you (yes, the speed limit is 45mph, but let’s be real–most cars are going at least 55mph there).
I suspect that 96th St. would be the least uncomfortable way into or out of the airport by bike right now. It connects to Sepulveda and Airport boulevards.
Rode the new Aviation bike lanes this morning. Wonderful, what a huge improvement! Wish those lanes were around years ago when that was my route to work.
Thanks LADOT
The issues in this area and connections to the north seem to constitute a gap in the bikeway network and a deterrent to longer distance recreational cycling along the coast.
An even bigger problem is the lack of a decent connection between LB and the South Bay. Are there plans to install bike lanes on Anaheim st.? There doesn’t seem to be much in the way of regular new information or online discussion about LB.
And why can’t the Sepulveda Tunnel be opened to Bicycles?
Erik – Any street can be traveled via bicycle. The exception is: if there’s prohibited sign, like the freeways, or the Venice boardwalk, then no. If it’s a street you can ride on it.
That said, some places are quite dangerous to ride on.
Go look at the Sepulveda tunnel. It has no shoulder, and a narrow sidewalk, and two lanes of cars pass thru at freeway speeds for the 105 onramp at the South end. It’s also dark. There no place to safely ride a bike, unless it’s a big group of bike with huge taillights at a time of very little other traffic. And maybe you drop a highway flare at the entrance.
It’s a place where cycling tales are made – I’ve met a guy who rode through on the narrow sidewalk – twice. The first time OK, the second time the wake of a truck pulled him off the sidewalk and he fell down into the road. Lucky he wasn’t killed. I’ve met another who claims to tak the lane and ride it daily – at 4AM with a really big rear flasher.
So, plan to go around, on maybe the new Aviation bike lane, OK?
Eric
It you have a million dollars, or so, in your pocket, it would be possible to dig another couple bike/ped sized tunnels under the runway…Lets make sure any new tunnels accommodate bikes.
[…] we celebrated the growing network of bikeway facilities in the LAX area with the opening of the Aviation Blvd. bike lanes. On that blog post, someone expressed interest in the reason why the Sepulveda Blvd. tunnel is […]
[…] we celebrated the growing network of bikeway facilities in the LAX area with the opening of the Aviation Blvd. bike lanes. On that blog post, someone expressed interest in the reason why the Sepulveda Blvd. tunnel is […]