A bicyclist rides along a sidewalk on Sherman Way
At the last Bicycle Plan Implementation Team (BPIT) meeting back in July, participants reviewed a draft list of bike lane projects likely destined for more extensive environmental review, known affectionately as “Priority Package 2.” Of particular interest to BPIT attendees was a choice in the San Fernando Valley between two very important corridors: Sherman Way and Roscoe Blvd.
While the 2010 Bike Plan calls for the installation of bike lanes on both Sherman Way and Roscoe Blvd. in the San Fernando Valley, the Five Year Implementation Strategy highlights Sherman Way for more immediate implementation consideration. Roscoe Blvd., though, could make a good substitution for a variety of reasons. While both projects are similar in terms of distance and direction, key differentiating issues include connectivity to different types of destinations and the practicality (politically) of each project. We’re encouraging additional public input as we decide which project to pursue (see polls and comments section below).
The map below shows where the proposed bike lanes would be installed.
Both projects would connect with important North-South bikeways, including the Orange Line Bike Path and bike lanes on Woodley Ave., Reseda Blvd., Winnetka Ave., and Laurel Canyon Rd. Both streets are heavily-used by motorized vehicles, with similar average daily traffic (ADT) volumes.
About Roscoe Blvd.
The Roscoe Blvd. bike lane would extend from Topanga Canyon Blvd. in West Hills to Whitsett Ave. in Sun Valley. Roscoe is wide enough to install a standard bike lane. Installing the bike lane would also add permanent on-street full-time parking along Roscoe in areas where there is currently a peak hour lane. With less of a commercial feel, Roscoe tends to have less stop-and-go traffic, meaning its often a quicker thoroughfare for cars and bikes. Roscoe is also closer to the geographic center of the San Fernando Valley, thus providing greater accessibility to a number of Valley communities, and would serve as a superior connector to existing bikeways in the East San Fernando Valley.
About Sherman Way
The Sherman Way option would extend from Canoga Ave. in the west to Laurel Cayon Blvd. in the east. This potential bike lane would pass through several commercial centers including downtown Canoga, downtown Reseda, and downtown Van Nuys. Located roughly 2 km south of Roscoe, Sherman Way is closer to connectors heading towards the center of the entire city, and provides better access to several local business corridors and destinations. Sherman Way is also a wider street than Roscoe Blvd., which would lead to this option having a buffered bike lane installed while maintaining its current full-time parking.
| Sherman Way | Roscoe Blvd |
| Wider street, provides room for buffered lane | Would install a standard lane |
| Would keep full-time parking | Would add full-time parking |
| Better connection to the rest of Los Angeles | More centrally located in SFV |
| Runs along more business corridors | Quicker thoroughfare |
What factors are most important to you as a bicyclist? A buffered lane closer to business districts, or a standard lane with less of a stop-and-go mentality (better for commuters)? For more immediate installation, is a more central location in the Valley more desirable than being closer to the rest of the city? Let us know what you think, via the polls below, and in the comments section.
Polls
As with all bike lane projects, it is always important to keep in mind the role that your local Council District office plays. By voicing your support for these projects, you can help advocate for better and more useful bike lanes. This website includes links for emailing various Council District offices and a map to figure out which one you live in.
Roscoe seems like the right choice to me.
Excellent! Thank you for not ignoring the Valley. :)
Why don’t we continue the bike lane off of Victory, Burbank side has a bike lane in it’s city but when it goes into LA it drops off.
Sherman way passes under that Van Nuys airport, which makes it a little scary, because motorists going into a dark tunnel may need a minute for their eyes to adjust, hence the possibility for collisions. But it’s also closer to the rest of LA. If you need to take away a lane from Roscoe, in order to install a bike path, you’re going to face fierce opposition. Whichever route wins, I hope street grates are examined to make sure they can’t swallow up bike tire and the streets are swept clean of broken glass on a regular basis.
How about both?? The Valley is so far behind and these are “easy projects”.
I’m inspired by articles such as this one on A View From The Cycle Path http://www.aviewfromthecyclepath.com/2012/03/asking-for-enough.html to support the bolder measure that may be more difficult, politically. I am further inspired what I’ll call “the Alex Thompson lesson” that showed us asking for more, and better facilities can indeed help us get more than what’s being offered. ( http://www.bikesidela.org/main-st-bike-lane-extension/ and http://www.bikesidela.org/no-more-door-lanes/ )
Sherman Way will give us a bolder, safer bike lane that provides greater separation on the street with conditions more conducive for cycling, based on the information in the blog post. A buffered bike lane on Sherman Way may even mean we can easily get get a cycle track on Sherman Way in the future since bikes will have sufficient dedicated space already. A successful buffered bike lane on Sherman Way may even help make the case for a similar buffered bike lane on Roscoe in the future!
We should ask ourselves which facility will do more to increase bicycle mode-share? A door-zone bike lane on a high speed street or a buffered bike lane on a slower street? We should endorse bike infrastructure that will do more to increase bicycle mode share, in my opinion. After all, isn’t the very purpose of bicycle infrastructure is to increase travel by bicycle? If we know one type of infrastructure is superior, it seems we should opt for that.
So, based on this blog post, and LACBC’s encouraging bike counts that showed buffered bike lanes are quite effective in increasing bike use (relative to standard bike lanes) on the streets, I support Sherman Way.
I currently commute 5 days a week from the Studio City area to Chatsworth. I use Vanowen most of the time between Woodley and Corbin. It’s not a pleasant street to ride on, but it’s the best choice given the alternatives.
Sherman Way is not too bad right now, except for the area near the Van Nuys Airport. In particular, the tunnel under the airport, is just a ridiculously unsafe area. If there were some kind of bike lane through that area, it would be a huge improvement.
Roscoe, from Sepulveda to Corbin is not currently a sane alternative for riding. Traffic moves very fast and the right lane is not nearly wide enough to use the shoulder, so the only alternative is to take the whole lane. This isn’t really a viable alternative either since traffic is fairly heavy in the morning and cars do not want to give up the lane, so angry conflict seems to ensue.
Adding better bike lanes to either Roscoe or Sherman Way will be a huge boost for bike commuters.
To lower the stress level for cycling there needs to be a increase in protection as the amount of vehicles, speed and number of travel lanes increase. This means primary streets should have much more than just two painted stripes placed five feet apart for bike lanes. Having a buffer next to the bike lane gives more of a sense of protection and can reduce the startling noise from passing cars. The advantage for this goes to Sherman Way as its wide enough to place a buffer area.
Taking away peak hour lanes on Roscoe Blvd to put in bike lanes is likely to bring anomosity and resistance. The problems in trying to do this brings to mind the reaction of a physician at Kaiser Hospital in Panorama City–who uses Roscoe Blvd–when I told him that there would eventually be bike lanes installed there. He said the councilman would be voted out of office if that happened. His reasoning for that was due to the slow movement of traffic to and from the 405 along Roscoe Blvd during peak hours. Political resistance is perhaps the biggest roadblock to getting bicycle infrastructure installed. So, give the advantage to Sherman Way as it does not involve taking away anything from drivers.
Another problem with Roscoe Blvd is that its condition is so poor in the Woodman Ave vicinity that it is difficult to keep a straight travel line on a bicycle. You have to concentrate on dodging irregularities in the roadway, which slows you down and increases the risk of an accident.
I have seen three study results that showed an average of 0.10 percent in modal share for every mile of unprotected bike lanes installed per geographical square mile of a city. That would be about 48 miles for the city of Los Angeles.
Putting in protected bike lanes would be a higher-quality approach. Downsides to that are that it takes more room, at least doubles the price and it could take much longer to install. Chicago’s new mayor Rahm Emanuel promised 100 miles of protected bike lanes for his first four years in office. He has been at the helm for 16 months and the city has only installed 7 miles of protected bike lanes so far.
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Correction:
The three studies that I mentioned in the last paragragh showed about an average of 0.10 percent increase in bicycle modal share for a city when there is a increase of one mile of unprotected bike lanes or paths per 10 square miles of geographical area of a city.If that average holds true for Los Angeles, then expect the bicycle commuting rate to move from 1.0 percent in the 2011 Census Bureau ACS results to at least 1.1 percent on the 2012 survey due to the 51 bikes of bike lanes installed in FY 2011.
http://policy.rutgers.edu/faculty/pucher/bikepaths.pdf
Roscoe is more appropriate of a corridor for a bike lane… especially if it somehow connects with San Fernando Road into City of Burbank.
How about creating a bike path along the train tracks from Burbank to Chatsworth.
Yes! This too!
[...] will be offering free bike rentals for next weekend’s CicLAvia. LADOT wants your help to pick a new east-west route through the Valley. Richard Risemberg is shocked to find scofflaws on two wheels — and four. The Elite Track [...]
Neither are much good as they are both high volume street do wouldn’t be much fun to ride. I’d rather see Parthenia or Vanowen get the nod. Lower volume streets are much more enjoyable. Ever ridden the bike path next to the 5 freeway? Not a ton of fun having semis go past you at eighty. :-/
I agree that bike lanes are more effective on lower volume streets in that they are lower-stress. Busier streets tend to have the bike lanes disappear more often when confronted with more potential conflict areas such as freeway on and off ramps on Sherman Way and Roscoe Blvd. Vanowen doesn’t have freeway on and off ramps to disrupt the continuity of the bike lanes and neither does Parthenia St.
Sherman way is the right choice, but please design the buffered bike lane in a way that facilitates a near future conversion to a high quality, high safety, high capacity separated bike path / cycle track, ie between parking and the curb, or separated by an island, landscaping, extruded curb, Chicago style plastic bollards, or other physical barrier. Many segments of Sherman Way have no driveways making it ideal for a real cycle track.
[...] promised, the meeting addressed the Roscoe Blvd. vs Sherman Way bikeway choice. At the time of the meeting, more than 75 people had participated in our comparison polls. Results [...]
How about completing a class 1 bike path between Fulton and Vineland?
Two notes:
I just rode Browns Canyon path in chatsworth and was a little shocked to see very art directed cement blocks making up the overpass. We don’t need to fussy up an over pass. Just save the money for more bike paths. LA has a bad habit of putting art direction where we need it least.
Two: a bike route/path over the Cahuenga pass would be very nice. It could even be a tourist attraction if routed properly. CP has no safe way of crossing it between Barham and the Hollywood bowl. It’s a total death trap for cyclists except for three am on Sunday morning.
Finally, there is still more to do. How about a bike share program?? Here is an interesting proposal…
http://www.pratt.edu/tiny_mce/plugins/imagemanager/files/NatanApavatjrut_final_paper_07-31-12(1).pdf