Twenty-seven advocates, stakeholders, and City staff were present at the last BPIT meeting on April the 2nd. Discussion topics included the update to the General Plan’s Mobility Element, recently implemented bikeways, prioritizing plan programs, and Bicycle Friendly Streets.
Mobility Element Update
Claire Bowin of the Department of City Planning opened the meeting by presenting on the Mobility Element update. Currently in the Environmental Impact Report scoping phase, the update includes plans for a Bicycle Enhanced Network (BEN) in which a 180-mile subset of the City-wide bikeway system is identified for enhancements. The intensity of the enhancements will vary, with features such as right-of-way infrastructure improvements, signal timing improvements, and end of trip facilities. The bikeway inclusion criteria emphasize 1) connectivity between regional centers and major destinations; 2) locations with a higher presence of bicyclists and 3) bicyclist-involved collisions; and 4) designation within the backbone or Neighborhood Networks.
It was suggested that the Mobility update be used to mitigate the lack of connectivity to South Bay cities, and that feasibility for inclusion be determined for Devonshire Street, Sherman Way, Reseda Boulevard, and Cahuenga Boulevard. Central Avenue (Little Tokyo), the 6th Street Bridge (Arts District), and 7th Street (feeding into Figueroa) were suggested for cycle track treatment.
The Department of City Planning recently circulated a Notice of Preparation for the EIR and is currently seeking feedback on the scope of the EIR. Please contact My La at my.la@lacity.org with your input.
Implementation Update
LADOT’s Tim Fremaux provided a rundown of the numerous bikeways implemented since the last meeting. It was suggested that LADOT coordinate to have new additions to the bikeway network promptly updated on Google maps (they are currently update to the bicyclela.org maps page fairly quickly after implementation). Riverside Drive was suggested as a candidate for bikeway implementation in the near term.
Plan Program Prioritization
The Bicycle Plan contains 138 programs, most of which require substantial coordination with other City entities. In an effort to begin opening lines of communication and strategizing program implementation, an exercise was conducted to prioritize among the numerous programs.
Of those identified for prioritization, the strongest consensus was around prioritizing the Bicycle Friendly Streets program (#1.1.4A; DOT, Dept. of Public Works). Other programs that drew support were a violator training program for motorists (#2.1.5F; City Attorney), bicycle counts (#3.2.4C; DOT), and an assessment of the economic benefits of bikeway improvements (#3.2.6A; DCP). Please refer to the Bicycle Plan for more details on each program, as well as a complete list of all the programs.
Prioritization of general focuses was also tallied during the exercise, with Data Collection and Safety & Education receiving the most support.
Bicycle Friendly Streets (BFS): Potential Locations and Treatments
It was suggested that time be set aside at the next meeting to break into sub groups by geography and propose treatments on a micro scale.
Wrapping Up
David Somers will email BFS maps to those wishing to participate in the breakout group activity planned for the next meeting. Thank you to all of those who attended the meeting, and we look forward to seeing you next quarter!
man that room has a lot of empty chairs in it!
How about Virgil Ave?
[…] headquarters during bike month; thanks to Cyclelicious for the heads-up. LADOT offers notes from the most recent BPIT meeting. Los Angeles is asking for money to extend the L.A. River bike path into the Sepulveda Basin. The […]