New roadway markings add a limit line and bicycle symbol for the bike lane
LADOT has recently added new roadway markings and signage to help improve a key bicycle crossing along Phase I of the Expo Line bikeway. The crossing occurs where Exposition Blvd. meets Rodeo Road, about 1.2 miles west of the University of Southern California and Expo Park. With the Expo Line expected to open April 28th, biking safely around the transit corridor cannot be stressed enough. When approaching this intersection from the east, be sure to watch for trains and adhere to all traffic and warning signals. If the light is red, be sure to stop behind the limit line (this will position you on-top of a loop detector, which alerts the traffic signal that a bicycle is present). When the train clears and the light turns green, follow the bike lane to cross the Expo Line tracks, which will continue along Exposition Blvd. heading east (check out a video from our ride on the Expo Line bikeway to see how you should navigate the crossing). More pictures of the intersection can be viewed in our flickr set.
The City of Los Angeles and the California Bicycle Coalition are teaming up once again with Senator Lowenthal (D – Long Beach) on a campaign to improve bicyclist safety statewide. Senate Bill (SB) 1464 is designed to overcome the shortcomings of its predecessor, SB-910, which last year was vetoed by Gov. Jerry Brown. Gov. Brown did recognize that the bill offered “some needed and clear improvements to the law”, but concerns raised by the California Highway Patrol and Caltrans ultimately swayed his decision to the negative. Opponents raised concerns over the 15 mph requirement for safe passing. which they felt could cause rear end collisions. Gov. Brown ended his explanation with a call for the authors, proponents, and opponents to send him a bill next year that would solve the problems; SB 1464 does just that. California is hoping to become the 20th State in the country to pass a safe passing distance law. With your help, we can make it a reality. Find out about the latest efforts to pass Give Me 3 on the CBC’s website. We’ll be sure to update you here on the LADOT Bike Blog when major developments occur.
The long-awaited report is finally here. A year after installation, the LADOT Bike Program has completed analysis of our in-depth study for Sharrows on the streets of Los Angeles. Overall, Sharrows were a resounding success in improving safe interactions between drivers and bicyclists on many different types of street with various conditions. For a look at the methodolgy used for our study, feel free to read up on our pre-installation Sharrows post.
But don’t take our word for it: take a look at the report for yourself. We also created a page tab (a drop-down from the “Sharrows” page tab) for a quick link to the study by itself. The report has already been submitted to SCAG and to the Mayor’s Office. We hope to move forward with a robust implementation of Sharrows on Bicycle Friendly Streets throughout the City and as a practical solution to gap closure between existing facilities on streets that cannot easily accommodate bike lanes.
Come below the fold, where we’ll do a quick rundown of the report’s results, and what it may mean for LA’s streets in the future.
(Ed. Note: With the forthcoming release of the LADOT Bike Program SLM (Shared Lane Marking) Study, the LADOT Bike Blog would like to take you back to the summer of 2010 and share with you the methodology of our Sharrow study. Confused? Check out our Sharrows 101 post or our Sharrows Page.)
Over three weeks in late May and early June of 2010, LADOT Bike Blog took part in pre-installation studies for the LADOT Shared Lane Marking (Sharrows) Study. The study documented the interactions between drivers and bicyclists when a bicyclist traveled at the position where Sharrows would later be installed. At the end of the summer, LADOT Bike Blog again took part in studying the interactions between drivers and bicyclists, this time with Sharrows in place. It all culminates with the release in the next few days of the LADOT Bicycle Program SLM report.
Newly installed Sharrows on 4th Street
While the LADOT Bike Blog will have another write-up on the results of the report (and what it means for Los Angeles’ streets), we first wanted to give you a look at the goals, the methods, and the standards we used for the Sharrow study.
We don’t just want Sharrows, we want Sharrows the right way. We’re happy to give you a look at how we got there.
In total, 11 speakers came up to speak on the Bicyclist Anti-Harassment Ordinance, and all but one were supportive of the ordinance. Afterwards, Council Members Koretz, Rosendahl, LaBonge, Garcetti, Reyes, and Cardenas all spoke in favor of the ordinance. Many important points were made by the council members and public speakers alike. Some of the highlights:
Council Member Koretz tried bicycling for the first time in 15 years during Carmageddon and was promptly harassed while on the road. This type of behavior, he correctly observed, is what keeps prospective riders from getting out on the streets.
Council Member Reyes made the argument that many of Los Angeles’ bicyclists have to do so because of economic necessity. Finding ways to protect them also protects their livelihoods and LA’s economy.
Attorney and bicyclist Ross Hirsch got the “visual aide award” for bringing his two sons up to the podium with him, urging the City Council to adopt the ordinance so that his sons might ride to school safely.
Council Member Garcetti imagined a day where instead of “Carmageddon”, we might have a “Cycletopia”.
In a clear example of who the ordinance would benefit, CM Tom LaBonge asked for everyone in council chambers who had ridden a bike in Los Angeles in the last month to stand. Over 90% of the room left their seats, making clear that this ordinance is a step in the right direction for everyone.
CM Cardenas lauded the efforts to “put teeth into the law”. He made clear that what the ordinance really addresses is the “so what?” attitude that a small number of drivers take towards the rights of bicyclists.
CM Rosendahl noted the precedent-setting nature of this ordinance. He pointed out that a lot of eyes around the nation are on Los Angeles right now, and we have the chance to inspire other cities to provide similar protections to their citizens.
The bike racks outside City Hall were well-used today
Update 1 : The Bicyclist Anti-Harassment Ordinance passed with a unanimous 12-0 vote at City Council. More details to come.
The Los Angeles City Council meets today at 10:00 AM and the Bicyclist Anti-Harassment Ordinance is scheduled for item #19. Since regular working folks won’t have the ability to attend today’s council meeting, we’re going to provide play-by-play at council by live-tweeting the proceedings from the BikeBlogChris twitter handle. We’re using the hashtags #bikeLA and #lamtg, so feel free to join in the conversation throughout the day.
We’ll leave you with one more excellent video put together by Bill Rosendahl’s office, this time interviewing Ted Rogers, the excellent author of the Biking in LA blog. We’ll have an update later today with the results of the council vote.
It’s finally here. After years of work by City staff and dedicated members of the public, it’s here. After months of council hearings and refining of legal language, it’s here. Just over a week from today, the City of Los Angeles has the opportunity to enact a truly groundbreaking ordinance for protecting Bicyclists’ rights and safety.
A vote on the Bicyclist Anti-Harassment Ordinance is scheduled for the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday, July 20th. You can read the latest draft of the ordinance here. We’ll be attending the meeting next week, and will be live-tweeting the proceedings from @BikeBlogChris.
We here at the LADOT Bike Blog just heard from our sources in City Hall that the precedent-setting Bicyclist Anti-Harassment Ordinance will go before the full City Council sometime in the next two weeks. Many bicyclists can relate harrowing stories of an out-of-control driver assaulting them simply for being on the road, and the ordinance scheduled to come before City Council aims to give bicyclists a tool to fight back against the daily harassment to which many have been subjected. With the coming vote at the California State Legislature for the “Give Me 3″ legislation, July is shaping up as a huge month for LA bicyclists.
Bicyclists from all over Los Angeles, all over Southern California, and all over the country should keep their eyes on this groundbreaking ordinance and support the City’s decision to provide bicyclists with tools to protect themselves on the road.
Turn out support this month to help LA join the vanguard of bicyclists' rights
