Currently, state law prohibits bicyclists from riding their bikes in a crosswalk. But, LA Department of Transportation is here to make a change for safety...At the LADOT Bikeways Division's recommendation, the L.A. City Council has adopted (as part of their State Legislative Program) a motion to support & sponsor "legislation amending the Vehicle Code to authorize the operation of bicycles in crosswalks subject to local ordinances, as recommended by the Los Angeles Department of Transportation and the California Bicycle Advisory Committee." The full recommendation is here. They approved it last week (5/5/06), and it now awaits the signature of the mayor.
(See, the City Charter adopted in 1999 gives all of the City's lobbying power to the Mayor's office. The Mayor has permanent staff in both Sacramento and Washington, D.C., to push forward the City's agenda.)
photo: flickr.com
3 comments:
Thanks for what? Mixing pedestrians and bicycles is dangerous for both.
All talk of the safety of mixing cyclists and pedestrians aside, I think that this law isn't such a bad idea.
Reading the analysis that is linked to, the intent of this motion is to help clarify legal and illegal actions a cyclist may take.
I don't think that bicyclists should face a traffic ticket for riding in a crosswalk. In Los Angeles it is legal (but not wise) to ride your bicycle on the sidewalk. This law is a logical extension of that priveldge.
This is a bad thing - bikes should either be walked, or driven with traffic. Multiple studies done in Europe have demonstrated on that bikes operated in seperate, divided lanes (basically a bike lane with a divider between it and automotive traffic) or on sidewalks/crosswalks are more likely to be involved in accidents than bikes ridden alongside car traffic.
This change means that even more riders will be dropping leaving sidewalks into crosswalks at full speed, which is an invitation to preventable accidents.
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