Will and Spencer are talking about the cons of in-street bike lanes (Class 2 bike paths). Sadly, this is not a new problem. As far back as Los Angeles had cars, buggies, trolleys and interurbans, the battle between bike space and other vehicle space has been an issue. Look no further than this clip from Edison in 1898 - even 110 years ago bike lanes in the street were a challenge.
The issue is: where is there space - today - to build out the appropriate level of bikepaths that are separate and functional?
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The issue is: where is there space - today - to build out the appropriate level of bikepaths that are separate and functional?
This same line is used time and again by transit professionals in Los Angeles County: "Where is the space for bike lanes?"
The answer: remove car lanes. On 6 or 7 lane highways to say that there is "no room" is a cop out, or an unimaginative mind at work.
There is plenty of room on our roadways. Perhaps more room than in any other region on the planet. Travellers to this region comment on how wide our roads are.
What is lacking in L.A. is political will to change backwards policies of funding and measuring the success of roadway construction. Our current policies create automobile congestion, and they sacrifice travel by any other mode, clean air, and higher retail sales tax revenue to offer up more room for private automobiles.
If walking, bicycling, and taking the bus are "transportation", then they need to be counted as such when roadway projects are being selected by the MTA, CalTrans, and local DOTs. Currently, a bus carrying 50 people is counted as a single vehicle, and increasing the speed of vehicle traffic on a street has been determined to be a bonus for air quality. Bicycles and pedestrian traffic don't even get counted!
We have plenty of space for bicycles in L.A. The MTA's 2004 survey of bicyclists showed that the majority of bicycle trips take place on arterials that have no amenities for cyclists.
To increase the number of cyclists, we need to start counting them as the equal of autmobile drivers. The same goes for transit riders and pedestrians.
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