DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES – Only Mother Nature was indifferent to the
new 1.5-mile Spring Street bike lane. As city crews laid down the
path in advance of the Monday, Nov. 21, opening, heavy rain washed
away patches of the electric green paint.
But the weather didn’t dampen the excitement of Downtown
cyclists. Riders hardly waited for the street to dry before taking
their two-wheelers to the path that runs from Cesar Chavez Avenue
to Ninth Street.
Some saw the creation of the lane, along with another new
1.6-mile green bike lane in Boyle Heights, as a move away from Los
Angeles’ reputation as a car-crazed city where pedestrians and
cyclists are second-class citizens of the road.
“We want to flip that on its head to say this is a
bike-friendly, a pedestrian-friendly city,” said 14th District City
Councilman José Huizar.
The next step will come in January, when the Department of
Transportation extends the lane south of Ninth Street, so that it
runs two ways on Main Street to Venice Boulevard, said Tim Fremaux,
a DOT project manager.
Later in 2012, the department plans another green lane traveling
northbound on Main Street between Ninth Street and Cesar Chavez
Avenue, mirroring the Spring Street lane, he said. After that,
plans call for lanes on Figueroa and Flower streets.
The paths are delighting cyclists such as Mundo Quezada, a bike
messenger who summed up his reaction to the Spring Street lane in a
single word.
“Awesome,” he said.
The lane may not, however, win universal support in Downtown.
Some stakeholders questioned whether the progressive, eye-catching
green paint is appropriate in the Historic Core, where the
architecture is distinctly vintage. Others fear that eliminating a
lane for cars will pile up traffic and slow commutes.
“I don’t know about the bike lane because it’s Downtown, and
traffic can be crazy,” said Rafael Ibaarra, a security guard who
stood outside a Spring Street bank last Monday. “This morning,
there was more traffic.”
If cars are moving slower and more cautiously, well, that’s sort
of the point, said Valerie Watson, who spearheaded the project for
the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council.
Watson said the lane would “transform a raceway into a
neighborhood street.” She also predicted that the lane, which is
set off from car traffic by a four-foot buffer area, would cut down
on the number of people who ride on sidewalks, making them safer
for pedestrians.
Downtown resident Alex Baker, who does not ride a bike, is among
the chorus of supporters.
“I was raised partially in Amsterdam,” he said. “I’m for less
cars and more bikes. And, I kind of dig the green.”
Contact Ryan Vaillancourt at ryan@downtownnews.com.