DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES –\u00a0Only Mother Nature was indifferent to the
\nnew 1.5-mile Spring Street bike lane. As city crews laid down the
\npath in advance of the Monday, Nov. 21, opening, heavy rain washed
\naway patches of the electric green paint.<\/p>\n
But the weather didn’t dampen the excitement of Downtown
\ncyclists. Riders hardly waited for the street to dry before taking
\ntheir two-wheelers to the path that runs from Cesar Chavez Avenue
\nto Ninth Street.<\/p>\n
Some saw the creation of the lane, along with another new
\n1.6-mile green bike lane in Boyle Heights, as a move away from Los
\nAngeles’ reputation as a car-crazed city where pedestrians and
\ncyclists are second-class citizens of the road.<\/p>\n
“We want to flip that on its head to say this is a
\nbike-friendly, a pedestrian-friendly city,” said 14th District City
\nCouncilman Jos\u00e9 Huizar.<\/p>\n
The next step will come in January, when the Department of
\nTransportation extends the lane south of Ninth Street, so that it
\nruns two ways on Main Street to Venice Boulevard, said Tim Fremaux,
\na DOT project manager.<\/p>\n
Later in 2012, the department plans another green lane traveling
\nnorthbound on Main Street between Ninth Street and Cesar Chavez
\nAvenue, mirroring the Spring Street lane, he said. After that,
\nplans call for lanes on Figueroa and Flower streets.<\/p>\n
The paths are delighting cyclists such as Mundo Quezada, a bike
\nmessenger who summed up his reaction to the Spring Street lane in a
\nsingle word.<\/p>\n
“Awesome,” he said.<\/p>\n
The lane may not, however, win universal support in Downtown.
\nSome stakeholders questioned whether the progressive, eye-catching
\ngreen paint is appropriate in the Historic Core, where the
\narchitecture is distinctly vintage. Others fear that eliminating a
\nlane for cars will pile up traffic and slow commutes.<\/p>\n
“I don’t know about the bike lane because it’s Downtown, and
\ntraffic can be crazy,” said Rafael Ibaarra, a security guard who
\nstood outside a Spring Street bank last Monday. “This morning,
\nthere was more traffic.”<\/p>\n
If cars are moving slower and more cautiously, well, that’s sort
\nof the point, said Valerie Watson, who spearheaded the project for
\nthe Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council.<\/p>\n
Watson said the lane would “transform a raceway into a
\nneighborhood street.” She also predicted that the lane, which is
\nset off from car traffic by a four-foot buffer area, would cut down
\non the number of people who ride on sidewalks, making them safer
\nfor pedestrians.<\/p>\n
Downtown resident Alex Baker, who does not ride a bike, is among
\nthe chorus of supporters.<\/p>\n
“I was raised partially in Amsterdam,” he said. “I’m for less
\ncars and more bikes. And, I kind of dig the green.”<\/p>\n