L.A. City Council Officially Alters Access
By Kelly Hartog
Just over a year ago the Los Angeles City Council approved Mobility Plan 2035, designed to reconfigure some of the city’s streets that would make them safety zones for cars, buses, pedestrians, and cyclists alike.
The plan called for bike and bus-only lanes as part of that all-inclusive, safer, friendlier vision.
However, earlier this month, the Council voted to nix the much-anticipated bike lanes on Central Avenue in South Los Angeles, and the one that was slated to run along Westwood Boulevard in Westwood. Instead, the City will now add bike lanes on Avalon Boulevard in South LA and in Westwood a bike lane will be added to Gayley Avenue.
KPCC reported that the new routes will “appease critics who said bike lanes on Central and Westwood would “disrupt traffic too much.”
Response to the new announcement has been mixed. Bike activists are not happy with the decision. Brian Moller, with the L.A. County Bike Coalition told KPCC, “It’s a disappointment for sure. I think identifying alternatives is a good next step.”
However, Westwood resident Laura Lake said, “Substituting Gayley for Westwood Boulevard keeps the 60,000 daily bus riders moving on Westwood. Gayley is safer for cyclists. It’s a good compromise.”
This latest development is just one in a series of ongoing trials and tribulations. The Mobility Plan, which is supposed to address transportation issues over the next three decades has been fraught with opposition and lawsuits over the past year.
The City Council still needs to approve funding for the project before any of the plans can be implemented.