Comments on: Every Street is a Bike Route

By: Cory

Cory — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 19:24:29 +0000

A Bike Route offers very little on it’s own, in fact the green signage is often overlooked by motorists. I would probably rather see a Share the Road sign in it’s place or included with it. At least the yellow warning sign is a bit more visible. Ultimately, a stand alone Bike Route offers very little value. However, when used with other traffic calming treatments and some street markings (Sharrows) a Bike Route classifcation can be much more effective.

By: David

David — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:08:44 +0000

Amen to your statement that “The 405 Freeway is probably safer than Sepulveda Blvd.” I used to use Sepulveda to commute to work and, given the choice, I would have prefered to ride the wide shoulder of the 405 (with its slower traffic speeds) through the pass.

The widening project currently on Sepulveda in the pass will only make it MORE dangerous. A bike lane is being added from Bel Air Crest to Skirball northbound and a wider shoulder southbound along the same stretch of road. Unfortunately the most dangerous parts of the route lie south of Bel Air Crest. Another example of lulling a cyclist into a false sense of security with a wide shoulder and then dumping him/her onto one of the most dangerous roads in the area with no escape or alternative.

By: Dorothy Le

Dorothy Le — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:03:32 +0000

I’m looking forward to reading next week’s post.

By: The Friendinator

The Friendinator — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 09:17:09 +0000

Also, in the second pic in this post, where the question of “What’s the difference?, is posed; is it possible the “End” sign fell off of the “Bike Route” sign? I typically see the “End” part posted on a separate, small placard. Perhaps the Bike Route ends their, and the Bike Lane begins? Or perhaps the two co-exist, meaning you can ride in the lane within the street, or on the route on the sidewalk? The sidewalk does look perfect for designating to cyclists…not too likely it’ll be flooded with peds like 5th Ave. New York. lol And not too likely a car will jam out of a driveway…as there doesn’t seem to be any driveways anywhere near…

By: The Friendinator

The Friendinator — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 09:11:23 +0000

Ya’ know? I was always led to believe that Bike Route signs indicate that the sidewalk is designated as a bike route, not the street, meaning, bikes off the street; peds and bikes share the particular stretch of road, until the “Bike Route End” sign appears, at which point, bikes go back into the road. Funny thing is, I have no recollection of when and why i began feeling that way. I will say that, being as I see Bike Route signs and enter the sidewalk when I do, they tend to be on stretches that tend not to have any driveways and that are usually not safe-looking for bikes. At times they only span for a block or two, whereas at other times, they span for miles.

I will say that here in Torrance, CA, we have several Bike Routes, one large one of which is along a major road (Sepulveda Blvd., from Crenshaw to approximately Madrona, sidewalk on the south side of the street). The sidewalk on that stretch, which has clear “Bike Route” and “End Bike Route” signs posted even has a broken yellow line painted down the middle (like on the beach pike “path”), It spans for about a mile.

That said, I think I’ll call my local police department tomorrow and find out what those signs are intended to mean. This post has me thinking…maybe I’ve been wrong all this time…

By: Chris

Chris — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 22:08:40 +0000

I rode from Echo Park to Westwood five day a week for almost a year and tried a number of routes (Sunset, Santa Monica, Wilshire, Beverly, side streets). You’d be surprised at how accommodating Olympic Blvd is for bicycles. It may be wider and faster for cars, but that makes it easier for cars to get around you. I don’t know if that is coincidental to its designation as a Bike Route or not…