With All Eyes on L.A., Villaraigosa Signs New Bike Parking Ordinance

Moments ago, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa signed a new bicycle parking ordinance into law which requires more bicycle parking at new developments and even allows a small swap of car parking for bike parking in certain approved development plans. The ordinance was on the verge of being signed last year before a series of small technical changes were added and the legislation had to go back through the City Council Committee structure.

"The city is undergoing a transportation renaissance and we are changing the way Los Angeles moves," said Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, before signing the bill. “We have made unprecedented investments in the city’s bike infrastructure, with more bikeways and bike parking spaces than any time in the city’s history. The bicycle parking ordinance is another step in making it easier for Angelenos to navigate the city on two wheels.”

The ordinance  goes into effect on March 13, 2013.

Under the new law, up to 30% of auto parking can swapped for bicycle parking within a commercial nonresidential  project and 15% of auto parking can be swapped within a residential project that is near a major bus or transit station.  This could be particularly crucial for the transit oriented developments that pop up as a result of the new train lines that are coming online as a result of Measure R.

The ordinance also provides a mechanism to add more bike corrals to city streets.   These on-street public bicycle parking spaces offer an opportunity to provide ample bicycle parking without taking up pedestrian space on sidewalks. Bike corrals have been proven to increase bicycle usage in areas where they are installed, as they encourage residents to travel by bicycle around their neighborhoods to do their shopping and errands.  

The corral at Cafe De Leche in Northeast L.A. was part of a pilot program that was succesful enough that the LADOT and City Planning are comfortable enough to let them flourish city-wide. Recently, LADOT announced that they have funding for more bike corrals and want businesses to apply to get one in front of their establishment.

"What is also noteworthy about the Bicycle Parking Ordinance is the collaborative effort that took place between my office, the LACBC, the UCLA Urban Planning Graduate Program and of course our partners in City Planning and LADOT who all came together to make this happen with such scarce resources at our disposal," writes Bill Rosendahl, Chairman of the City Council Transportation Committee. "A big thanks to former LACBC Policy Director Alexis Lantz and especially Rye Baerg, MA Urban Planning, UCLA, who took this project on as a graduate student."