Streetsblog Los Angeles

New bike lanes on Cahuenga Boulevard in Hollywood - among the 12 new miles of bike lanes implemented in late 2011.

The good news: the city of Los Angeles is implementing more bike lanes than ever before. From July 2011 through December 2011, the city of Los Angeles has implemented 12.5 miles of new bike lanes. This is by far the highest total for any six-month period since at least 1996, and probably the most ever. For the past decade or so, the city has averaged roughly two-to-three miles of new bike lanes every six months.

The bad news: according to Streetsblog’s accounting, despite the stepped-up efforts, the city is not quite on track to fulfill Mayor Villaraigosa’s directive “to build 40 miles of bikeways a year” beginning with Fiscal Year 2011-2012.

After the jump, this article will enumerate just what new bikeway mileage has been done, and how the city may be able to get the 40 new bikeways pledged.

First some background. Read more…

Photo of the new Sharrows on Arden: Joe Anthony/Bike Commute News

Last weekend, in an impressive display of what LADOT can do on city streets when it puts its mind to it, 4 teams of LADOT employees spread out throughout the city and placed 803 Sharrows over 20.61 miles of city streets.

LADOT caused some controversy when it announced it would include these Sharrows as part of its commitment to “40 miles of bike infrastructure every year.”  Including those Sharrows with other infrastructure, mostly bike lanes, that have been installed LADOT has installed 30.3 miles of bike facilities since the fiscal year started on July 1.

Starting last Friday night at 9:00 P.M., the first crew took to the streets with the last one starting at 2:00 A.M. on Saturday morning.  Crews worked around the clock until the 803′rd Sharrow was placed on the ground at 2:00 P.M. on Sunday.

LADOT lays out the case for Sharrows both at the LADOT Bike Blog and a Fact Sheet (available here) handed out at this morning’s CicLAvia press conference.  The Bike Blog adds that some Sharrows made the final list that weren’t on the original list in part so that there would be some Sharrows on the CicLAvia route. Read more…

Photos: Jonathan Weiss

When Jonathan Weiss emailed me two weeks ago announcing that Sharrows placeholders appeared on Motor Avenue, I didn’t think too much of it. After all, stencils marking a place for bike racks have been on the ground next to my Big Blue Bus stop for almost five months.

However, apparently LADOT contractors were working overtime again, because yesterday morning Weiss grabbed the above pictures while out on a Sunday morning Constitutional. He was greeted by these views cycling Southbound on Motor Avenue.  New Sharrows have already been spotted on Arden Ave.,  Fountain Avenue, Yucca Street and Vine Street in the Mid-/K-/Downtown areas.  If you see more Sharrows on the street, drop us a line and let us know.

Sharrows will appear on Motor Ave. right where that little arrow is...Photo: Jonathan Weiss

Earlier this week, Joe Linton noticed that marking were appearing on mid-town streets to mark the spot where Sharrows would be placed.  Linton is one of the harshest critics of the city’s attempts to jump off the Bike Plan to add Sharrows to city streets to reach the Mayor’s stated promise of 40 miles of bike projects every year for the next five.

Linton’s fellow Los Angeles Bicycle Advisory Committee Member Jonathan Weiss spotted Sharrows markings (the x and arrow designating where a Sharrow should go) along Motor Avenue on the Westside.  The quick takeaway is that LADOT is serious about getting these 20 miles of new Sharrowed streets on the ground as quickly as possible.

We should note that the same section of Motor Avenue that is going to receive the Sharrows is due to receive bike lanes in the Bike Plan that was passed in March of this year.  There is no timeline on when the Sharrows will be converted to Bike Lanes.  But in the meantime, the city that took almost eight years to implement its first Sharrows now seems to be embracing them with gusto.

After the unanimous passage of Safe and Healthy Streets, Bogart celebrates with staff and supporters. All pics via the LACBC's Glendae website.

There’s always a risk when an advocate is hired by a government agency.  Will the advocate “go native” and be an ineffective agent of change?  Will the advocate ever be able to shake his reputation of being “just” an advocate?

When the City of Glendale and the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition submitted a joint application for a Policies for Livable Active Communities and Environments (PLACE) Grant, they decided to go in a different direction then the other PLACE Communities.  While the end product of their grant is the Safe and Healthy Streets Document, perhaps the best case study for other cities is how the city, LACBC and the PLACE Grant Coordinator they both hired all worked together.

The team proposed that the PLACE Coordinator would work for the LACBC as an employee, but would be embedded full-time with city staff.  When Colin Bogart was hired to be the PLACE Coordinator, he worked out of an office in the Glendale Civic Center, not in Downtown Los Angeles in the LACBC offices.

“Even though he was physically removed from the office, it still didn’t feel like he was that far away,” remarked LACBC Executive Director Jennifer Klausner.  “Having a full time employee, dedicated to a particular place that isn’t the headquarters, can be hard for an organization.  But it never felt like he was that far away.”

It was a unique situation, even the grant makers in the L.A. County Public Health Department weren’t sure how it was going to work out.  But, three years later, the experiment was such a success that everyone I spoke with in Glendale to prepare for this series, from advocates, to city staff, all the way up to Mayor Laura Friedman were devastated to see Bogart go back to the LACBC’s Downtown offices when the grant expired on July 1 of this year.  I met with Glendale Mayor Laura Friedman two days before the grant expired and she claimed she was “in denial” that Bogart would be leaving soon.

One thing that made the PLACE Grant such a success in Glendale was that Bogart understood the advantages and limits of his somewhat unique position.  Unlike PLACE Coordinators in other cities, Bogart had direct access to the decision makers in Glendale’s government but could speak to advocates throughout the city as “one of them” and not a member of the city government.

There are several lessons that other cities, and advocacy groups can learn from Glendale, Bogart’s and the LACBC’s experience.  Here are some things to consider if you work for a city or non-profit that’s considering the embedded activist model for their city.

Lesson 1: Go with Someone You Can Trust Read more…

Expect to see a lot more of this in 2011 and beyond. LADOT has promised to quadruple the number of Sharrows on city streets. Photo: LACBC

Yesterday, we featured a headline by our Joe Linton that pretty harshly criticized an LADOT Bike Blog posting from Monday about the LADOT’s committment to increasing the number of Sharrows on L.A.’s streets.  We summarized Linton’s post into a couple of questions and sent them on to the LADOT to get some clarification.  After all, the city is promising 20 miles of Sharrowed streets to be completed in the next year…what could be wrong with that?

Scanning Linton’s article, Streetsblog boiled down his questions and complaints to three main questions.  Would the Sharrows count towards the city’s, and Mayor’s, commitment to 40 miles of infrastructure a year, even if some of the projects aren’t in the five year implementation plan?  If so, does this mean projects are coming off the list, or is this in addition to the original five year plan?  What about the streets that are scheduled for bike lanes, but also appear in the city’s Sharrow list?

Here is LADOT’s response.

Yes, it is the City’s intent to include sharrows as a part of the Mayor’s commitment to implement 40 miles of bikeways this fiscal year.  Some streets that receive the sharrow treatment are too narrow for bicycle lanes such as Fountain St. and Arden Bl., and in that case yes the sharrows will be a permanent solution.  For others the implementation of sharrows may be an interim measure to getting a permanent bicycle lane installed while the public and political will are collected in support of installing bicycle lanes as called for in the 2010 Plan. It may take some time to complete the public process for some projects.

The Bicycle Plan is clear about our commitment to make Los Angeles a bike-friendly city. Sharrows are one of several tools that will be used to get us to the goal. Sharrows are cost-effective treatments that can be installed quickly, as we continue to work toward major bikeway improvements detailed in the plan. In some cases the newly installed sharrows will be complemented with other traffic calming devices as appropriate and as funding is available for Bicycle Friendly Streets.

Read more…

Photo: Carter Rubin

Yesterday, Carter Rubin and I were in Northeast L.A. on our way to a meeting at Occidental College and we had a chance to stop in and visit with Josef Bray-Ali st the Flying Pigeon Bike Shop (see ad on the right).  I commented that the “D.I.Y. Sharrows” that appeared along some local streets connecting the Gold Line Station with Figueroa street were finally taken up.  LADOT had promised to remove the road markings when they were put up, one year and a couple of days ago, but Bray-Ali pointed out I was wrong.  “They’re still there, they’re just faded.”

And he’s right.  A quick trip down the block showed Sharrows as far as the eye could see.  While we could use this opportunity to roll our eyes at LADOT and Bureau of Street Services for not being organized enough to blast these Sharrows off the street, it provides a chance to reflect that our city has made some real strides towards livability.

When these Sharrows were put down, they weren’t just a slap in the face to the city for failing to follow through on their promise to bring Sharrows to Los Angeles, but also a challenge for the city to finally get serious about starting to make the city a safer place to bike.  While I wouldn’t say that LADOT or the city has embraced the challenge, a lot has happened since then.

Bike lanes have sprouted in South L.A., the San Fernando Valley and, last week, on York Boulevard just a couple of miles from where the D.I.Y. Sharrows sit.  While it’s still eye-rolling that they’re making Cafe de Leche’ pay for it themselves, the city agreed to let them “pilot” a bike corral.  Official Sharrows have popped up on six streets.  Heck, even the LAPD is starting to treat cyclists like human beings and not like kids playing with toys.  Last, while it’s far from perfect, the Give Me 3 campaign has been fun and increased visibility.

I’m not saying Los Angeles doesn’t have a long way to go to join Portland, Minneapolis, Long Beach, New York or San Francisco; but compared to the first two years Streetsblog published; 2010 has proved itself to be a year where some things were finally getting done.

And, cyclists didn’t have to do it all themselves.  Well, at least most of the time.

Westholme Blvd. Can you find where the Sharrow used to be?

Through the LADOT Bike Blog, we’ve gotten some answers as to what the heck happened on Westholme Boulevard, where a large portion of Sharrows were covered up last week.  Basically, there was a communication breakdown between the Bureau of Street Services, the same government body that physically installed the Sharrows in the first place, and the LADOT.  Further compounding the confusion, the Sharrows don’t yet appear on the Street Plan for Westholme because the Sharrows are part of a study.  The Bike Blog explains the significance:

The problem on Westholme is that Sharrows aren’t on the street plan yet. And no, Sharrows not being on the street plan is not part of a grand LADOT conspiracy to make sure Sharrows fail.

Sharrows aren’t yet on the street plan because they’re part of a test study.  When you get a marking put onto a street plan, it’s pretty serious.  Once it’s on the plan, it can take months to get that plan changed.  Since the recommended placement of Sharrows may change depending on the results of the test study, it would not make very much sense to put Sharrows on the street plan at 11 feet if LADOT Bikeways ends up recommending they be placed at 12 feet.

The Bike Blog has a big post on the subject of what happened on Westholme, and it’s also the place to go if you are looking for a comparison of a “repaving” vs a “slurry seal.”

But as for a timeline on when the Sharrows are coming back?  A nebulous “as soon as possible.”  Anyone want to place a bet on when that is?

Westholme and Le Conte, a formerly Sharrowed intersection.

Last night, UCLA Planner Madeline Brozen tweeted that the Westholme Sharrows, which have been on the street for nearly five weeks, have been partially removed after Westholme Avenue had been repaved.  The Sharrows used to stretch from the corner of Westholme and Wilshire Boulevard all the way to the UCLA Campus area, but after a repaving project north of Santa Monica Boulevard, the Sharrows have been covered by a layer of asphalt.

Angered reaction is already coming from the twitterverse and other advocacy groups.  While I was out photographing the street, The Transit Coalition wrote about the removal in their newsletter and wondered whether departments talk to each other.

Can you see the Sharrow? My camera's autofocus couldn't.

...but no criticism stung as much as that from the City Bureau of Street Services. Without even a whimper, the brand new Sharrows on Westholme Ave. were covered up when the street was resurfaced. Do these City Departments not talk to each other? (Silos are very popular at the City!)

Ironically, LADOTS Senior Bike Coordinator Michelle Mowery was unable to answer my query's about the Sharrow removal as she is currently in the field monitoring drivers and cyclists reaction to the Sharrows pilot program with a group of LACBC volunteers.  Naturally, that group of volunteers happens to include Brozen who surely has some questions for the Bike Coordinator. 

When we hear back from LADOT on a timeline to put the Sharrows back, well let you know.

Update: Michelle Mowery, the LADOT Senior Bikeway Coordinator responds: "We have confirmed that a section of the Shared Lane Marking (Sharrow) on Westholme north of Wilshire have been deleted with some sort of resurfacing project.  Westholme does not appear on any of the current resurfacing lists provided to LADOT from Public Works.  Rest assured the pilot project is continuing; today we are in the field doing the After test of the sharrow location on Westholme where the markings remain."

The first Sharrows on Fountain in Hollywood...Photo: LACBC/Flickr

Last month, when the City of Los Angeles finally began placing Sharrows on the streets of L.A., there were a chorus of cheers from the biking community.  The Los Angeles County Bike Coalition has fought hard, for years, for these Shared Lane Markings to be placed on the streets tweeted the news immediately and cyclists throughout the city celebrated.  But almost as quickly, complaints about the program began surfacing.  First at the blog Soap Box, written by activist Stephen Box, and then other places.  The charge?  That by placing the Sharrows a consistent 12 feet from the curb, instead of placing the Sharrows an equi-distance from the center-line, that the Sharrows are mis-placed and perhaps more dangerous than helpful.

As issues with the placement of the Sharrows has become accepted one within the community.  Even the LACBC, who has been the chief supporters of the project, have written to the LADOT asking for better care in placing these markings so as not to direct cyclists to drive in an uneven pattern or even to ride within the "door zone."

But this realization has led to a new debate: is criticizing the Sharrows project going to lead to LADOT scrapping the entire endeavor.  Remember, these six streets that have been selected for Sharrows are part of a pilot program.  In other words, if the LADOT decides the project is a failure, it could mean not only that more Sharrows aren't painted, but that the current ones are removed.  In other words, negative feedback from cyclists, even if it's just related to the city's failure to place the Sharrows correctly, could end up being a determining factor in the cancellation of the program.  Of course, given that the guerrilla Sharrows in Northeast L.A. are still there, five months after LADOT promised they would be removed; it's unlikely any paint is actually going to be taken off the road anytime soon.

As you would expect, the position that a bungled Sharrows program is worse than no program at all has been championed by Box.  Last week he attended the National Committee of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (NCUTCD) and he quotes the chair of their bicycle committee as saying:

"...the unintended consequences of an ill-advised and poorly executed Sharrows campaign are costly and dangerous."

Read more...