A quick update on yesterday's Northridge West Neighborhood Council meeting from Los Angeles Bike Advisory Committee Chair Glenn Bailey.
After Bailey and the Biking in L.A. announced that the LADOT was planning on removing the Reseda Boulevard bike lane and street parking to increase road capacity; there was a hastily scheduled effort to turn out cyclists at last night's Northridge Neighborhood Council meeting. The president of the Neighborhood Council had sponsored a resolution supporting the plan, but ended up voting against any action to remove bike lanes or street parking. Bailey reports on what occurred at the meeting:
Last night we drew a line in the sand, that line being ResedaBoulevard. Last night, with very little advance notice, over sixtybicyclists, homeowners, residents, and stakeholders unanimously took astand against DOT's secret plan to install "peak hour lanes" on Reseda,thereby removing existing -- and precluding future planned -- bicyclelanes. Together we convinced the Northridge West Neighborhood Councilto reject the motion of its own president supporting peak hour lanes!
Wehave taken the first step to build a strong coalition with ResedaBoulevard homeowners, residents, apartment building managers, businessowners, and other stakeholders. This effort has just begun, and itwon't be easy. Fighting City Hall never is. But that will make ourultimate victory that much more significant.
No Glenn, it never is. As we've seen with the Pico-Olympic Plan and the "Traffic Calming in Westwood" controversy; the LADOT only considers community support essential until it's proven that they don't have it. Then the "silent majority" of car commuters that use the road are the people's who's theoretical concerns take precedence.
