Los Angeles Dedicates its First Bike Corral

1:17 PM PST on February 18, 2011

This morning, a crowd of over a hundred people assembled to celebrate the opening of the city of Los Angeles' first bike corral. The event took place at the corner of York Boulevard and Avenue 50, in Highland Park - in front of Cafe de Leche and directly across from Bicycle Doctor.

Photo: ##http://yfrog.com/h7ztz2j##BevarUs/Flickr##

The city-installed corral was championed by City Councilmember Jose Huizar, who, at today's grand opening, proclaimed his support for Los Angeles overtaking Long Beach's leadership in becoming a truly bike-friendly city. Los Angeles Department of Transportation's Acting General Manager Amir Sedadi echoed the Councilmember's commitment to making the city bike-friendly. Sedadi announced that the city is applying for Metro Call for Projects funding to build at least 30 additional corrals throughout the city. Representatives from local businesses, and from bicycle advocacy groups C.I.C.L.E., LACBC, and CicLAvia also welcomed the new bike facility.

In responding to television reporters questions, LADOT's Sedadi stated that the York Boulevard bike corral cost between $3,000 and $4,000. The corral removes one car parking space, replacing it with ten bike parking spaces. The community campaign for the bike corral included a diverse coalition of local stakeholders, including business owners, property owners, chamber of commerce, neighborhood council, nearby Occidental College community members, C.I.C.L.E., LACBC, the Bike Oven, and many others. Alongside the recently-striped York Boulevard bike lanes, the brand new bike corral gives Highland Park locals a glimpse of what a bike friendly future looks like.