For years, residents surrounding the Slauson Avenue Corridor between La Brea and Angeles Vista have argued that the sad looking street needs an upgrade. What form that upgrade takes is up to debate, some residents want the street changed to allow more cars to move through the corridor while most others want to see the four lane road improved to allow for a better environment for all users.
County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas has taken a lead roll in the debate. The Supervisor has held a series of community meetings to take ideas directly to residents and created an online survey on the six options that were presented at the meetings for people to give some feedback online. A presentation given at an October 2011 meeting can be viewed, here.
The leading alternative in the online survey, alternative D-1, is the only one that has a "Class II" bike lane and currently garners 36% of the online support. The next closest option includes a bike route and as 22%. The two options that include no new bike facilities combine for only 5% of the vote. You can see the current survey results, here.
"This is an area that has been clearly overlooked," says Dan Rosenfeld, the transportation director for Ridley-Thomas. "There are passionate people on both sides, and the poll has been a way to help bridge that gap."
Such a survey is hardly scientific, but it does show support for a more progressive bike facility on the street than what is called for in the L.A. County Draft Bike Plan which calls for a "bike route" on Slauson Ave. A bike route designation can be earned with little more than adding small green signs with a picture of a bike and the words "bike route." L.A. City Bike Coordinator Michelle Mowery has called the designation "useless" if it doesn't mean more than placing a few hard-to-see signs along the street.
"If this is what the community supports it would be great to have Supervisor Ridley-Thomas ensure that this project is listed as a class 2 instead of class 3 in the bike plan and considered under the concurrent bike plan EIR," writes Alexis Lantz with the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition. "We've been in touch with the Supervisor's Office about this project because the Bike Plan heads back to the County Planning Commission next week."
The Planning Commission will meet on Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at 9:00 A.M. in the Hall of Records; Room 150 at 320 West Temple Street in Downtown Los Angeles.
