Bike Lane on Mission Shares Road With Auto Repair Shops, Freight Trucks. A Preview With Photos

The bike lane on Mission Road north of Cesar Chavez Avenue pass through multiple auto repair yards, and is heavily used by freight trucks. Kris Fortin/LAStreetsblog

About a month ago as I was passing Mission Road on the 7o Metro bus, and I had to do a double take when I saw the bike lane painted on the road. Mission Road between Cesar Chavez Avenue and Marengo Street is one of the busiest corridors because of its proximities to multiple freeways and its a heavily used route by freight trucks. It is also a route that gives the smoothest connection between Boyle Heights and the North East Los Angeles neighborhoods since it has a gradual incline and a wide road, as opposed to roads like Soto Street that are tight, windy and have multiple hills.

The Mission Road bike lane stretches north past Marengo Street, but I wasn’t able to see where it ends. I’ll be revisiting this bike lane and another one on Eighth Street, parallel to Wyvernwood and Estrada Courts, in the coming weeks for a fuller report.

Poured Asphalt makes the gutter a smoother ride than riding directly over the bike lane. Kris Fortin/LAStreetsblog
Starting from Marengo Street headed South on Mission Road, the lane is uneven from poured asphalt and has trash left on the sidewalk. Kris Fortin/LAStreetsblog
Sidewalk heading South on Mission Road. The sidewalks are overgrown and bulge from its trees on the westside of Mission Road. Kris Fortin/LAStreetsblog
Kris Fortin/LAStreetsblog
About the last quarter mile of the bike lane headed south on Mission Road was paved and smooth. Kris Fortin/LAStreetsblog

 

Buses entering at this Cesar Chavez Avenue and Mission Road stop cross through the bike lane. Kris Fortin/LAStreetsblog
The bike lane headed north is almost completely paved, but passes by multiple auto repair stores, a Metro facility, and the Interstate 5 and 10 freeway entrances on its right side. Kris Fortin/LAStreetsblog
Kris Fortin/LAStreetsblog
Around 4 p.m., of the six cyclists I saw pass by, half of them road on the sidewalk. And in comparisson to the other side of the street, the eastside sidewalk of Mission road is wide, and even. Kris Fortin/LAStreetsblog

 

 

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