Eyes on the Street: Don’t Park in the Bus Lane

Westbound curb lane just east of Park View at 7:39 am. Photo: Dana Gabbard

One of the most common complaints of cyclists is that it is nigh impossible to get the LAPD to enforce bans on parking in the bicycle lane. However, thanks to Dana Gabbard we may have found an answer. L.A. just needs more bus only lanes, which are after all also “bike o.k.”

Gabbard, a long time contributor to Streetsblog L.A. and director of the Southern California Transit Advocates, snapped this picture this morning of a clean BMW about to be towed for parking in the Wilshire Bus Only Lanes just wast of Park View on the westbound side. Doubtless, the driver has already written an angry letter that will become a feature in L.A. Weekly.

However, It’s nice to see the city enforcing the parking ban and making a cleaner and easier commute for cyclists and pedestrians alike. Now let’s see them enforce it on all non mixed-use travel lanes.

  • Anonymous

    A satellite map shows that the street parking on Park View from Wilshire to 6th St is completely full. Maybe raising the price of parking on that block would eliminate the parking shortage and any need to park on Wilshire.

  • Anonymous

    tinyurl.com/l3cselt

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

If L.A. Is Going to Invest in Bike Lanes, Then Do It Right!

By Enci Box |
Bike Lanes are a deterrent for me to ride in and I oftentimes cringe when I hear people blindly supporting them without asking for enhanced safety standards and regulations. So when the LA Draft Bike Plan proposes Bike Lanes and Paths all over the city without taking into consideration what the people want, it upsets […]

Law-Breaking Drivers Disrespecting New Wilshire Boulevard Bus-Only Lanes

By Joe Linton |
On April 8, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and other Metro, federal, county, and city leaders cut the ceremonial ribbon opening the second phase of the $31.5 million Wilshire BRT (Bus Rapid Transit). Metro forecasted that the Wilshire Boulevard peak-hour bus-only lanes will significantly improve commute times for the more than 25,000 people who board Wilshire Boulevard buses at peak […]

Vision Zero 101: Bike Lanes Are Not Parking Spaces

By Sahra Sulaiman |
Tap tap tap. The parking enforcement officer looked up from his phone. When he rolled down his window, I smiled and asked politely about his having parked in the bike lane on Los Angeles Street. There was a long pause. “And?” he raised his eyebrows. Having only expected some, not total, disdain, I stuttered my […]

Report from Last Week’s DTLA Bike Sting

By Carlos Morales |
On Thursday, March 1, 2012, the LAPD Central Traffic Division deployed eight motorcycle officers to Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) in what was called a “Bike Lane Sting.”  The LAPD’s mission was to educate and issue traffic citations to motorist, cyclist and pedestrians whose actions infringed on the rules of the road.   The focus was on […]
At Figueroa and Expo, a bus island takes shape. Sahra Sulaiman/Streetsblog L.A.

Eyes on the Street: MyFig Slowly Coming to Fruition

By Sahra Sulaiman |
The effort to create better multimodal connections between Exposition Park, USC, L.A. Trade Tech, multiple transit lines, and Downtown via a combination of streetscape improvements, safety upgrades, and a mix of four lane miles of standard and buffered bike lanes and 2.6 lane miles of protected ones has been in the works since 2008.

Integrating Land Use and Transportation IV: Boulevard Zones

By Mark Vallianatos |
Last week, Streetsblog introduced a six-part series by Mark Vallianatos looking at how city leadership can start truly integrating land use and transportation in the six geographic zones he outlined: parks, hills, homes, boulevards, center and industry. First, he outlined the series and wrote about parks. Later, “The Hills”and “Homes Zone” got it’s turn. Each section […]