Skip to Content
Streetsblog Los Angeles home
Log In
Bicycling

Eyes on the Street: the Ongoing Humiliation of the Spring Street Bike Lanes

9:56 AM PDT on September 23, 2013

As we reported last week, the dangerousification of Spring Street is in full swing these days. With the City Council mandated water blasting of the Green Buffered Bike Lane completed, advocates wait for the city to install its completely untested, but less expensive, new paint design.

But while we wait for the city to make good its pledge, the Spring Street Green Buffered Bike Lane has actually become one of the more dangerous places in the city to bicycle.

Anecdotally, cyclists have complained that the lane is rough, gravelly in places, because of the water blasting. A city employee, who asked not to be named for fear of retribution, recounted via email that a driver cut him off. When he complained was told by the person behind the wheel that the city removed the bike lane.

And of course, the Green Buffered Bike Lane is now being used as a parking lane as shown in the pictures to the right. After all, if the city doesn't respect the lane, despite its safety and economic benefits, why should anyone else?

If anyone wants to thank city leadership for their role in helping L.A. become the first city in the country to un-paint a green bike lane, or maybe encourage them to get serious about putting down the unproven design they approved, contact the Film and Television Industry's City Council Member and Mayor at tom.labonge@lacity.org and mayor.garcetti@lacity.org.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog Los Angeles

Metro September 2023 Board Committee Round-Up: C Line, 91 Freeway Widening, and More

Transit ridership and freeway funding are up. $14 million for MicroTransit was postponed. South Bay C Line extension draws both controversy and support. Law enforcement, Taylor Swift, bus lanes, and more!

September 23, 2023

Input Meetings Starting This Weekend for Ballona Creek “Finish the Creek” Extension Study

Learn more and give your ideas for extending the Ballona Creek bike/walk path upstream through Culver City and into Mid-City Los Angeles

September 21, 2023

Guest Opinion: Metro Should Treat Walk and Bike Projects with the Respect They Deserve

Prioritizing true first mile/last mile infrastructure isn’t somehow optional; it’s how your customers get to and from the transit stations.

September 21, 2023
See all posts