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There are new protected bike lanes on First Street extending from Boyle Heights to Little Tokyo. Right now, the project is only on the westbound lane, heading into downtown.
The new lane extends 0.6-mile from Mission Road to Alameda Street. On the First Street Bridge, the lanes have a wide buffer - perhaps a sign that some protection is coming soon? West of the bridge, the lanes are protected by plastic bollards. The facility includes a bus-boarding island near Alameda.
Regional Connector test train running in the middle of First Street - new protected bike lane on the rightRegional Connector test train running in the middle of First Street - new protected bike lane on the right
The new bike lane runs along a proposed transit-oriented joint development that would be on two properties, one (the new Little Tokyo Station) owned by Metro and the other (a larger parcel north of First and east of Alameda) owned by the city of Los Angeles. This week, the Metro board is expected to approve an item [Metro staff report] that would put an agreement in place for the city to proceed with a joint-development process for both sites. An earlier joint development proposal (for just the Metro site) failed to proceed due to Little Tokyo opposition.
Metro and L.A. City sites for proposed combined joint developmentMetro and L.A. City sites for proposed joint development
New concepts for rapid bus service across the 626 have ironed out the questions of where an East-West route would run and where demonstrations could begin.
Metro and Caltrans eastbound 91 Freeway widening is especially alarming as it will increase tailpipe pollution in an already diesel-pollution-burdened community that is 69 percent Latino, and 28 percent Black