Eyes on the Street: Metro Installed New Bollard Protection on First Street Bike Lane

A couple of blocks of new plastic bollards might not look like much, but it just might mean that Metro and LADOT are planning to make good on missing bike/walk connections to Metro's new subway stations

By Joe Linton

2:30 PM PDT on September 15, 2023

Metro recently added new bollard protection to the eastbound bike lane on First Street. Photos by Joe Linton/Streetsblog

It looks like Metro is beginning to make good on improving first/last mile bike facilities that were supposed to link Metro riders with new Regional Connector stations. In the last few weeks, Metro added new plastic bollard protection to the eastbound bike lane on First Street between Alameda Street and Vignes Street, just east of Metro's new Little Tokyo Station.

Streetsblog and LADOT (L.A. City Department of Transportation) noted the installation of the unprotected bike lane after Metro installed it in late 2022. After the Regional Connector subway opened in May, Streetsblog reported that Metro omitted and downgraded several planned station bike/walk connections, while Metro Connector project construction widened roads and added new car lanes and new parking for drivers. Advocates urged Metro and the city to fix the missing first/last mile facilities, including several places where bikeway protection had been omitted.

Could the new bollard protection on First Street be an early step in Metro and LADOT making good on planned Regional Connector first/last mile safety improvements? Time will tell.