Downtown LA
Streetsblog LA
Report from Last Week’s DTLA Bike Sting
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 bike lanes violations. The task force deployed along both the green striped bike lane on Spring Street and soon to be striped Main Street.
March 8, 2012
Editorial: It Ain’t Easy Bein’ L.A.’s Green Bike Lane
The Los Angeles Times ran an editorial earlier this week entitled L.A.'s bike lane blooper. While the Times was generally supportive of L.A. City bike plan implementation, it did come out against green bike lanes in downtown Los Angeles stating that "the green lane spoiled the shots that made Spring the perfect stand-in for Anytown, USA."
February 16, 2012
Cyclists Weigh in on Spring Street Green Buffered Bike Lane
The poor Spring Street Green Buffered Bike Lane. The first "outside the box" bike project in Los Angeles has come under fire from just about everyone for the peeling paint and tire tracks that dominate a portion of the lane. Even Midnight Ridazz hosts a thread entitled, "Green Lanes Are a Joke," although opinions ont eh lane are mixed. In order to bring some balance to the story, Streetsblog went out and found some actual riders of the lane to see what they had to say.
December 19, 2011
LADOT: Of Course We’re Going to Patch the Spring Street Green Lane
One week ago, LADOT and city politicians opened the Spring Street Green Buffered Bike Lane to a flock of media and the appreciative roar of the L.A.'s cycling community. One week later, cheers have turned to grumbling as the green paint has dissolved in areas, gotten blotchy in others and basially looks like Long Beach's Green Sharrowed Lane after a year of wear and tear from cars and bikes.
November 28, 2011
LADOT Reveals Designs for Spring Street Buffered Bike Lane
Via the LADOT Bike Blog comes a first look at the Spring Street Buffered Bike Lanes planned for Downtown Los Angeles. Having spent some time this weekend on the "bike paths" on 3rd and Broadway in Downtown Long Beach this weekend, I can't tell you what a difference a buffer makes.
November 16, 2011
Art Walk Safety About More Than Food Trucks and Closed Streets
Last month, tragedy struck during the monthly Art Walk in Downtown Los Angeles when a dangerous driver jumped a curb, crashed into a parking meter and killed a seven week old infant. The tragedy shocked not just the Downtown and Art Walk communities, but the entire city. Advocates pointed out that when you have a situation where vehicular traffic is mixed with thirty thousand pedestrians in such a short space as the core of Art Walk, between 3rd and 7th on Spring Street.
August 10, 2011
L.A. Moves Closer to Bringing Streetcars Back. You Can Help Tomorrow Night
Tomorrow night, the L.A. Streetcar team and Metro will hold a public meeting to discuss what options will be studied for a new streetcar system for Downtown Los Angeles. There are seven options on the table, all of them serve a different need, and all of them will bring something new, or rather something old, back to the Downtown.
August 1, 2011
In Wake of Infant Death, Are Changes Coming to Art Walk?
At last week's Art Walk, the monthly event where downtown art galleries open their doors to the public for free, thousands of people gathered to walk through the Downtown. The event is changing the way people view Downtown Los Angeles, but last week, tragedy struck.
July 19, 2011
Note to City Council: Don’t Forget the Transportation Plan for the Stadium
By this point, its becoming clear that for City Officials, the transportation planning for the AEG stadium is a secondary issue for the politicians who will approve a deal with AEG, possibly within the next 45 days. While the Council is debating and discussing a lot of complicated issues, it's taking its eyes off the ball when it comes to transportation planning.
June 20, 2011