The City of Los Angeles has been a leader and pioneer on many issues, but being a bike-friendly city has not historically been one of them. The city developed 373 miles of bikeways from 1977 to 2010, a figure that mayor Antonio Villaraigosa found embarrassing.

City officials and cycling enthusiasts gathered on the steps of L.A. City Hall Wednesday to announce the passage of a new bike plan. (photo by Rafael Guerrero)

“Three-hundred and seventy three miles over thirty-two years is not something to brag about,” Villaraigosa said.

But all of that is about to change as the Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved a new master plan Tuesday that aims to add more than 1,600 miles of bike paths, lanes and routes throughout the city. The plan was a joint effort by Los Angeles’ Department of City Planning, Department of Transportation (LADOT), members of a multi-agency technical advisory committee and the city’s consultant team.

“A lot of people came together to make this happen,” said Bruce Gillman, spokesperson for LADOT. “The planning department took the lead and LADOT provided expertise and a lot of engineering and design elements to the plan.”

Villaraigosa, who broke his elbow in a bicycling accident last summer, was one of many who jumped on board to support the bike plan, and he acknowledged the vast amount of work and cooperation that went into developing the plan.

“Long before my accident, many were already working collectively to make riding a bike in L.A. as easy as learning to ride one,” Villaraigosa said.

The cost of the plan during the first five years is estimated at $24 million and could total $235 million by the time the plan is finished. City planner Claire Bowin said the plan will receive $15 million for the first five years in funds collected through Measure R, the 2008 sales tax increase used to fund transportation projects across the county. She added that they did not have a concrete source for the rest of the money, but it would likely come from fundraisers or other means.

Gillman said there were close to 30 community meetings held over the last 13 months to get input from residents on the plan.

Jeff Jacobberger, chair of the Mid-City West Council and a member of the city’s Bicycle Advisory Committee, was pleased that the city was taking steps to make Los Angeles more bike-friendly.

“It’s a more ambitious plan than any previous plans,” Jacobberger said. “It’s important to recognize the need for more lanes on major streets for experienced riders, as well as neighborhood streets for other riders.”

Jacobberger said the Mid-City West Council held five or six meetings with organizers of the bike proposal and members of the community that focused on significant details, as well as several other meetings that served as progress reports.

Jacobberger added that bikeways were planned for local roadways such as Martel Street, Rosewood Avenue and San Vicente Boulevard but a final decision has not been reached.

The plan garnered support from many local bicycle organizations, such as the Bicycle Advisory Council, and local leaders including Villaraigosa and 4th District City Council candidate Stephen Box.

“This plan was a long time coming,” Box said. “This is a victory for the cycling community and is a very powerful and significant first step.”

Box was a victim of a hit-and-run while riding his bike on Jefferson Boulevard, and was nearly run off the road by a bus on another occasion.

“Our streets are mean,” Box said. “I was lucky enough to get through that, but others aren’t so lucky.”

The plan calls for the city to commit to building at least 200 miles of new bikeways every five years for the next 35 years, eventually resulting in a network of interconnected bikeways that will span 1,680 miles throughout the city. The network will be split into three different sections designed to make bike riding a real option for every level of bike rider. The backbone of the network will focus on making more of the city’s main streets, like Figueroa Street and Wilshire Boulevard, safer and accessible for experienced bike riders, and will give them alternative routes to commute.

“The backbone idea in this plan brings city services together for safer streets for everyone regardless of their mode of transportation,” Box said.

The neighborhood network will focus on adding bicycle lanes or routes to residential areas and encourages children and casual bike riders to cycle around the neighborhood. The “green” network would put more paths in other areas away from city streets, like the paths at the Los Angeles River that are used by bike riders to travel across long distances.

“Different types of bicyclists need different kinds of bike facilities,” Bowin said. “With this plan we recognize we need to address many different needs.”

During the initial five-year implementation plan, officials will focus on closing gaps in the current network of bikeways and prioritize locations where the bulk of bike riders commute. An implementation team will be formed from members of the L.A. Planning Department, LADOT, the city council and others who will work through details of adding lanes, and which neighborhood streets have the required width to accommodate a new bike lane.

“There’s going to be a lot of work involved in just getting these first 200 miles built,” Bowin said. “It’s going to be a long process and I’m confident we will get it done.”

For information, visit www.labikeplan.org.