Mayor Eric Garcetti and Councilmen Paul Krekorian and Bob Blumenfield joined city officials and representatives of the cycling community to announce the results of a pilot program inspecting the city’s bike lanes. (photo courtesy of the L.A. Department of Public Works)

Mayor Eric Garcetti, Councilmen Paul Krekorian and Bob Blumenfield, and Board of Public Works vice president Teresa Villegas announced the completion on June 30 of a pilot program to inspect the pavement condition of the city’s bike lane network using electric bikes.

Utilizing four Cake brand electric mopeds loaned to the city by the  manufacturer, StreetsLA staff inspected the entire 1,100 mile street bike lane network over the past three months. The concept of inspecting bike lane pavement condition on two wheels originated with Krekorian, 2nd District, chair of the council’s Budget and Finance Committee.

“This year, we’ve invested $4 million in resurfacing bike lanes – equivalent to 21 bike lane miles – and we’ll be making that investment again in the coming fiscal year,” Krekorian said. “Using electric bikes to inspect our bike lanes gives us a more accurate assessment of where resurfacing is needed. This serves our goal of providing Angelenos with a safe, sustainable mobility option while honoring our commitment to a zero-emissions target for city vehicles.”

“If we want Angelenos to get out of their cars, we need to give them real alternatives to driving – and that starts with improving the quality of our streets and services,” Garcetti said “This program from StreetsLA showed us exactly where our bike network needs attention – paving the path to higher quality lanes, greater accessibility and future programs that can use this pilot as a blueprint for success.”

The innovative zero-emissions inspection program took place on weekends, and an average of 18 asphalt repairs were identified each time. Those asphalt repairs were completed the following week under the StreetsLA pothole repair program. Inspecting pavement using two-wheeled vehicles helped identify defects that could cause problems for cyclists.

“As a cyclist, I understand the modes of transportation are changing in our city, and because there are many more of us on our roads, it is important to enhance the safety throughout Los Angeles,” Villegas added. “Using gas free vehicles to do this inventory shows our commitment in moving toward zero emissions in multiple facets.”