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Bicycle Lanes Planned for Figueroa, Flower, Spring and Main Streets

By Eric Richardson
Published: Wednesday, June 22, 2011, at 07:16AM

Eric Richardson / blogdowntown

Cyclists ride on 7th Street just west of Figueroa during Los Angeles' first Ciclavia in October of 2010.

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — Bicycle lanes could soon be coming to Downtown's Financial District and Historic Core, but just how cyclists and autos are going to share the road is still being worked out.

Within the next year, lanes should be headed to Figueroa between 7th and Cesar Chavez, Flower between 3rd and 7th, Spring between Cesar Chavez and 9th and Main between Cesar Chavez and Venice. According to a Tuesday presentation by the city's Department of Transportation, finalizing the design of those lanes and their impact on traffic will take more study.

The traffic studies have serious implications for when the lanes could show up on the street. If a short initial study shows that the addition of any lane would exceed allowable impacts on traffic, a full environmental review of the project would be required. That could take up to a year to complete.

Initially, the design team was studying two lanes on Figueroa, one that would run in the direction of traffic and another that would run in a contraflow configuration on the stretch of one-way street between 3rd and Olympic. While all options are still on the table, that plan should likely give way to a revised option that would put a northbound lane on Figueroa and a southbound lane on Flower south of 3rd Street.

Heavily-congested Figueroa would keep almost all of its traffic lanes, with the bike lane taking part of an existing lane and occasional parking spaces. North of 1st Street, one lightly-used southbound lane could be taken away to add the pair of bike lanes and keep on-street parking.

By contrast, planning for Spring and Main streets would most likely involve the removal of one lane of traffic through most of Downtown. Bike lanes would be placed on the left side of the one-way streets to limit their conflicts with buses. DOT would like to see a design that would physically separate the bike lane from traffic by placing it outside of the parking lane, but cost considerations are likely to place the lane in its more traditional place between the parked and moving cars.

Either scenario could mean that peak hour restrictions on parking would be eliminated for the left side of the street, potential good news for businesses stymied by a lack of parking and loading spaces during morning and evening rush hours.

While more complete traffic analysis still needs to be done, the team from DOT believes that Spring and Main would do just fine with the removal of a lane or two. Main Street has a peak traffic flow of approximately 1400 vehicles per hour, volume that could be supported by just two normal lanes of traffic. Spring Street's traffic is slightly less, with the street moving approximately 1200 vehicles per hour during its peak period.

The four streets presented to the neighborhood council's planning committee on Tuesday are not the only Downtown streets getting bike lanes. DOT plans to install lanes on 7th Street west of Figueroa before October, and Figueroa could get lanes between 7th and USC as part of the My Figueroa project currently under study.

Conversation

Downtowncommuter on June 22, 2011, at 09:22AM – #1

Great! Now we'll have an LA version of this disaster movie...

http://www.bikerumor.com/2011/06/09/hilarious-video-regarding-nyc-bike-lane-safety/

Thomas K Nagano on June 22, 2011, at 09:25AM – #2

From LA Streets Blog (June 2009):

"Pedicabs have proven wildly popular in a diverse amount of American cities, everywhere from San Diego, to New York, to Portland, to San Francisco. While the city has had pedicab rules on the books since 1986, a pair of operators tried to bring the business to L.A. in 2007 and were shutdown."

Does this mean a comeback? - TK

Jim Winstead on June 22, 2011, at 09:38AM – #3

if they know spring and main can both support their traffic load with only two lanes, let's end the rush hour parking restrictions on both sides of both streets and add the bike lane.

() on June 22, 2011, at 09:58AM – #4

This is way overdue. Glad to hear it. Now let's get rid of the push buttons on the crosswalks. There are far more pedestrians on Spring and Main than cars, so they should be given design priority.

downtown vibe on June 22, 2011, at 10:52AM – #5

Jim has hit the nail on the head!

How can the City subject the downtown businesses and the tourists to a ridiculous array of rush hour parking restricitions when the LADOT says there is plenty of room to take away the existing lanes of traffic for bike lanes??? That calls for a giant "WTF"!

And as for pedestrian prioritization of lights....I think that is misguided. It can take 30 minutes to drive 9 blocks on main street right now at rush hour. The lights need to be synched for maximum efficiency. If it takes longer than 5 minutes to make that trip the system is broken.

Filming also has a huge impact on traffic. Film crews take lanes out of service almost every day downtown. I assume they will be obstructing bike lanes now.

Pedicabs would be a great way to make use of the bike lanes..they would be good for both residents and tourists.

Valerie Watson on June 22, 2011, at 11:56AM – #6

Eerily timely, the Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council (DLANC) Transportation & Parks Committees have convened a Working Group to explore a vision for Complete Streets on Spring & Main. The purpose of the working group is to articulate a community-generated vision for Spring & Main as safe, accessible pedestrian/bike/transit-friendly streets. We'll talk about bike lanes along with other regulations and physical street design elements that could be improved or introduced.

The first meeting of the Complete Streets Working Group is tomorrow, Thursday, June 23, 7:00 PM, at The Exchange, 114 W. 5th Street.

All those interested are welcome to attend!

For more information, please contact , or see the calendar at www.dlanc.com

Rich on June 22, 2011, at 12:41PM – #7

Awesome! The community has been pushing for this for a while.

BTW, it doesn't take 30 minutes to drive Main. LOL. I used to live on Main and even though traffic would be heavy in parts at times -- usually during construction or a march or something -- it was never bad.

Chris Loos on June 22, 2011, at 12:43PM – #8

Yay for complete streets! About time they came to Downtown.

Regarding the EIR requirement mentioned in the article for bike lanes that remove existing traffic lanes, the rule MUST be updated at some point as the underlying principle is flawed.

Giving over a car lane to bike lanes is considered taking away a "traffic lane", yet bikes ARE traffic. You can actually push far more people through a bike lane than you can through an auto lane, assuming most people commute solo in their cars (Hint: they do.)

We've got to start thinking about streets as places to move PEOPLE, not just conduits for moving CARS. Then, all the typically contentious improvements like bike lanes and bus-only lanes stop being contentious and start making sense.

Chris Loos on June 22, 2011, at 12:46PM – #9

@Rich - thought the same thing when I saw that 30 minute comment. Its never taken me more than 15 minutes to drive the entire length of Downtown, even in heavy traffic. In light traffic we're talking 5 minutes.

Please won't someone think of the drivers! :P

Jon on June 22, 2011, at 01:31PM – #10

I hope the bike lanes are placed outside of the parking lane. I don't have the fortitude to ride next to moving cars.

downtown vibe on June 22, 2011, at 01:53PM – #11

I hate to disagree with those who are happy with the traffic flow downtown, but I drove that route up Main street every week night for over 15 years. I've missed appointements and dinner meetings because if it.

All it takes is:

a film crew at 4th and Main.
The dark...as in what happens every year with the fall time change.
Any amount of rain.
A downtown disturbance of some sort ie: a demonstration.
An accident on the 110.

It CAN take a VERY long time to get from 12th and Hill past the Civc Center.

You bicyclists need accept that not everyone is going to ride their bikes to work. The system must work for people in cars also.

Downtown is still a major employment center for the region. And when I say region, I mean a 70 mile radius.

Tell you what. You figure out how to get the cars out of the office buildings and onto the freeway without driving on Main St. If you can do that without damaging other people, go for it.

Not that simple.

downtown vibe on June 22, 2011, at 01:59PM – #12

By the way, thousands of people have had their cars towed away from those afternoon no parking zones. If LADOT says they were never needed we should all be pissed!

Chris Loos on June 22, 2011, at 02:57PM – #13

@downtown vibe - I agree that we all need to share the streets. But in DTLA the pendulum has swung so far towards favoring motorists in the past 60 years that there is a definite need for some re-balancing towards other modes. My observations:

Most of Downtown's streets are one-way. This is a configuration that favors cars driving at high speeds, endangering pedestrians and cyclists.
Downtown LA has very wide streets compared to those in other, similar downtowns. Over the years, the streets have been widened to accommodate additional auto traffic, at the expense of sidewalk space. Many sidewalks feel crowded, narrow, and out of proportion with the roadway.
Downtown is walled off on 3 sides by freeways. This caused irreparable damage to Downtown's social and economic health. Google "freeway construction" "urban renewal" "Robert Moses" and "Jane Jacobs" to learn about the devastating impacts that freeways have had on downtown's across America. Its not pretty.
There is a deep seated bias for cars and against pedestrians in DTLA and pretty much everywhere in LA for that matter. Example: nearly every light cycle Downtown, you'll see 1 or 2 cars run the red light just after the yellow, sometimes right in front of cops that couldn't care less. But try jaywalking across Spring street once and you're likely to get a $200 fine.

So no, I don't think we need to give any additional breaks to motorists. They've been given all the breaks for more than half a century, to the detriment of all else, particularly in cities like LA that bought into car culture wholesale. If your commute takes 5 minutes longer but we have streets that are safer and feel better for everyone, then I think that's worth it.

Incidentally, the motorists reap the benefits of this too. There is piles of evidence that car accidents drop drastically on streets where traffic calming measures like bike lanes and "road diets" have been implemented. It truly is a win-win.

downtown vibe on June 22, 2011, at 04:11PM – #14

Downtown streets are not wide compared to other downtowns. The only places where this is true is where the streets were built before cars. In fact Barcelona and Paris both have downtown streets far wider.

However I agree with you about the one way streets. One way streets make downtown very difficult to navigate, especially for tourists. They also make the streets into virtual freeways. I am more afraid of the bus drivers running red lights on Spring then the cars.

And if you think the cops are looking the other way just for drivers you are nuts. For 20 years before they put the counting crosswalks downtown I couldn't even make a right hand turn off of broadway, because the the dumbass pedestrians would just block the intersection until the light would turn red. Why do you think they put those in?

Yes Freeways have hurt the fabrics of our communities. But what does that have to do with anything? It has nothing at all to do with thoughtful urban design TODAY. You have to work with what you have and you have to RESPECT the other stakeholders.

There has NEVER been an urban design for bicycle riders downtown EVER. This has not been some war that has been going on that has tilted in the other direction. You would have died riding a bike downtown 100 years ago.

The idea that it's up to you to give somebody a "break" is arrogant.

If you don't want the commuters and the 60 story office buildings that provide the 100's of thousands of jobs downtown that pay for those streets you are worried about, then tell your politicians to continue to chase the businesses out of state.

Then you can have the whole empty street to yourself. Just watch out for the potholes.

You might consider Detroit..Isn't that ironic.

By the way..I live downtown.

Chris Loos on June 22, 2011, at 04:35PM – #15

So its either submit completely to cars as DTLA has, of suffer economically like Detroit? That's a false dichotomy and you know it. What about New York? Its a far denser city with far more jobs, and they literally closed a 10-block stretch of Broadway, through Times Square. They've also rolled out a couple hundred miles of bike lanes, stealing lanes here and there from cars. The taxi drivers bitched and moaned, but in the world didn't end. The city's a much better place for it now.

How about Portland? How about DC? How about Philadelphia? How about Chicago? How about Minneapolis?

All these cities have rolled out or are about to roll out aggressive bicycle infrastructure plans that all give auto lanes over to bikes. There's no reason the same thing can't be done successfully here to increase mobility options. Given the fact that the city has embarked on a $30 billion+ investment in mass transit, the timing couldn't be better.

PS I live Downtown too.

Dion on June 22, 2011, at 04:56PM – #16

Downtown Vibe, why are you so hostile towards Chris. He makes some very valid points and i think most downtown residents would agree with him.

Complete Streets exist in many cities in the World and in the US and they are ten times better than any street in Downtown right now. The point isnt to get everyone in and out of downtown LA as soon as possible.

() on June 22, 2011, at 05:33PM – #17

For about 90 minutes on each weekday, there is a crush or rush hour traffic on Main and Spring, and the side streets. Otherwise, these streets are largely quiet. If to keep traffic moving, the rush hour gives cars priority, and at all other hours, the priority is given to bikes and pedestrians, we could have a workable compromise and a much more liveable city.

J-M on June 22, 2011, at 11:34PM – #18

I'm tired of hearing people bitching about how long it takes to drive across downtown. I get it, but I think it's time we made certain streets more pedestrian- and bike-friendly. If it takes you too long to get there by car, ditch it and take a bus or ride a bike or walk (God forbid!). You know how long I spend waiting for traffic lights to change?? Bike lanes are a no-brainer and pedestrians shouldn't have to push a button to change a light. Having said all that, we also need more cheap public parking around the center of town (not in the center) so people can get Downtown and ditch their cars in favor of alternatives.

bigphatcatlover on June 23, 2011, at 01:04AM – #19

All the extreme comments on the left and the right (cars vs people/bikes) clearly illustrate the need to meet in the middle. We all need to be more tolerant of the other. I've been on both sides (a bike rider and a car driver) and I live downtown, and I walk downtown - a lot. I can't tell you how many times I've nearly been run down by some idiot on a bike on the sidewalk! P.S. Bikes ARE considered to be a vehicle, not a pedestrian, and are subject to all the same laws as cars. So, I'm all for anything that will get the bikes OFF the narrow sidewalks (with all the vendors, legal and otherwise), pedestrians, dogs, etc.

And if some genius would finally authorize "all way" crosswalks - with all traffic stopped - we wouldn't see the congestion and near misses (or not misses) in the crosswalks.

This really is a matter of common sense. Unfortunately and ultimately it will end up being a matter of dollars and cents instead.

bill on June 23, 2011, at 07:25AM – #20

I'm for anything that gets the bikes OFF the sidewalks. Walking my dogs downtown becomes a game of dodgeball trying to avoid all the bikes whizzing around us. Bikers don't look to see if there are dogs in front of them so it becomes exhausting just trying to maneuver.

downtown vibe on June 23, 2011, at 06:19PM – #21

Good..... a discussion.

I don't think most of you realize how dysfunctional downtown LA streets are for everybody, not just bicycle riders.

I think bike lanes would be great amenity for Spring and Main Street.

I also think, the REAL underlying problem is the City's refusal to manage parking downtown, as component to a healthy Residential, Business, and Tourist district. We should all be looking at why this has happened.

The answer lies in a handful of parking lot operators who own several local politicians. There is no other explanation. $4 parking meters, unregulated private lots, and several garages built by the tax payers turned over to the same private garage operators.

Downtown needs a comprehensive parking and transportation plan.

We need a series of garages that stay open 24hrs that are clean and safe for guests and tourists. The lots should be part the redevelopment of downtown. Validation could be provided for shopping at local businesses.

This would cause a chain reaction.

You could then free up 10' of right of way on each side of the street by prohibiting on street parking. That space could be used to expand sidewalks, bikeways, or dog maintenance areas. This is valuable real estate.

You would also solve a huge problem with handicap placard fraud. City garages would charge everybody. The current problem is tied to parking on the street ONLY.

You could stop pirate food trucks from simply parking in front of restaurants and opening their flaps. A red zone would stop this.

The private lot operators need to be regulated just like the taxicabs. As part of this, they need to install receipt machines to prevent tax evasion.

You could install electronic loaner bike kiosks like they use in Paris. The bikes could be dropped at any other kiosk after use.

All of this would help create a less stressful experience for EVERYBODY!

All of those parking restriction signs could be recycled and turned into a public modern art display.

Downtown can have an even bright future if we look at the bigger picture.

J-M on June 23, 2011, at 11:51PM – #22

downtown vibe's got my vote. I always wonder about the parking lot operators too. Would make a good piece of investigative journalism.

on June 24, 2011, at 11:07AM – #23

Just so everyone knows who's excited about more bike lanes, Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition has been working on many of these campaigns. We have been pushing for the 7th St. bike lane, going from Fig to Catalina for the last 2 years, along with Fig, Spring/Main, and some other streets in South LA. If this is inspires you and you want to get more involved in our work to advocate for more bike lanes downtown and throughout the City, go to our website: www.la-bike.org Thanks!

Chris Loos on June 24, 2011, at 12:13PM – #24

Thanks Allison! I'm really looking forward to the 7th street lanes. I live downtown and work in Ktown, and will literally be able to commute door-to-door on the lanes. Also a huge fan of the new road diet reconfiguration. It will keep things moving smoothly and safely for everyone.

Chris Loos on June 27, 2011, at 10:24AM – #25

Story in today's NYT, relevant to the discussion: Across Europe, Irking Drivers Is Urban Policy

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/27/science/earth/27traffic.html?_r=2&hp

Like it or not, this is the future of American cities too. I figure we're 20 or so years behind Europe in this regard, but its coming. I for one can't wait for the day that drivers get caught for running reds, but I can cross Spring street mid-block without getting a $200 jaywalking fine.

downtown vibe on June 27, 2011, at 02:40PM – #26

I've watched people run red lights downtown. Sounds like a job for an LAPD officer. You don't see them get involved in this kind of enforcement unless there is some order from a politician for a sting operation. Just enough enforcement for a press release. Look at that PR release Lt Vernon from Central Division put out at Christmas Time. LAPD was going to crack down on jaywalkers, because those individuals were criminals running across the street to attack shoppers (or some nonsense). He used to be the BS spindoctor for the whole LAPD until he got demoted to Central.

The most dangerous situation is caused by the buses. At night when the buses are empty, they fly down Main and Spring at 60 miles an hour. Light changes..oh well, can't stop...I'll just honk the horn.

I think if you look back you will see that a visiting Sci-Arc Architect was killed in a bus collision at 5th and Main on March 4, 2010. I also saw that a girl was struck by a bus at the same intersection in 2007.

Those buses need to be addressed in any comprehensive transportation plan.

John Huan Vu on June 28, 2011, at 08:53PM – #27

As a driver I personally don't know why you'd want to tear through downtown. Simply put, if you're looking to get somewhere quickly, L.A. is big. Find an arterial or freeway and go around it. It's a city center, car traffic should be slow and safe and pedestrians and cyclists should take priority.

Chris Loos on June 29, 2011, at 11:25AM – #28

^ Exactly this. Drivers want to have their cake and eat too: the freeways, the arterials, AND the streets of Downtown to shortcut through. Can't we have one place in the whole of LA where pedestrians are unabashedly prioritized, and cars are forced to drive at slow, safe speeds? Like John Vu said, its not like they can't go around Downtown on the freeways.

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Bicycle Lanes Planned for Figueroa, Flower, Spring and Main Streets

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