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How to Entice People to Bike:
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Make It Safe
We can create safe places to bike by:
* Designating space for cyclists—sometimes shared with cars, sometimes separate
* Create signs and signals that are bold and highly visible to drivers
* Slowing car traffic
* Designing our streets to be social gathering places |
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Make It Comfortable and Fun
Designing our streets to be comfortable and interesting does a lot for encouraging us
to bike more often. We can do this in many ways including the use of bike paths, lanes, boulevards, signs and designating safe routes to school. |
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Connect People to the Places They Go
Also important in encouraging people to bike, is making sure our streets actually connect people to the places they want to go. |
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Connect the Transportation Network
As with pedestrian planning, we have to connect all ways of getting around-- walk routes, bicycle routes, and public transit lines—to encourage people to bike. The variety of choices this creates for us will encourage us to bike again. |
Some Bicycle Facilities Include:
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Bicycle Paths (also called Bike Trails or Class I Bikeways)
Bike paths have their own right-of-way and are generally located on or along longer, uninterrupted right-of-ways, such as rivers, beaches, or former railroads. Bike paths are generally 12’ wide, with one 5’-wide lane in each direction and 1’ of buffer on each side. Local examples include the LA River Bike Path and the Arroyo Seco Bike Path. |
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Bicycle Lanes (also called Class II Bikeways)
Bike lanes are striped lanes on streets that bikes share with cars. Bike lanes are generally 5’ wide, with one lane in each direction. Local examples include parts of Cypress Avenue and Avenue 50. Bike lanes are sometimes created by reducing the number of automotive traffic lanes; this is called a Road Diet. |
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Bicycle Routes (also called Class III Bikeways)
Bike routes are streets (shared with cars) that have been designated as relatively good places to bike. Bike routes are generally identified by signage. Local examples include Griffin Avenue and parts of San Fernando Road. |
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Bicycle Boulevards
In recent years, a new type of Bicycle Route has begun to be implemented in other cities. It’s called a Bicycle Boulevard. Bicycle Boulevards discourage cut-through motor vehicle traffic, but typically allow local motor vehicle traffic. They are designed to give priority to cyclists as through traffic. Bicycle Boulevards often have special signage, including “sharrow” markings. |
Additional bicycle facilities include bicycle parking and signage. The location of bike facilities can be found in the Bicycle Master Plan.
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