On October 13, October 27, and November 3 we had the walkabouts and bikeabout for Making the Connections. People had the chance to walk or bike the study areas and record their observations on the conditions of the streets and sidewalks. We now have a good idea about which streets to focus on for the project. In the next month we will be narrowing down the list to the six key connections that will be the main focus of the project.

If you weren’t part of the bike/walkabouts, click here and tell us your ideas. Tell us what streets you think are already good or bad for walking or biking. Tell us where you’d like to see changes.

Los Angeles is a city of boulevards and it just may be time to bring a new type of boulevard to town. Bicycle boulevards are low traffic streets where bicycles and cars safely share the road. They’re often designed to prioritize cyclists by allowing them through access but diverting cut-through car traffic. Bicycle boulevards also include signage that makes it clear that the streets are places where cyclists are welcome.

The City of L.A. hasn’t made any moves to include bicycle boulevards in their tool kit just yet. There’s already a movement afoot to bring bicycle boulevards to L.A. so maybe that will change. Check it out at www.4SBB.com.

For more information on bicycle boulevards check out this StreetsBlog video, the City of Berkeley’s bicycle boulevards program or the Bicycle Transportation Alliance.

At the same time that Making the Connections (MTC) is happening the City of L.A. is creating a specific plan for an area that encompasses the MTC study areas. We are working together to make sure the plans we create are coordinated. Help out by participating in the Cornfields/Arroyo Seco Specific Plan workshops. Visit cornfieldsla.googlepages.com for more information.