Full Name: Bicycle Master Plan, City of Los Angeles
Creator: City of Los Angeles Department of City Planning with the Department of Transportation
Study Type: Citywide Bicycle Master Plan (BMP) as part of the City of Los Angeles Transportation Element
Status of Project: Adopted by city of Los Angeles in 1996, re-adopted in 2001, slated to be updated in 2008


Context:
The City of LA’s BMP is a component of the Transportation Element of the city’s General Plan. Los Angeles is a nearly ideal location to encourage bicycle usage in place of automobiles. By increasing the number of bicyclists who ride for commuting and other utilitarian purposes, traffic congestion is reduced, air quality is improved, and health and fitness are improved. The BMP guides the development of a citywide bicycle transportation system.

Goals:
The BMP’s overall intent is to expand bicycle usage through improvement and further development of bicycle riding facilities and programs. The BMP’s target is to increase bicycling’s modal share to 5% of all trips by year 2015. It seeks to develop a comprehensive commuter and recreational bikeway system, to encourage and facilitate bicycle riding as an important mode of personal transportation, to make bicycling safer, and to ensure that the city receives funding for bicycle-related construction, maintenance, and education.

Proposal Summary:
The BMP specifies city bicycle policies relative to bikeways (paths/lanes/routes), parking, education, law enforcement, and other programs. The plan outlines design standards for bicycle facilities, and includes a listing of approved paths, lanes, routes, commuter bikeways, and corridors for further study. The plan specifies that all these facilities be implemented by 2015. The BMP recommends that bicycle planning be reviewed and evaluated every 10 years. (As of Fall 2007, the city has funded and hired a consultant to create a new BMP.)