Community Corner

Huizar: 'Colorado Boulevard Bike Plan Moving Forward'

It's official—bike lanes and other changes to Colorado Boulevard are imminent.

At the conclusion of this past week’s well-attended bike lanes meeting at the Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock, which may have attracted as many as 300 people, according to one Council District 14 official, Councilmember José Huizar, the meeting’s moderator and co-host, said in his closing remarks that he would push ahead with the Department of Transportation’s plan to reconfigure Colorado Boulevard by making it more accessible to bicycles and pedestrians.

Huizar’s support for bike lanes on Colorado is now official. The weekly CD 14 newsletter e-mailed to constituents on Friday had this to say about the long-planned bike lanes issue, which will probably not come as a surprise to its proponents and opponents alike:

“Councilmember Huizar put his full support behind the Colorado Bike Lane plan after lengthy community discussion at three meetings, including two well-attended meetings sponsored by Council District 14.

“After the second meeting at Occidental College in March yielded several community suggestions to improve the plan, Councilmember Huizar worked with the Department of Transportation to incorporate those suggestions and other improvements into the Colorado Bike Plan, which calls for bike lanes along Colorado Boulevard, and reducing six lanes of traffic to four—parking along Colorado Boulevard will remain, with the exception of few select spots.

"'I want to first and foremost thank all the community members who came out to our meetings to express their opinions,' said Councilmember Huizar, who moderated last week's final meeting on the Colorado Boulevard Plan at the Eagle Rock Center for the Arts. 'For me, this is about much more than a bike lane. This improvement plan is designed to increase road safety, improve access to our local businesses and support increased pedestrian and bicycle use along Colorado Boulevard. With the added flashing safety lights at our Hermosa Avenue crosswalk, and the possibility of two additional crosswalks, and the widening of our median stripe lines to increase space so autos making a left-hand turn don't block traffic, we have a plan here that will benefit many needs and interests.'

"Traffic/safety upgrades include speed feedback signs as traffic approaches Dahlia Heights Elementary School, re-striping the medians to provide more room for left turns and the installation of crosswalks at Glen Iris Avenue and El Rio Avenue.

"The Colorado Boulevard Bike Lane Plan also has the support of the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council, TERA and the Take Back the Boulevard initiative—public comment at all three meetings yielded stronger support in favor of the lanes.

"DOT also announced last week that they are completing the bike lanes soon on Eagle Rock Boulevard, which do not affect any additional traffic lanes.

"Installation of the Colorado Boulevard Bike Lanes could begin as early as late summer. Councilmember Huizar intends to work with LAPD and DOT on a bicycle/auto safety plan to alert drivers to the rules of the road for bikes and cars."


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