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Are You Ready to 'Ride Figueroa?'

Gear up for an 11-mile bicycle ride on Feb. 10 along Figueroa, York, Eagle Rock Boulevard and Colorado.

Would you like to “Ride Figueroa?”

More accurately, how about pedaling along Figueroa, York, Eagle Rock Boulevard and Colorado on a bicycle around the neighborhood?

A bit of a misnomer, Ride Figueroa is the otherwise catchy name of an 11-mile multi-street bicycle ride scheduled in exactly two weeks. Sponsored by the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, the ride is designed to offer participants an opportunity to explore proposed bike lanes on Figueroa Street and Colorado Boulevard, which would complete a loop with Eagle Rock Boulevard and York Boulevard.

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At 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 10, scores of people-friendly bicycle enthusiasts from across Northeast L.A. are expected to gather at Greayer’s Oak Park, located at Figueroa and Marmion Way in Highland Park. From there, the group will ride up Figueroa, west on York, north on Eagle Rock Boulevard, east on Colorado, south on Figueroa and then back on York, concluding the heady trip with a dose of local politics at Occidental College, where a Council District 1 candidates’ forum is scheduled at 1 p.m.

Besides expressing solidarity with other bike riders and getting a feel for York’s celebrated bike lane, the idea is to “get the experience of what Figueroa and Colorado feel like without bike lanes,” said LACBC Campaign and Policy Manager Alek Bartrosouf.

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An advocacy, education and outreach group with more than 1,500 members, LACBC “brings together the diverse bicycling community in a united mission to improve the bicycling environment and quality of life for the entire region,” according to the nonprofit group’s website.

The proposed bike lanes on Figueroa and Colorado would replace one lane each currently devoted mostly to vehicular traffic. The bike lanes are part of L.A.’s ambitious 2010 Bicycle Master Plan. Implemented in March 2011, the plan identifies an elaborate 1,684-mile bikeway system intertwined with 334 miles of existing bicycle paths that have been installed over the past three decades or so.

“This is also an opportunity to rally folks in the neighborhood to advocate for bike lanes,” Bartrosouf said, adding that two speakers for the CD 1 candidates’ forum have been confirmed so far and that LACBC is expecting to hear back from one more speaker shortly.

The CD 1 election in March will decide who succeeds termed-out Council member Ed Reyes. Most of the proposed bike lane on Figueroa is in CD 1. The rest is in CD 14 led by Council member José Huizar, who won’t be up for re-election until 2015.

Besides LACBC, the candidates’ forum is jointly sponsored by the Urban & Environmental Policy Institute at Occidental College and L.A. Streets Blog.

Snacks and refreshments will be provided during the 11-mile bike ride. An organized ride after the candidates’ forum will take participants back to Greayer’s Park.

For more information, contact Alek Bartrosouf at (213) 629-2142 or e-mail him at alek@la-bike.org.

Related: Bikeways Planning Begins For North Figueroa


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