To And Fro: Bicycling in Los Angeles

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ROLLIN' THROUGH TOWN 

A vicious cycle? Nah! Biking in LA can be safe and fun!

Los Angeles County has hundreds of miles of bike paths and trails.  In the city, paths are classified in to three categories:

• CLASS I — Safe and separate from virtually all motor traffic. These paths are usually along beaches, along or in parks, along rivers and creeks.  The Orange Line bike-way, the Culver Blvd path and the Expo Line bike-way (under construction) are also Class I. Descriptions of Class I paths.

• CLASS II — Designated paths on city streets.  Marked with white lines and "BIKE LANE" on the right shoulder and with "BIKE PATH" signs posted along the route. Learn how to make traffic lights work for you by reading about "loop detectors."

• CLASS III — A more controversial classification.  Class III paths are roads that are supposedly only relatively lightly traveled by autos, connect to other Class I or Class II paths, have "SHARE THE ROAD" signs posted but do not have lines painted on the street denoting a separate bike lane.  Los Angeles recommends drivers give cyclists three feet of space between each other.

Most buses have bike racks and bikes are now allowed on light rail trains and subways without station and rush hour restrictions.  Bike racks dot the streets of the city.  Businesses may request a bike rack to be installed on sidewalk in front of their establishment here free of charge.  There are also bike lock sleeves being installed on parking meters in select areas.  Bike lockers are available at many Metro Rail stations and at Union Station.  VIEW MAP OF ALL PATHS, LOCKERS, METRO ROUTES.

To find bike trails in local mountains, parks and recreation areas, see trails.com. Remember to respect the environment and your safety by staying on designated trails.

BIKES AND THE LAW

Laws very from city to city.  For instance it is legal to ride on sidewalks in the City of Los Angeles (as long as it's not with wanton disregard for pedestrians or property) but not in the City of Santa Monica. See municipal codes for some LA County cities below.

Beverly Hills
Culver City
Long Beach
Los Angeles
Pasadena
Santa Clarita
West Hollywood

Highlights of California law regarding bicycles (see the actual California Vehicle Code for details and full text):

• Bicyclists have the same rights and responsibilities of vehicle drivers.  

• Bicyclists and passengers under age 18 must wear an ANSI or Snell approved helmet when a passenger or riding upon a bicycle.

• Motorized bicycles are not allowed on bike trails, paths or lanes.

• No stopping or parking on a bike path.

• Cyclists may not wear earplugs or headset in BOTH ears.

• Bicycles must have a working brake.

• Handle bars may not be higher than the rider's shoulders.

• At night bicycles must be equipped with a white headlight or white light attached to the rider and visible from the front. 

• Bicycles must also have a rear red reflector and white or yellow pedal reflectors. There must be a white or yellow reflector on the front of the bicycle visible from the side, and a red or white reflector on the rear of the bicycle visible from the side. 

• All riders must have a permanent, regular seat. Bicycle passengers under 40 lbs. must have a seat which retains them in place and protects them from moving parts.

AWESOME STORIES

•  What's that you say? A bike valet?!  Bike valets are popping up at farmers markets, festivals, parades and other events all around LA.   

• If it's the third Thursday in May, it's National Bike to Work Day--but in LA, we celebrate the whole darn week!

• Making Fourth Street a "Bicycle Boulevard?"  Yes, please!  See how they do it in Berkeley, CA.  We can do it here too!

• Taking back the streets on foot and pedal?  Heck yeah!  Check out CicLAvia!  It is based on Ciclovia in Bogotá, Columbia where streets are closed to autos for a day. 

• In 2009, Occidental College's Urban & Environmental Policy Institute (UEPI) worked with numerous community partners to convene more than 300 bike activists, students, public officials, researchers, and various other bike supporters at Los Angeles Trade Technical College for the first ever L.A. Bike Summit. Again in 2010, UEPI worked with bike, pedestrian and street advocates to re-form the L.A. Bike Summit as the 2010 LA StreetSummit: Biking, Walking and Beyond. On March 20th, 2010, once again at Los Angeles Trade Technical College, this year's Summit broadened its agenda to include a focus on making our streets more accessible and more friendly for everyone --cyclists, pedestrians, children, seniors, all Angelenos!

Great links:

LADOT Bicycle Services
LADOT Bike Blog
LA Bike Paths
LA County Bicycle Coalition
LA County Bicycle Coalition Blog
bike metro
C.I.C.L.E.
cicLAvia
Streetsblog LA
Departures: Biking Along the LA River
Midnight Ridazz
Los Angeles Wheelmen
La Grange Velo Club
Bike Boom Events Calendar
Wolfpack Hustle
Bikeside LA
Dockriders

Sweet tweets from those who ride:

@bikinginla
@Bikeside
@BikeMetro
@BikeLongBeach
@BikeWriters
@lacbc
@CycleSM
@cicLAvia
@SoapBoxLA
@LosAngelesCM
@lastreetsblog

– R. Nelson | updated 00:08 23 May 2011

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