A $2M Bike Lane Aims to Make the Streets Safer – Some Residents Disagree

A $2M Bike Lane Aims to Make the Streets Safer – Some Residents Disagree by Olivia Silvester / Westside Current Los AngelesSANTA MONICA —

Vision Zero efforts have sparked the city’s construction of a growing network of protected bikeways in hopes of eliminating fatal and severe-injury crashes. With pedestrian and cyclist fatalities still rising in recent years, residents disagree over how safe the project will really make the streets. City Council has unanimously approved an almost $2 million plan to construct a protected bikeway on 14th Street — a proposal that has drawn strong opposition from some residents.“I can’t tell you how often people express to me how they enjoy riding their bike and want to ride it to commute, do errands, etc., but they don't feel safe doing so on the roads,” said Marc Papakyriakou, who frequently cycles throughout LA. “These lanes helped to bridge that gap.”Still, some residents are divided on the real safety benefits of the bike lanes.The council approval comes in spite of vocal criticism from some resident groups, as well as former Mayor Phil Brock, who argue the project cost will stretch far beyond the price tag.“I’m in favor of bike lanes, I’m not in favor of the cement-protected bike lanes that take another two feet off the streetscape,” Brock, who is running to return to City Council, told the Westside Current. “The city traffic engineers and department made this decision without really consulting residents.”The project will turn the existing 1.3-mile corridor, which extends from Pico Boulevard to Washington Avenue, into a concrete-barrier-protected bikeway. These raised curbs separating the bike lane from vehicle lanes and the sidewalk are meant to protect bikers from traffic. The medians have also been criticized for presenting accessibility concerns as sidewalk access is complicated by the barriers, with planning documents noting that special design consideration will be required to address pedestrian crossings. Despite research finding that protected bike lanes can reduce crashes and injuries, not all residents agree that the construction project will benefit locals.A website titled Unsafe Streets SM, which describes itself as a resident-led effort, compares the 14th Street project to that of 17th Street, which it describes as “one of the most contested infrastructure fights in recent Santa Monica history.”A petition against the 17th Street redesign reportedly garnered over 900 signatures. The website says that concrete-protected bike passages have resulted in emergency services being delayed outside of Los Angeles, pointing to firefighters in New York City who reportedly struggled to access emergency sites because of concrete bike lanes.The website argues that since 14th Street runs within a few blocks of the UCLA Santa Monica Medical Emergency Center, the same issues could play out in the county.For Brock, the project is reminiscent of a similar effort on 17th Street, which constructed a protected bikeway from Wilshire Avenue to Pico Boulevard. Some critics worry the concerns they had for the previous project will be repeated on a new street, pointing to accessibility concerns, reducing already limited parking, and causing confusion due to new lane configurations. Brock also noted what he sees as a pattern of disregarding resident concerns emerging across the two projects.The almost $2 million design and construction will be funded primarily through city and county grants. The project was first approved as part of the city’s 2020 Bike Action Plan, making the final approval a step towards the plan’s goal of building a protected bike lane network throughout the city. 14th Street was identified as a priority zone by the city’s 2022 Local Roadway Safety Plan (LRSP), which analyzed crash data from 2015 to 2019. The LRSP noted that of all fatal or severe-injury crashes from this time period, 65% involved pedestrians, cyclists, or scooter riders, underscoring a need for safer bikeways and pedestrian routes.Planning documents note that robust community engagement will be conducted through both digital and in-person engagement opportunities, aiming to build public understanding and present City Council with residents’ feedback. Papakyriakou told the Westside Current that although he feels much more relaxed while biking in a protected lane, he understands the opposition, particularly since concrete barriers require drivers to adapt to new lane widths and traffic signage. He also said cyclists might feel restricted by the barriers that keep them on a strict path.“In a perfect world these lanes would be a bit wider, but they needed to work with the space available,” he said.The 14th Street bike lane would serve to provide a safe passage through busy roadways, creating protected bike corridors to locations like the 17th Street Metro E Line Station and Lincoln Middle School. The Bike Action Plan notes that special consideration will be required to accommodate pick-up and drop-off zones at Lincoln Middle School, as well as bus-stop access and pedestrian accessibility. Final designs are expected in fall 2028, following the conclusion of the LA 2028 Olympic Games. The bikeway is expected to be complete in Spring 2028