LAist: Bicycles are Banned on Hollywood Blvd. Sidewalks & Other Locations

Piera

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 01:01:02 -0800

I don't mind having to ride on the street, but I've had one too many close calls with distracted drivers that it's not worth the risk to me anymore. I ride on the sidewalk now, but always give pedestrians the right of way. I can understand bans in touristy areas with high pedestrian traffic, but hope it doesn't spread all over LA County. Most places I ride I'll encounter maybe one or two pedestrians on the sidewalk every hour at the most.

reverto

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:28:11 -0800

"And I too get tired of dodging peds on the bike path. Especially those that decide to have a stop and conduct a conference in the middle of that path." Do like I do! Wait until you're practically on top of them and then let out a blood-curdling scream, followed by, "Off the bike path!!!" This is especially effective for tourists walking on the path with their back to me. More than once I've made people jump into the sand. I sometimes bike to Venice just to see how many people I can give heart attacks to in this manner. Fun!

Hypersquared

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 16:48:50 -0800

You know those shoes that have little tiny wheels on the bottom that you can't even see? Are those legally considered rollerskates? Just curious.

SoapBoxLA

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:31:29 -0800

Paul writes: "Ideally, we would have clearly designated roads for cars, bikes, and pedestrians, and everyone would respect each other by sticking to their designated path." LA has 6500 miles of streets and I fully expect cyclists to ride all 6500 miles of those streets. My challenge to our City leadership is to maintain those streets, provide law enforcement support, educate motorists and support cyclists as we ride the streets of LA. I'm not asking for segregation, I'm not asking for real estate. Simply the equality that is already provided by State law but often ignored at the local level and abused at the personal level. If pointing out that 40,000 people are gonna die this year in auto crashes is didactic, so be it. If pointing out that our air is poison and vehicles are left idling in our communities while we choke is didactic, so be it. See you on the Streets!

take2la

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:32:16 -0800

I'm relatively certain the CA V code says ( paraphrasing ) In the absence of a designated cycle lane on the roadway, cycling on the sidewalk is permitted. I've cycled & bladed both in the streets & on the sidewalk & been stopped by 'the man' both places. Neither (the man "s) knowing the actual law. Therefore COMMON SENSE should prevail. Don't scare the kiddies & old people. Walkers included. & as always riders run the risk of customers exiting the stores. This really isn't brainsurgery. I can sprint better in the road anyway. Its a better work out & a quicker commute.

Kymberleigh

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 10:35:39 -0800

I find myself sadly in agreement with the premise for this city ordinance. As a public transit user who does not drive (and therefore is a pedestrian a lot of the time) I have been practically knocked down many, many times by inconsiderate cyclists who have the attitude that the sidewalk is for their benefit, not mine. While I know that not all cyclists have that attitude, I can easily see how those that do -- and they seem to be the majority, more's the pity -- would ruin the situation and force such ordinances to be invoked. I am respectful of marked bike paths, but those seem to be the only places where I can peacefully co-exist with cyclists. Quite honestly, I wish everyone who rode a bike behaved like the activists, who appear to be the only ones who understand how to co-exist with pedestrians and are therefore the only ones who earn my respect.

paul

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 10:18:44 -0800

I think what SoapBoxLA meant to say, as a rational, normal human being was: Ideally, we would have clearly designated roads for cars, bikes, and pedestrians, and everyone would respect each other by sticking to their designated path. Maybe Stephen Box would benefit from visiting the Benelux region or a scandinavian city, where riding a bike and/or walking in peace doesn't mean being at odds with drivers. It's funny how much better things work when every works together and doesn't shout blind didactic all over the place.

GarySe7en

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:30:56 -0800

Bike path pedestrians at the beach are prevalent enough I just don't ride there anymore unless I want my commute to take twice as long. It's especially frustrating in Santa Monica where wide pedestrian only walk ways are right next to the bike path. When I visited relatives north of Berkeley recently I went for a ride along the bike path adjacent the BART track. When school let out so many pedestrians were walking down the bike path it became impractical to bike there, and then I noticed most other cyclists were biking on the unused but adjacent pedestrian path. Sigh.

BingosDingo

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:17:35 -0800

There's more to that than WagonMonster stated. If you are bicyclist on a walkway you can be fined up to $250.00 for riding in a pedestrian area. No such fine exists for pedestrians in bike areas. And I too get tired of dodging peds on the bike path. Especially those that decide to have a stop and conduct a conference in the middle of that path.

GarySe7en

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:31:10 -0800

One thing that concerns me a little about this is I also commute by inline skates sometimes to mix things up a bit from my usual cycling. Skating is defined by law as a pedestrian activity and does not grant the same vehicular use of the road that bikes do. Hence technically by law I should always be on the sidewalk, however as a former hockey player, I can skate faster then many commuters can bike, which brings up the same problems bikes have on a sidewalk. A bike can roll in the street, and occasionally I do too on skates, but it is officially frowned upon. I realize skate commuters make up an even smaller part of the transit pie then bikes, so I don't really expect much, but I do wonder from time to time the legality of skating as transit. I actually learned to skate long before biking, and used to use inline skates with the occasional bus exclusively for my getting around town and shopping too.

WagonMonster

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:59:29 -0800

"That's why it would be simplest if people walked on sidewalks, cyclists rode on the streets, and motorists simply left the motor vehicles in the garage." Then they wouldn't be "motorists" now would they? This is the kind of "all or nothing" attitude that gives cyclists a bad name in the first place. And, I was talking about the bike path on venice beach.

SoapBoxLA

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:55:07 -0800

The H'wood ban on cyclists, skateboarders and rollerbladers came up in last week's Transportation Committee and the Bikeways Coordinator was stumped. (always fun to watch!) Further adding to the confusion of "who goes where and how?" is the fact that the LARiver "Bike Path" is actually a "Mixed Use Path" and is open to pedestrians, roller bladers, cyclists and other people powered modes of travel. Funded by transportation dollars, designed and maintained as a recreational facility, paid for with Bikeways money, resulting in a sidewalk. That's why it would be simplest if people walked on sidewalks, cyclists rode on the streets, and motorists simply left the motor vehicles in the garage.

Zach Behrens

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:40:42 -0800

That's a good point WagonMonster. thanks Militant! updated.

WagonMonster

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:36:45 -0800

LAMC 56.15 also "disallows the riding of bicycles on Ocean Front Walk in Venice." I'm all for that, but, to be fair, the bike path on the beach clearly says BIKES ONLY every 100 feet or so, yet, I have to dodge hundreds of clueless pedestrians wandering on the bike path.

Militant Angeleno

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:33:46 -0800

The San Pedro-area (15th District) councilmember in 1988 you referred to is actually a she; her name is Joan Milke Flores.

spoon

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:29:51 -0800

I have no problem with this law. It's a SideWALK. Bikers and skateboarders do not treat pedestrians well. Unless you are walking - you are operating a vehicle and are moving at a greater rate of speed. The pedestrian is going to get the worst of any collision. Most collisions are not the fault of the pedestrian, who was where they should be - on the sideWALK. *If you are 7 and there are training wheels on your bike, then you can be on the sidewalk.