Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
WTF? Councilman Says He's Blocking Bike Lane Plans On Figueroa To 'Promote Safety'
Bike Oven on Figueroa (Photo by howard-f via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr)
()
Councilman Gil Cedillo has revoked his campaign promise to back bike lanes on Figueroa Avenue through Highland Park and Cypress Park.
The proposed bike lanes would run from Avenue 26 to Avenue 52 (one of Mayor Eric Garcetti's 15 "Great Streets") and would require one of four lanes being removed for motor traffic. Cedillo put out a statement saying that he was "deferring the implementation of any bike lanes on Figueroa until I can ensure all residents who travel along this corridor will be safe."
That really gets the goat of bike lane backers who point out that the bike lanes were originally proposed by LADOT as a safety measure. Proponents say that bike lanes aren't just good for people who get around by bike—they say it would slow down vehicle traffic that races up and down Figueroa to a pace that would make it safer and saner for pedestrians, too. Some of them marched in front of Cedillo's office this week in Dia De Los Muertos costumes to honor those who had died in collisions with cars on Figueroa. They point out an increasing number of Angelenos are carless, and there are estimates that 1 in 10 families in Highland Park don't have a car. They say bike lanes aren't just good for planning livable communities—good for business. Cedillo the candidate once counted himself among their numbers—there's a video of him waxing poeticabout the bike-friendly design of Denmark.
Car owners were unhappy about the prospect of losing a lane to bikers. They were worried about traffic, and unlike some bikers and pedestrians who worry about traffic zooming by, they didn't like the idea of having to slow down. (LADOT estimated the slowdown would cost drivers about 45 seconds.) The debate over the lanes got pretty contentious at community meetings on the issue—when community members were allowed to speak. One Mt. Washington resident said at a meeting this May, "All of you in favor of these bike lanes are young. I’m 50-something and I don’t think I would use those bike lanes."
Support for LAist comes from
In 2010, the city approved a plan to increase bike lanes and improve safety for bikers all around town. Rowena and York avenues are some of the places that have had to go on "road diets." Special attention was paid to Northeast Los Angeles, including Figueroa and York Boulevard, according to EGP. The recommendation for a bike lane came from LADOT, and Cedillo said he supported them as a candidate. But as a councilman, he opted to hold community meetings on the issue before deciding to go forward.
In his statement, Cedillo says he supports the other not-so-controversial measures by LADOT, like reconfiguring traffic signals, extending curbs for pedestrians and improving lighting at crosswalks and adding in more bike racks and corrals.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity. -
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
-
The drug dealer, the last of five defendants to plead guilty to federal charges linked to the 'Friends' actor’s death, will face a maximum sentence of 65 years in prison.
-
The weather’s been a little different lately, with humidity, isolated rain and wind gusts throughout much of Southern California. What’s causing the late-summer bout of gray?
Best of LAist