Half-mile stretch of protected bike lanes along Riverside Drive in Los Feliz unveiled

Protected bike lanes were unveiled Wednesday on a half-mile stretch along Riverside Drive in Los Feliz, the first of a series of mobility improvements planned in Councilwoman Nithya Raman's district. 

"Today is about more than just a half-mile stretch of protected bike lane," Raman said at the unveiling event Wednesday morning. "Today is about making a commitment to taking every opportunity we have and making the most of it to improve our transportation network for all of us."

The bike lanes -- which run from Los Feliz Boulevard to Glendale Boulevard -- are protected by parked vehicles. Raman's office said the lanes were created after identifying existing planned street resurfacing projects that overlap with the Mobility Plan 2035, which the City Council passed in 2015 as a 20-year effort to make Los Angeles more pedestrian- and transit-friendly.

Only about 3% of the plan has been implemented in the last seven years, and the organization Streets For All is seeking a ballot measure this year to have the city implement the plan when it conducts unrelated resurfacing work.

Raman's office said it evaluates projects based on safety, accessibility and carbon emission reduction. Officials said the lanes protect
bicyclists from traffic, provide access to recreation in the area, and cut emissions by creating safe alternatives to driving. 

"StreetsLA was happy to collaborate with Council District 4 and the Department of Transportation on this street improvement project along Riverside Drive," said Keith Mozee, executive director of the Bureau of Street Services, or StreetsLA. "We resurfaced more than a half-mile and along with striping and mobility improvements, have enhanced the safety for commuters, visitors, residents and bikers. I want to thank all of our StreetsLA staff, who worked to help make this project a success."

Assemblywoman Laura Friedman, D-Glendale, praised the bike lanes for helping reduce the need to drive.

"Even under the most aggressive scenarios for zero-emission vehicle adoption, and transition to cleaner fuels, we in California cannot meet our climate goals exclusively by relying on a shift in transportation technologies.

We have to reduce our dependence on driving and overall vehicle miles traveled, so I'm proud of the progress we are making here to help achieve our greater sustainability standards as a state," she said.