Riders call on LA City to fix nefarious bump along bike path in Griffith Park
From scrapes and bruises to broken bones, cyclists say a section of the Los Angeles Bike Path in Griffith Park has been a treacherous ride for years.
They have been demanding the city to fix it but they say it's just getting worse.
While it may sound like a minor gripe, the bump could throw even an experienced cyclist right off their bike. Longtime rider Lawrence Long was on his bike last month when he struck the infamous cracked ridge in the road along North Zoo Drive.
"I hit the bump and lost control and skidded down," he said. "Luckily, nothing broke."
Long scratched up his knee and got a road rash on his thigh after riding over the nefarious bump. Other bikers like John Reimers weren't as lucky.
"I was pretty skinned up. I had a concussion," Reimers recalled when crashed along the path about two years ago.
Other cyclists have shared the damages to their bikes in the aftermath of their bouts with the precarious portion of the path. Many have been lobbying for the city to fix it.
"What I want them to do is take the root and put some asphalt patch down," said Reimers. "If that was in the street here, they would do that."
However, bikers said very little has been done with some claiming their emails to the city have gone unanswered.
"I understand that they have a request for proposal, an RFP, to do some stuff her in the park," said Reimer. "But my gosh patch the crack."
L.A. officials put up a bump sign several months ago and someone has spray painted the pavement in an attempt to warn riders but many said the sign offers little help. Additionally, the sign sits in a shaded portion of the path.
The president of the Pasadena Athletic Association, which represents some 500 cyclists in the San Gabriel Valley called the bump a "real risk" to riders.
The L.A. Department of Transportation issued a statement to KCAL News regarding the bike path, which said:
"The US Army Corps of Engineers has reviewed and approved the City's maintenance design plans for the LA River Bike Path. Construction will begin once a final contract is approved by the Board of Public Works, and is anticipated to be complete by the end of 2023."
