Updated L.A. City Bicycle Plan Proposes Improvements in Encino

On a bright weekday afternoon at Lake Balboa park, recreational cyclists chat while making the rounds on the bike path, weaving occasionally to dodge little ones trying out new training wheels. 

The path on the perimeter of the park and bikeways along some Metropolitan Transit Authority bus routes are Encino's only dedicated bike paths. But city planners and the Metropolitan Transit Authority would like to create more. 

The L.A. City Bicycle Plan released earlier this year proposes new routes, paths and changes to streets over the next five years that would make getting around on a bike easier throughout the city, including Encino. The improvements would be paid for by funds from Measure R, the voter-approved 2008 ballot initiative that created a half-cent sales tax, which is projected to provide $40 billion for traffic relief and transportation upgrades.  The city is now seeking feedback through workshops and comment forms on its website.

"Our goal is to put every resident within one mile of a bike path or lane," said City Planner Claire Bowin.

Bicycle Advisory Committee member and Bikeside L.A. President Alex Thompson said he doubts whether the plan will be implemented effectively. While acknowledging that there are good ideas in the plan and the city is still seeking comments on its design,  he said he was concerned there is no timeline or benchmark for the completion of proposed improvements. 

"They didn't consult with the community at all with the implementation strategy.  So while the bike plan looks like [it contains] great community-oriented ideas, the implementation strategy is just business as usual," Thompson said. "The bike plan has all these beautiful ideas in it, but when you get down to the nuts and bolts and you see what they actually plan to execute in the next five or six years—their implementation strategy—they're not planning to execute anything that's really needed." 

Thompson likened the collecting of feedback, which is required by law, to a comment box in a restaurant or store.  "You never get to see other people's comments or what happens behind the scenes or any of the outcomes.  They don't share their internal conversations with the public.  They just come forward with a unified front and say, 'We don't want to do that,'" he said.

The plan proposes gradual improvements it says would not significantly disrupt vehicular traffic flow, such as "bump-outs" and "chokers" (built-out curbs added to narrow a road, which slow drivers down and increase visibility of cyclists). 

The placement of bicycle infrastructure would ultimately be the decision of the City Planning Department, with input from the city of Los Angeles' Department of Transportation and the MTA.

Yet, the plan would not change the mix of maintenance responsibilities for bike paths and lanes. A path in or near a park, for example, would be up to the city's parks and recreation department to maintain. That is the case with a portion of the path on Lake Balboa park's northern perimeter, where tree roots have broken up the surface (see photos).  No repairs are currently scheduled.

The Encino Neighborhood Council's Area 1 Representative Glenn Bailey said he is seeing more cyclists taking advantage of the bike lane that was constructed along the MTA Busway that runs through the community. "I think with the Orange Line along the busway, there's been a huge increase [in bike use], ... especially in the late afternoon and on weekends," he said.

Encino residents looking to ride more often can find bicycle information, laws and safety tips on the LADOT Bicycle L.A. website.  Metro's L.A. Bike Map is also available online. If you want a printed copy, you have to submit a request or pick one up at a local Metro station.