4th Street Bicycle Boulevard

Before

After

4th Street is one of the major east-west commuting streets for bicyclists in the City of Los Angeles. Running almost four miles from Hoover just west of MacArthur Park to Cochran just east of Park La Brea, 4th Street is an ideal Bicycle Boulevard. Bicycle boulevards are created on low traffic streets where bicycle and pedestrian traffic can be prioritized. Most, like 4th Street, run parallel to major thoroughfares and pass though both residential neighborhoods and commercial districts. Furthermore, they link neighborhoods and create a strong sense of place.

LACBC has been working on the 4th Street Bike Boulevard campaign for over a year, continuing the work that members of the bike community have been doing for years. In the summer of 2010, we were able to get sharrows installed along a portion of 4th street and by the end of the year sharrows were installed for the full length of 4th Street.  We also worked to get LADOT to recalibrate the loop detectors at major intersections so bicycles can trigger the signals, we currently working to have LADOT install markings on the loops to inform bicyclists where best to wait in order to trigger the signal. Additionally, we envision a 4th Street with smooth pavement, roundabouts, and additional traffic calming features that make it an even better street for bicycling, walking, and the residents that live along 4th Street. The city has set aside funding for some of these treatments and we are actively looking for additional funding sources to make sure 4th Street becomes a model Bicycle Boulevard for the City of Los Angeles and the county.

We’ve gained support from several neighborhood councils and business improvement districts, local individuals, and L.A. Councilmember Tom LaBonge of Council District 4. 

If you want to become more involved with this exciting campaign, please contact alexis@la-bike.org for more information. You can also join the Google group e-mail list here and check out more drawings of our initial ideas for 4th St here.

If you want to get more background on the 4th Street Bike Boulevard Campaign, check out our past coverage at the links below:

Walk and Ride for a Safer 4th Street

Sharrows on 4th Street, LaBonge Bike Ride, and 4th Street Campaign meeting!

Volunteers Needed for Next Step in Sharrows Pilot Project; Gathering Data on Bicyclist-Motorist Behavior

AIA LA Chapter Shows Support for 4th Street Bicycle Boulevard

4th Street Style: An LA take on bicycle boulevards

Wilshire Center BID approves letter of support for 4th Street Bicycle Blvd.

Good Magazine and 4th Street Bike Blvd!

Rampart Village Neighborhood Council supports 4th St. Bicycle Blvd. and other 4th St. Campaign Updates!

4th Street Bike Blvd. Photos and Renderings

L.A.’s Sharrows Pilot Project Funded and Coming Soon!

4th Street Bike Boulevard Campaign

What’s Happening Now?
4th Street is currently at the top of LADOT’s 5 year Bike Plan Implementation Plan for building “bicycle-friendly streets,” the City of LA's term for a Bicycle Boulevard treatment developed in the city's 2010 Bicycle Master Plan to indicate residential streets to receive traffic calming and roundabout treatments.  We are working to make sure the treatments implemented on 4th Street meet the vision of the community, cyclists, and maximize the city's dollars by prioritizing implementation where 4th Street intersects with other proposed bicycle friendly streets.