In 2011, the Los Angeles City Council passed the Bicycle Plan, embarking on a quest to make our city friendlier to those traveling under pedal power. Since then, Los Angeles has made great strides toward making bicycling a safe and convenient way to travel, connecting diverse communities to make our city more liveable, economically vibrant, and environmentally sustainable. Each Councilmember has the ability to determine what projects are advanced in his or her district, as well as a vote on citywide policy affecting all people who ride. The Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition invites all City Council candidates to appeal directly to an engaged, thoughtful group of voters–our city’s bicyclists–by responding to the following questionnaire.
We will post responses to these questions here on our blog and in our weekly newsletter to thousands of voters across the city beginning on February 3rd and thereafter as additional responses come in. Please email responses to eric@la-bike.org.
Note: The Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and cannot endorse candidates or engage in electioneering on behalf of a candidate. We are offering this questionnaire as a service to candidates to communicate with potential voters for informational purposes only. All candidates have an equal opportunity to respond and responses will be distributed without bias in the order in which they are received. If you have any questions, please call our office at (213) 629-2142.
Please share a memory involving a bicycle that has had a lasting effect on you (whether or not you were the one on the bicycle).
Approximately 200 people are killed in traffic in the City of Los Angeles every year, about half of whom were walking or biking. In September, the Department of Transportation released a new strategic plan Great Streets for Los Angeles, including the ambitious goal to eliminate all traffic fatalities in the city by 2025 (“Vision Zero”). Many of the projects designed to improve safety will also slow vehicle speeds or reduce capacity, sometimes on major streets. Do you support Vision Zero? How would you evaluate a project that increases delay for drivers in order to make a street safer for walking and biking?
The Department of City Planning is in the process of updating the City’s Mobility Plan for the first time in decades. Among many exciting components, the plan calls for a citywide network of protected bike lanes–designed for people ages 8 to 80–called the “Bicycle Enhanced Network” or BEN. Many of these BEN projects will require reallocating either a traffic lane or parking lane in order to construct the bicycle facility. Do you believe making Los Angeles a city where everyone feels comfortable riding a bike on the street is worthwhile? How would you approach the tradeoffs inherent to such a project?
In 2011, the City Council unanimously adopted the Bicycle Plan proposing a comprehensive 1,600-mile bikeway network across the City. What steps would you take to ensure implementation of Bicycle Plan projects in your district? Are there any specific projects in the Plan you would prioritize? To what extent would you feel obligated to implement a plan adopted by your predecessor?
(CD4 only) Bike lanes are currently proposed for all of the following streets prioritized by the Bicycle Plan. All of these projects involve a “road diet” to make the street safer for walking, biking and driving. Which of these projects are you prepared to support at this time? Please feel free to share any thoughts about specific projects.
6th Street (Fairfax to La Brea)
San Vicente Blvd (Wilshire to Venice)
Hyperion Ave Viaduct (Rowena to Glenfeliz)
Hollywood Blvd (La Brea to Sunset)
Hillhurst Ave (Los Feliz to Sunset)
Lankershim Blvd (Hatteras to Cahuenga)
Cahuenga Blvd (Lankershim to Odin)
(CD14 only) Bike lanes are currently proposed for all of the following streets prioritized by the Bicycle Plan. All of these projects involve a “road diet” to make the street safer for walking, biking and driving. Which of these projects are you prepared to support at this time? Please feel free to share any thoughts about specific projects.
Central Ave (1st St to 95th St)
Boyle Ave (5th St to 8th St)
Soto St (Huntington to 8th St)
Studies have shown that people on bicycles spend more per month in local business districts than those arriving by other modes. What steps would you take to ensure that local businesses in your district are able to benefit from better bicycle access?
The LA Times recently wrote a feature story documenting that hit-and-run collisions are on the rise for bicyclists, according to state records. The majority of seriously injured or fatal hit-and-run victims are people walking and bicycling. What steps would you take to reduce the rate of hit-and-run and ensure perpetrators are prosecuted?
An additional countywide transportation sales tax is currently being formulated by Metro. None of the existing three half-cent measures (Propositions A & C and Measure R) currently dedicate significant funding for walking and biking, despite these modes making up 19% of all trips and 39% of all roadway fatalities in the county. Would you support allocating at least 10% of any future transportation tax measure to walking, biking and safe routes to school?
LACBC’s Neighborhood Bike Ambassadors work with local businesses, neighborhood councils, homeowner associations and other stakeholders on bicycle issues. Will you commit to meeting with the local bike ambassadors in your district on a regular and ongoing basis? Would you be willing to lead a regularly scheduled bike ride with your constituents?
Would you presently feel safe riding a bike in Los Angeles, and if not, what would it take to make you feel comfortable on our city streets?
Is there anything else you’d like to share with L.A.’s bicycling community?