The plan lays out a long term goal of 1,680 miles of interconnected bikeways and calls for more than 200 miles of new bicycle routes every 5 years. It suggests that such major arteries as Figueroa Street, Wilshire Boulevard and Santa Monica Boulevard get bike lanes in the near future.

It’s important to note that the two of the plans biggest advocates, the Major and Stephen Box, both became ardent supporters after the Major crashed his bicycle on Venice Boulevard last year and when Mr. Box was nearly hit by a bus.  Note: Stephen Box is running for a council position against veteran Tom LaBonge.

Click HERE to read the article at the LA-Times & HERE to read an article from the DailyNews

Blah.Blah.Freddie supports bicycle advocacy as a safety and economics issue, not social engineering.

The accident last year convinced LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa that the streets need to be safer for cyclists.   “We also have to have a cultural paradigm shift,” Villaraigosa said in an interview with The Associated Press. “We have to recognize that even in the car capital of America, drivers have to share the road.”

From the mayor’s blog:

“If there’s one thing everyone now knows after my recent accident, it’s that I like to bike in Los Angeles.  The City’s landscape, climate, and neighborhoods offer a cyclist’s paradise.  Biking in Los Angeles should be a natural. Unfortunately most of our City was built with cars in mind.  It’s time to recognize that bicycles also belong on L.A.’s streets.“