Bike Lanes for Santa Monica Boulevard?

Mark Elliot is an urban planner who has lived in Beverly Hills on and off for a decade. When he learned that the city had plans to improve Santa Monica Boulevard, he launched the Better Bike BH campaign in an effort to get bike lanes installed on the road.

Currently, Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills is the missing link between existing bike lanes in Century City and West Hollywood.

On Sept. 21, the city's Public Works Transportation division is reviewing improvement options for the busy thoroughfare. One plan is to re-stripe the existing roadway to create a single bike lane. Another calls for adding "share the road" arrows in both directions with a landscaped median in lieu of a single bike lane. Both alternatives will be reviewed by city management and then presented to the City Council.

But in a town that caters more to the Benz than the bike, Elliot considers the current proposals limited in scope and creativity.

"We are working hard to put in front of our city's policymakers ASAP a more imaginative set of options and opportunities," he said. "We have to make ourselves heard before the request for proposals goes out and certainly long before the concrete is mixed."

Beverly Hills resident and attorney Jennifer Hughes also helped initiate the Better Bike BH campaign. She runs her firm, Hughes Media Law, with sustainability in mind, and bikes to work about once a week. But fear of peddling down Wilshire Boulevard prevents her from cycling more often.

"It's terrifying since the streets are so narrow north of Wilshire," Hughes said. "I'm scared of being hit by someone opening a car door on one side, or by a car [driven by] a speeding or distracted driver."

However, Better Bike BH's campaign doesn't stop at bike lanes. Other goals include more bike racks near bus stops and schools, community bicycle fix-it classes, improved street signage and the encouragement of businesses to reward customers who bike instead of drive. The group also supports Sunday group bike rides to the Beverly Hills Farmers' Market.

Biking can be dangerous, but with help from the city, more can be done to make the roads safer for riders.

One day when my son was cycling to Beverly Hills High School, he was hit while navigating gnarly congestion on Charleville Boulevard at Beverly Drive. He thankfully walked away unhurt. After his accident I found out about Better Bike BH through an e-mail from the Los Angeles Bicycle Coalition, whose slogan is "Building a Better Bike-Able Los Angeles County."

By supporting Better Bike BH—and maybe shooting an e-mail to a local official—we can do just that.

If you are interested in improving bike access in Beverly Hills, your city contact is Aaron Kunz, deputy director of transportation, at akunz@beverlyhills.org.