Council Unanimously Approves Beverly Hills Bike Lanes

City Council voted 5-0 Tuesday to move forward with a pilot bike lane program, approving the conceptual design for construction on Burton Way and North Crescent Drive.

"It's about time that we get with it when it comes to being bike-friendly" Vice Mayor John Mirisch said. "This certainly isn't as extensive as we had hoped, but it's a start."

The program calls for a bicycle lane on Burton Way from North Crescent Drive eastward to the city limits, and a combination bicycle lane and bicycle route on North Crescent Drive from Sunset Boulevard to Wilshire Boulevard. The bicycle lane on North Crescent Drive will stretch from Sunset Boulevard to Park Way, with the bicycle route going from Park Way to Wilshire Boulevard.

According to city staff, the roads will undergo the following modifications:

Burton Way

• A 6-foot Class II Bike Lane will be installed on Burton Way between North Crescent Drive and the east city limits. The westbound lane will start near North Oakhurst Drive and the eastbound lane will end near Robertson Boulevard.
• The reconfigured street markings on Burton Way will include a 7.5-foot parking lane from the curb, a 6-foot marked bike lane with bicycle stencils, and 10-foot and 11.5-foot travel lanes to the median. Burton Way will also have bicycle signage on the public right-of-way.

North Crescent Drive

• A combination Class II Bike Lane and Class III Bike Route with sharrows will be installed on North Crescent Drive between Wilshire and Sunset boulevards.
• A 6-foot Class II Bike Lane will be installed on North Crescent Drive between Park Way and Sunset Boulevard. The new street markings will include a 7.5-foot parking lane from the curb (retaining on-street parking for residents), a 6-foot marked bike lane with bicycle stencils and an 11.5-foot travel lane on each side of the center line.
• A Class III Bike Route with sharrows and “Share the Road” signs will be added to the existing lane markings on North Crescent Drive between Wilshire Boulevard and Park Way. The “sharrow” markings will be placed in the center of the outside/curb-side travel lane.

In a question to Deputy Director of Transportation Aaron Kunz, Councilwoman Lili Bosse asked how city staff planned to educate bike riders and motorists on sharing the road. Kunz said the city's communications department would coordinate efforts with the Westside Cities Council of Governments, which supports regional bike transit, to educate the public on safe commuting. Kunz said staff would monitor the program over the next 12 months and report its findings to council.

Kunz said street markings for the project will cost an estimated $65,000 to $80,000. That price includes removal of any existing lane striping, new lane striping, bicycle stencils/markings, signage and posts. The planning, public outreach, conceptual design and preparation of design specification for the program has cost $20,000 in consultant fees thus far, according to a staff report posted on the city website.

The report states there is about $200,000 in AB-2766 Air Quality Management District grant funding available for the pilot bicycle lane/route program and also a bicycle parking program. City staff estimates the cost for the first rollout of bicycle racks under the bicycle parking program will be between $12,500 and $37,000, depending on the material selected and custom branding.

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