Community Corner
Wheels Are in Motion to Make Beverly Hills a Better Place to Bike
Signage, shared-lane pavement markings and more bike racks are some of the ideas proposed at a meeting of the city's bicycle committee.
The Beverly Hills Ad Hoc Bicycle Committee, part of the Traffic and Parking Commission, is moving forward with plans to make the city a.
Topping the agenda at last week's meeting was the bicycle route pilot project. After a lively discussion, the streets identified for possible bike safety improvements were Crescent and Beverly drives for north-south routes and Carmelita Avenue and Charleville Boulevard for east-west travel. The improvements could include signage, bike lanes and shared-lane pavement markings.
Deputy Director for Transportation Aaron Kunz said that the city may be able to engage a consultant to evaluate these possible routes to create a local network that encourages biking in the community.
Find out what's happening in Beverly Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Attendees emphasized that the pilot project should address the need for safe routes to schools.
“Charleville, for example, is a good street that goes to , as well as and schools,” Patch blogger of Bike Beverly Hills said.
Find out what's happening in Beverly Hillswith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Future discussion about changes to traffic-clogged Santa Monica Boulevard are also on the committee's radar, specifically bike lanes for safer riding and regional connectivity.
Bicycle racks rank high as an easy fix for making the city more rider friendly. A “rack-on-request” program is also in motion. It would allow residential, commercial and business property owners to request a city rack for the public right-of-way.
“When bicycles are more conspicuous in the community it will stimulate the demand for racks and more,” said , bike safety instructor and founder of Sustainable Streets. “But installation must be monitored.”
Greg Laemmle, president of the Laemmle Theatres chain, which includes Beverly Hills' , rode his no-frills Trek bicycle to the meeting. A daily bike commuter since 2008, Laemmle was particularly interested in racks in front of his Wilshire Boulevard theater. He is also on the board of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, which was represented at last week's meeting by Alexis Lantz, the organization's planning and policy director.
