Northeast LA Getting LA's First Bike-Friendly Business District
Northeast LA already has a strong bike culture: its monthly art walk has a regular bike ride component, and there are bike lanes along parts of Eagle Rock and York Boulevards, with a bike corral reclaiming a couple spots near Avenue 50. Bike lanes went in last fall along Colorado Boulevard in Eagle Rock (near where those literally flashy crosswalk enhancements were recently installed), and there are plans for bike lanes along Figueroa too. All this has made the area a prime choice for Los Angeles's first Bike-Friendly Business District pilot program.
The BFBD will be an area where the city, local organizations, and businesses collaborate on things like promotions geared toward biking patrons and more and better bike infrastructure, like corrals, repair stations, and better signage. The launch is slated for 2015-2016, and will go into effect on Colorado, Eagle Rock, and York Boulevards, as well as along Figueroa Street.
The idea is to help businesses out, but, as Eastsider LA points out, there are always those business owners who worry that taking away traffic lanes will actually harm them. Still, the concept is already successfully playing out in Long Beach, and more people on the street (rather than zooming by) usually means more people stopping in.
http://la.curbed.com/archives/2014/02/northeast_la_getting_las_first_bikefriendly_business_district.php