Improve the Bike Plan for UCLA

Letter from UCLA Bicycle Coalition regarding the Draft of the Los Angeles Bicycle Master Plan


The University of California, Los Angeles is a major bike commuting center in the City of Los Angeles. Nearly 3,000 students and employees bicycle to campus regularly (UCLA Transportation Services). Furthermore, UCLA is an important cultural destination for all of the citizens of the Los Angeles region, as well as tourists. It is in everybody's interest for the campus to be accessible by bicycle.

On behalf of all of the University's cyclists, the UCLA Bicycle Coalition requests the following changes to the draft of the Bicycle Master Plan of the City of Los Angeles.

First, we request that the plan provide us with safe routes to our school. A 2004 survey identified "Better Routes to Campus" as the top priority for regular student bicyclists. Similarly, when non-bicyclists were asked what the most important change would be in order for them to start bicycling to campus, the top answer was "Better Routes to Campus." UCLA's Bicycle Master Plan, adopted in 2006, thus states that "It is imperative that UCLA continue to work with local agencies to improve bicycle access to campus" (Pg. 40 of UCLA BMP). In accordance with this clear directive, we request that:

* Los Angeles National Cemetery, which formerly provided a pleasant access route from points west of campus, be reopened to bicyclists.

* Wilshire Boulevard and Sunset Boulevard be considered for road treatments which will make them safer for bicyclists. These are the only two east-west corridors from the Central region of Los Angeles, so cyclists are dependent on them to reach campus.

* The "proposed bicycle lane" on Westwood Boulevard, which will extend the current bike lane north to Le Conte, be placed high in the prioritization table for West Los Angeles (on page 195 of the draft). Furthermore, we request that the bike lane on Westwood be extended south to National, where UCLA has graduate student housing.

* Beverly Glen Boulevard and Sepulveda Boulevard, which are both "potential bicycle lanes in the current draft, be changed to designated bike lanes. These are the only two roads which provide access to UCLA from the San Fernando Valley and they are crucial connectors to points north of campus.


Making these four changes will ensure that the UCLA campus is accessible from all directions.

In addition to these specific route requests, we request the following overarching changes to the current draft. We demand these changes in solidarity with various bicycle advocacy coalitions around the City of Los Angeles. We bicycle in all parts of the city and we need a plan that will truly facilitate safe and enjoyable riding. We request that:


* All bikeways from the 1996 plan be carried over into the 2009 plan. The current drafts remove at least 57 miles of bike lanes from the 1996 plan. We need a Bicycle Plan that moves the city forward, not backward. Of particular importance to UCLA is Sepulveda Blvd. from Mulholland to Venice which was a designated bike lane in 1996 and has now been downgraded to a "potential bike lane."

* The plan must begin with the statement that "Every street is a street that cyclists will ride." This is of particular relevance to UCLA, which is bounded by two major streets Wilshire and Sunset which are extremely unsafe and frightening for cyclists. We do not accept the current conditions and the frequent near-death experiences they cause.

* The plan needs to include predetermined annual performance measures so that the Department of Transportation and the City of Los Angeles will be held accountable for implementing these bikeways.

* Bike lanes, which the Public Outreach Survey shows are the bike facility that cyclists in Los Angeles most prefer (p. E-4 of the draft appendix), need to be automatically prioritized higher than other bikeways in the prioritization tables.

We have copied this letter to Councilmember Paul Koretz, who serves our district.

This letter is signed by a broad coalition of UCLA's community members, representing all types of bicyclists as well as environmental and transportation organizations.


Original Signatories
Rebecca Miller, E3: Ecology, Economy, Equity
Shanna Gong, Director of Sustainable Resource Center
Roy P. Samaan
Omari Fuller
Francis Reilly
Kyle Woodward, Graduate Student in Economics and Bicycle Commuter
J, PhD
Sean Carroll, CALPIRG Campus Organizer UCLA
David Gingrich, UCLA Cycling Team
Kristen Huff
Jamal Madni, GSA President
Yogi Hendlin, Political Science PhD Student
Alex Rixey, Transportation Planners at UCLA
Steve Messor
Sarah A. Johnson
Sean Gallaher
Ken Lin
Stephen Deters, Department of Architecture Design
Dan Caroselli, Urban Planning
Jennifer Klausner, Executive Director, Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, UCLA Cycling Alum 1990-1993
Michael Cahn, UCLA History Faculty