LA Bike Plan Report – February 2009
Sadly, several City statutes make it illegal to ride on a trail in any Los Angeles City Park. After more than 18 months of development, Los Angeles’ Draft Bicycle Plan did nothing to change that. It took recommendations off the table that had been included in the plan’s last revision in 1996. It called for studies to assess our needs for trail access, but provided little in the way of concrete guidance on the issue.
The plan has been the subject of intense scrutiny from all facets of cycling, including its off-road components. When the draft document was released in late September, the City held five public workshops, and allowed just six weeks to digest and comment upon this 563 page document. Bowing to pressure from the cycling community at large, the City extended it’s comment period until January 8, 2010.
CORBA representatives attended all of the public workshops. The extended comment period gave us the opportunity to review the plan in detail, and compile our official response. We then called upon the mountain biking community at large, and you responded.
CORBA put together a grass-roots advocacy campaign, with a petition drive and an email and letter-writing drive. Between December 19, 2009 and January 7, 2010, 929 letters and signatures from mountain bikers were gathered.
On January 8 we delivered those letters to the City of L.A. Planning Department. Key City officials, Rec and Parks personnel and Members of L.A. City Council also received copies of all the letters and petitions via email. We got the City’s attention.
This was the biggest response CORBA has ever received to an advocacy campaign. Mountain Bikers stood up for themselves, demanding a change to the decades old ban on bicycles in City Parks. We need more options for outdoor recreation and exercise, especially for kids.
Currently, the City is revising the draft plan, taking into consideration all of the comments received. A second draft is expected to be released within the next two months, and will be followed by another comment period before being submitted to the City Council for adoption. We’ll keep you informed and updated on the progress.
CORBA is looking forward to working with the City to make its parks more inclusive of all user groups, including off-road cyclists. Thank you for standing up for yourselves!
Sadly, several City statutes make it illegal to ride on a trail in any Los Angeles City Park. After more than 18 months of development, Los Angeles’ Draft Bicycle Plan did nothing to change that. It took recommendations off the table that had been included in the plan’s last revision in 1996. It called for studies to assess our needs for trail access, but provided little in the way of concrete guidance on the issue.
The plan has been the subject of intense scrutiny from all facets of cycling, including its off-road components. When the draft document was released in late September, the City held five public workshops, and allowed just six weeks to digest and comment upon this 563 page document. Bowing to pressure from the cycling community at large, the City extended it’s comment period until January 8, 2010.
CORBA representatives attended all of the public workshops. The extended comment period gave us the opportunity to review the plan in detail, and compile our official response. We then called upon the mountain biking community at large, and you responded.
CORBA put together a grass-roots advocacy campaign, with a petition drive and an email and letter-writing drive. Between December 19, 2009 and January 7, 2010, 929 letters and signatures from mountain bikers were gathered.
On January 8 we delivered those letters to the City of L.A. Planning Department. Key City officials, Rec and Parks personnel and Members of L.A. City Council also received copies of all the letters and petitions via email. We got the City’s attention.
This was the biggest response CORBA has ever received to an advocacy campaign. Mountain Bikers stood up for themselves, demanding a change to the decades old ban on bicycles in City Parks. We need more options for outdoor recreation and exercise, especially for kids.
Currently, the City is revising the draft plan, taking into consideration all of the comments received. A second draft is expected to be released within the next two months, and will be followed by another comment period before being submitted to the City Council for adoption. We’ll keep you informed and updated on the progress.
CORBA is looking forward to working with the City to make its parks more inclusive of all user groups, including off-road cyclists. Thank you for standing up for yourselves!
