Beverly Hills bike lane project approved
From BeverlyPress.com
The city of Beverly Hills is continuing its efforts to make the city more bicycle-friendly, as evidenced by the City Council’s June 21 approval of bike lanes and shared lane bicycle markings – or “sharrows” – on Doheny Drive, from Burton Way to Whitworth Drive.
The bike lanes are part of the city’s Complete Streets Plan, which described the Doheny Drive project as “high priority,” according to a staff report. The installation of the on-street, striped bike lanes is expected to occur later this year.
According to a staff report, the project is not expected to impact parking or traffic lanes, but it would connect with bikeways recently installed on Clifton Way, Charleville Boulevard and Gregory Way, and other bike lanes on Burton Way.
“First, this is not about people not being able to use their cars,” Councilman Robert Wunderlich said. “Nobody is saying that cars can’t go on Doheny [or that] cars can’t park on Doheny, or for that matter, the rest of the city. This has never been about [saying] people cannot use cars. What this is about is providing an opportunity for people who choose not to use a car to actually make it safe for them to do so.”
He said city officials regularly discuss maintaining a “village atmosphere” in Beverly Hills and attracting younger families, and that neither of those goals are accomplished by city streets being “race courses.” Wunderlich said residents want quiet streets that are walkable and safe for bicyclists.
“Of course, [this project] is not going to cure that,” he added. “Is it helpful? Yes. Obviously, most people are not going to choose the bicycle instead of being in their cars. But, for everybody who does, that takes a car off the street by choice. It reduces congestion. It reduces the need for parking.”
Photo by Markus Spiske
