7th Street Bike Lane

The 7th Street bike lane was the first street in the 2010 Bike Plan to be implemented, as of August 2011. The bike lane begins in Koreatown and will eventually stretch all the way to Boyle Heights--that's an impressive 5.4-mile stretch. The Los Angeles Department of Transportation promise to stripe the first 2.2 miles of 7th Street from Catalina to Figueroa in August 2011 was upheld, thanks to LACBC's City of Lights' program continuously bringing leadership to getting the bike lane on 7th street.

7th Street is an essential location for bike lanes because it is in an area where many residents cannot afford cars and rely on public transportation, walking, or bicycling to get to work or downtown. Achieving this bike lane is part of a larger network that the LACBC is pushing forth for equitable bike lanes and bicycle-friendly streets (BFS or residential street calming) in South, Northeast, and Central Los Angeles. Because these neighborhoods have high volumes of pedestrians and cars, which leaves little room for bicyclists to ride, and heavy bus traffic, which create pothole-stricken roads, adding bike lanes would increase safety for pedestrians and bicyclists alike. LACBC is collaborated with Council Member Ed Reyes, CARECEN, Acción Westlake, CCNP, Korean Resource Center, KIWA, LAPD, Urban Semillas, and especially the day laborer cyclists and other volunteers who have worked with at City of Lights. Wecelebrated in a press conference on September 8, 2011; check out photos from it here. 

LACBC will also be publishing a report next spring of "before and after" bike counts and business surveys along the 7th Street corridor. Stay tuned for the report, which will measure the economic and safety benefits of the bike lane.

Click here to find out more about the LA Bike Plan or download the plan here.  We also have fliers (PDFs) available in English, Spanish and Korean.