Wheels of Progress : Funds Set in Motion Valley-L.A. Bike Path

With the spandex-and-cycle crowd wheeling into Griffith Park to hear the news, state and local officials announced Sunday that bicyclists’ long and winding roads will soon get a little longer.

Fueled in part by $2.5 million in newly allocated state and county funds, construction is set to begin on 15 bicycle projects in Los Angeles County, each designed to make it easier to pedal to work. At a news conference, officials said the projects will range from storage facilities to new paths, among them a 16-mile route connecting North Hollywood to downtown Los Angeles.

Calling the 1990s the age of the two-wheeled commuter, Los Angeles City Council President John Ferraro accepted a check for $550,000 from Ken Kevorkian, chairman of the California Transportation Commission. The money will fund preliminary engineering work on the North Hollywood-to-downtown path, to be built along the banks of the Los Angeles River.

The $2.5 million, allocated under the state’s Clean Air and Transportation Improvement Act, will go a long way, many said, to ensure the safety of bikers on the road.

“It isn’t a pipe dream,” said Tim Little, executive director of the Coalition for Clean Air, who said his organization often gets calls from frustrated bicyclists in search of safe routes to work. “It’s something thousands of people want to do--if they feel safe enough. This is really going to help.”

Linda Tarnoff counted herself in that group. An avid cyclist who interrupted her morning ride to stop at the news conference, Tarnoff said she would love to commute by bike from her Glendale home to her job downtown.

“The problem is the cars on the road, bike lane or no bike lane,” said Tarnoff, a deputy in Supervisor Deane Dana’s office. “You become very defensive.”

Tarnoff’s concerns were echoed by other helmet-wearing cyclists, who reminded the officials that bike lanes are useful only if car-bound commuters respect them.

Of all the elements of the bikeway program announced Sunday, the path along the banks of the Los Angeles River is among the most ambitious. Scheduled for completion in 1996, the path will connect North Hollywood, Van Nuys and other parts of the San Fernando Valley to employment centers such as Studio City, Universal City and--for commuters with more stamina--downtown.

Other projects to be funded include:

* A new bike lane to connect the Valley to Westwood via Sepulveda Boulevard.

* A new bike path along the Santa Clarita River Trail in the city of Santa Clarita.

Officials also unveiled a 1992 bike map, which illustrates more than 200 miles of trails.