Riding a Surge of Popularity : Looking for ways to reduce traffic and air pollution, officials are drawing up blueprints for veloways and encouraging businesses to support commuting by bicycle.

There’s a new buzzword making the rounds at city transportation planning sessions. It’s called bicycle planning--and it goes far beyond installing bike racks and posting route signs.

Urban planners are finding that bicycle master plans can be an effective means of reducing automobile traffic.

“Cities throughout the county are starting to wake up,” said Patti Holmberg, Westside project transportation manager for the Los Angeles County Transportation Commission. Los Angeles, Pasadena, Santa Monica and Lancaster are among the cities in the county that have instituted plans or are planning to do so. Other California cities on the bandwagon include San Jose, Sacramento, Visalia and Escondido.

Bicycle planning usually starts simply, with designation of bicycle routes and lanes. Increasingly, however, cities are drawing up blueprints for veloways and mandating that businesses install lockers and showers for bicycle commuters.

The push to pedal gets its impetus from a variety of sources. In some cases, state and federal money for transportation projects now requires the recipients to institute bike plans and other traffic reduction measures. Regionally, the Air Quality Management District has adopted new incentives and penalties designed to push vehicle occupancy rates up to 1.5 commuters per car at workplaces employing 100 or more people.

Locally, a Los Angeles law that took effect this year requires bicycle parking for most new and remodeled commercial construction. New projects of 50,000 square feet or more also must include locker and shower facilities for bicycle commuters.

With bicycles coming into their own as never before, here is a resource list of bicycle planning organizations and recreational clubs that offer a way to get involved:

Santa Monica: The city’s recently drafted bicycle plan is one component in a multifaceted approach to reducing traffic and air pollution that goes considerably beyond the AQMD’s mandate.

The plan includes an expanded bicycle route network, improvements in private and public bicycle parking, and promotion of bicycle education and awareness. Community hearings are being scheduled. The Santa Monica City Council will review the plan on July 28 to decide whether to initiate an environmental assessment.

For further information, call the city’s Land Use and Transportation Management Department at (310) 458-8585.

Los Angeles’ Bicycle Advisory Committee: Formed in 1978, the committee was largely responsible for the new law requiring all new commercial construction projects of more than 10,000 square feet to provide parking for bicycles. New projects of 50,000 square feet or more must also provide separate lockers and showers for men and women who commute by bicycle.

The four-member committee holds open monthly meetings at which incorporation of bicycle-use into transportation planning is discussed. Meetings are held the first Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Department of Transportation, Los Angeles City Hall, Room 1200. Information: (818) 761-5576.

County Master Plan: The County Transportation Commission in December will begin a six-month study on the Westside as a pilot program for a regional bicycle master plan. Participants will examine proposed bike routes, parking and educational programs, and will explore ways to secure more money for bicycle programs. Information: (213) 244-6780.

West L.A. Veloway: Plans for the West L.A. Veloway, conceived 16 years ago by UCLA molecular biologist Paul Boyer, have recently been altered in order to bypass the Veterans Administration property. The original proposal for the two-mile elevated bikeway connecting the UCLA campus, Westwood and Brentwood, had been held up for final Environmental Impact Report approval because the VA, whose property the veloway would have crossed, disapproved.

“The downside is that, at present, we’ll have no access through the V.A. property to Brentwood,” said Ryan Snyder, director of the Citizens for the West L.A. Veloway Committee. “But the upside is we can get moving with our plans. We’ll continue to put pressure on the VA for a planned second segment that would resemble the original route through VA property.”

Construction on the project is tentatively scheduled for 1994; the estimated cost is $7 million to $10 million. Information: (310) 824-9931.

Greenbelt Bike Trail Committee: The committee’s goal is to transform the exposition right of way, an unused 12-mile rail corridor from Exposition Park to downtown Santa Monica, into a bicycle route.

The County Transportation Commission has proposed a light rail system for the stretch, but it is now considering alternative uses, foremost of which is a bike route. An environmental impact report is pending.

“For about $1.2 million, we could lay a strip of cement down the center that wouldn’t require a lot of maintenance,” said committee organizer Johanna Rosenthal. “It could be landscaped and community gardens could be planted. It would be good for cyclists, joggers, hikers--everybody.”

Rosenthal said her committee would be satisfied with a bike route that parallels a light rail system, but several area homeowner groups are fighting to keep the rail line out and maintain the corridor as a greenbelt. Information: (310) 398-6098.

Concerned Off-Road Bicyclists Assn.: This group, which goes by the acronym CORBA, lobbies in support of mountain bike access in the Santa Monica Mountains. It also organizes mountain bike patrol units that police, maintain and build mountain paths.

“Our volunteers are trained in first aid and CPR,” said CORBA organizer Jim Hasenauer. “They know the parks’ history and flora and fauna. They also act as roving interpreters for all user groups.

According to Hasenauer, CORBA was organized in 1987 to counteract negative perceptions other user groups had of mountain bikers. It also serves to promote responsible bicycling, such as “how to bike around horses and not tear up trails,” he said. Annual dues for the 300-member group are $15 and include a quarterly newsletter. Information: (818) 773-3555.

Marina del Rey Cycle Club: A recreational cyclists group, the club has a repertoire of 30 routes, ranging from 35 to 85 miles. Call for meeting times and dates. “We call ourselves a ‘fast recreational club,’ ” said organizer Craig Nitta of his 10-year-old, 50-member group. “We don’t race, but we don’t meander either. We regroup two or three times during each ride, so even the slowest can keep up.”

Annual dues of $25 include a quarterly newsletter and admittance to quarterly meetings that feature lectures on bicycle-related topics. (310) 338-9454.

Social Climbers: The club specializes in scaling challenging hills in the Santa Monica Mountains. The rides, from 35 to 75 miles in length, depart each Saturday and Sunday morning. Call for locations.

“Hills are great because there are fewer cars, great views and fantastic descents,” said Nerissa Leonardo, who formed the group last year. “We always have a long lunch at the finish, and we regroup at the top of hills so no one is ever left behind.”

Annual dues for the 30-member group are $15 and include a monthly newsletter. Information: (310) 451-3168.

Different Spokes Cycling Club: Formed in 1983, this club holds weekend rides for its 250 gay and lesbian members. The rides range in length from 15 to 100 miles.

An annual 25-mile Tacky Tour of Stars’ Homes wends through Beverly Hills each spring. A 45-mile tour of Frank Lloyd Wright and Craftsman architecture passes through Pasadena residential areas in the summer.

Annual dues, which include a monthly newsletter and bicycle shop discounts, are $20. Some overnight bicycle touring is organized. Information: (213) 896-3235.

Women’s Mountain Bike and Tea Society: Formed in 1989, WOMBATS holds weekend rides in the Santa Monica and San Gabriel mountains. Call for time and locations.

“We serve ice tea and cookies on every ride--that’s where we get our name,” said Nancy Beverly, who co-directs the 100-member group. Annual dues of $31 include a bimonthly newsletter and a T-shirt emblazoned with a fuzzy wombat pedaling a bicycle. (818) 762-2462.

L.A. Wheelmen: Formed in 1945, this recreational club offers weekend rides around the Los Angeles metro and outlying areas. A Sunday ride departs between 8:30 and 9 a.m., covering distances between 20 and 70 miles.

A 20-mile ride called Women’s Wednesday Wanderings departs every Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at Travel Town in Griffith Park. The Wednesday group, comprised mostly of seniors, also meets at Travel Town at 10 a.m. on Sundays.

The 700-member organization charges annual dues of $12, which includes a monthly newsletter. Some members organize overnight tours. Information: (310) 533-1707.

Westside Singles Cycling Club: This club holds weekend rides and twice-a-month overnight tours for its 200 members. Monthly twilight dinner rides begin at 2 p.m. and conclude with dinner and drinks at local restaurants.

Annual dues are $60 and include a monthly newsletter, bike shop discounts, maintenance classes and consultation when purchasing a bicycle. Information: (310) 364-4616.