Cyclists Urge MTA to Fund Bike Projects

A coalition of about 1,000 bicyclists Wednesday called on the MTA to dramatically increase funding for bike projects and give bicycling a higher priority in long-range transportation planning for the region.

Members of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition made the recommendations in an attempt to ensure that MTA officials do not overlook cycling as they map out the county’s transportation future.

“Los Angeles County has a severely undeveloped network of safe and enjoyable places to bicycle,” said Ron Milam, the coalition’s executive director. “Bike projects are planned in L.A. County, but MTA is not allocating enough funding to build them.”

Joined by two environmental groups, the coalition of cyclists appealed to the MTA during a news conference at Zanja Madre Park off Riverside Drive near downtown Los Angeles.

Fifteen cyclists then pedaled about a mile to MTA headquarters and presented their views at the authority’s board meeting.

“Riding a bicycle should be more valued by our transportation agencies,” said Martin Schlageter, a conservation coordinator for the Los Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club. “It’s one activity that’s a solution to making our communities more livable.”

The coalition wants to influence the county’s transportation plan for the next 25 years. The MTA has written a draft of the document, which lays out various strategies for bus service, streets and highways, rail systems and alternative modes of transportation, such as bicycles.

Planners expect the county’s population of about 10 million to increase by 3.5 million by 2025, straining existing transportation systems, particularly highways.

MTA board members are scheduled to release the draft next week, and the public will have 45 days to comment on the plan and make recommendations for changes.

The document contains two scenarios for bicycling. One provides about $10 million a year for bike projects; the other would allocate about $20 million a year. The MTA currently spends about $5 million a year on projects to create bike lanes on streets and bike paths along waterways and old railroad rights-of-way.

Coalition members want the authority to earmark as much as $25 million a year for bike paths, lanes and parking areas and for educational and safety programs. The amount represents a tiny fraction of the overall plan to spend $106.5 billion on transportation over the next 25 years, including $11 billion for new projects.

“Our proposal is not that far apart from theirs,” said Lynne Goldsmith, a bikeway planner for the MTA. “We could do a lot more with the additional money.”

In addition to more funding, the coalition would like the agency to complete the proposed 53-mile bikeway along the Los Angeles River.

The route, which from the San Fernando Valley to Long Beach, is now interrupted at several points, including a portion in downtown Los Angeles.

Overall, the cyclists called on MTA to create a network of bike routes making it possible for cyclists to travel safely and easily to any part of the county.

“We want visionary planning that links bicycle projects to other forms of transportation,” Milam said. “Portland, Seattle and San Francisco are doing this. So should we.”