The City of Los Angeles is working on establishing its first Bicycle Friendly Business District in Northeast Los Angeles. For the past year, the Bike Program has been developing a Bicycle Friendly Business District (BFBD) program to foster a broad and engaging range of bicycle friendly features in business districts or corridors.
The program aims to provide districts with adequate bicycle facilities including bicycle parking and repair stations, bikeways, creating maps of bikeway networks, installing signage, and facilitating bicycle way finding. By cultivating bicycle friendly business practices in local businesses and developing local business districts to welcome patrons on bicycles, these districts seek to build community, increase physical activity, and make streets less congested while supporting Los Angeles neighborhood businesses.
Bicycle Friendly Business Districts – What are they?
A BFBD is a partnership between the City, neighborhood and business organizations, and local businesses that improves a business district’s Bicycle Friendliness through bicycle infrastructure and local business promotions to people travelling by bicycle. The district encourages and promotes short, local trips, especially for shopping, dining and recreation.
The BFBD program complements complete streets and traffic calming objectives in order to capture local dollars and further neighborhood development in Los Angeles. Districts cooperate with the LADOT, the Council Office, and local community partners to implement services already offered free of charge through the LADOT Bike Program.
These services, infrastructure, and other program elements combine with local investment in bicycle amenities and programs privately funded by neighborhood and business partners.
Northeast LA Pilot
The BFBD program is in its first pilot phase in Northeast Los Angeles. This pilot will serve as a basis for a citywide program expected to be launched in 2015-16.
The pilot targets Northeast LA’s primary business corridors: Colorado Boulevard, York Boulevard, Eagle Rock Boulevard, and N. Figueroa Street. The area was selected for study because of its recent additions of bicycle infrastructure, including:
the implementation of a Road Diet, Bike Lanes, and the City’s first Bike Corral on York Boulevard
the completion of Bike Lanes on Eagle Rock Boulevard
the implementation of a Road Diet, Buffered Bike Lanes and Pedestrian safety enhancements on Colorado Bouulevard
the conceptual plans for Bike Lanes on N. Figueroa Street
Northeast LA Bikeways
Northeast LA also has abundant commercially zoned corridors and already has significant bicycle infrastructure commitments. Local Businesses have already generously pledged maintenance responsibilities for Bicycle Corrals and Bicycle Repair Stations in the project area, starting the trend of bicycle friendly business practices.
Current and future bicycle infrastructure that has been sponsored by local NELA businesses
For the pilot, the LADOT Bike Program has partnered with Occidental College Urban and Environmental Policy Institute and C.I.C.L.E to bring together community partners into a consortium that will envision and pursue amenities and events that will make Northeast LA neighborhoods more friendly to bikes through both infrastructure, business, and cultural offerings.
What can businesses do to be Bicycle Friendly?
A Bicycle Friendly Business (BFB) extends a warm welcome to customers arriving by bicycle and benefits from the resulting exposure and goodwill within the community. A BFB might offer discounts to people travelling by bicycle, bicycle-themed promotions, bicycle-friendly amenities, benefits to employees who bicycle, or other incentives.
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