The Take Back the Boulevard initiative has conducted several community meetings, encouraging Eagle Rockers to attend and express their opinions. On March 27, the LADOT (Department of Transportation) will conduct a key meeting regarding proposed bike lanes on Colorado Boulevard. If you don't attend this meeting, and take part in the community dialog, then, as valid as your opinion might be, what difference has it made?

Bike lanes are an important aspect of the Take Back the Boulevard initiative, but they are not only a goal themselves but, importantly, also a strategy to achieving other ends. The rationale of introducing bike lanes to a street varies from location to location. Likewise, the impact of adding bike lanes to a street is often different. Too often the prospect of bike lanes is discussed narrowly, as nothing more than a benefit to cyclists. In some cases that is true but not here. The conversation regarding bike lanes for Colorado Boulevard should be a broader conversation.

During the TBTB community meetings, making the boulevard safer emerged as a primary and virtually unanimous goal. Excessive speed and the difficulty walking across the Boulevard were repeatedly raised as key safety concerns. The unusual number of six travel lanes on Colorado Boulevard, found only in Eagle Rock, encourages drivers to speed through our downtown. In the past, we tried re-synching the traffic lights to slow down drivers. It had little impact. Reducing the number of traffic lanes is the most effective strategy to reduce speed and to make walking across the Boulevard a less scary prospect. Converting a vehicle lane that is not needed to move cars efficiently into bike lanes allows Eagle Rock to join the cultural shifts happening elsewhere in Los Angeles and across the nation, as more and more communities embrace multiple transportation alternatives, a more equitable sharing of the public streetscape, and adopt a healthier life style. Also important, this strategy will support implementation of the Los Angeles Bike Plan.

Naturally there are valid concerns. Some fear that that slowing traffic by reducing lanes will bring traffic jams to Eagle Rock. Another worry is that those who use Colorado Boulevard to simply traverse Eagle Rock on their way to Glendale or Pasadena will begin using Hill Drive as an alternate. The City has completed a Traffic and Safety Assessment of proposed bike lanes. The results do not provide support for the fear of traffic jams on Colorado or Hill Drive inheriting a high volume of traffic. As expected and hoped for, the results reflect that rush hour traffic would move slightly slower at key intersections. At brief peak periods, motorists might wait one more light cycle, or a delay of less than two minutes. Contrary to those who have predicted a traffic logjam, the studies do not support that prediction. Other than at rush hour, any "delays" will only result because it will be harder to weave in and out of traffic and drive faster than the posted speed limits.

In conclusion, I hope you will form your opinion regarding bike lanes on Colorado within the fuller context of the overall benefits, including improved safety that transitioning a traffic lane to a bike lane will bring to Eagle Rock's downtown. Once you have formed an opinion, I urge you to participate in the meeting on March 27. After all, unless you are part of the community dialog, what's your opinion worth?