Please participate in the Thirty-Day Electronic Comment Period (February 3 through March 4, 2012) on the Bicycle Infrastructure Priority Corridor Gap Closures being considered by the Westside Cities Council of Governments:

@ Bikeinput.wsccog@gmail.com

The Westside Cities Council of Governments (WSCCOG) has been working on a WSCCOG regional bicycle safety and awareness plan for more than a year.  An important element of the plan is recommendations for the closing up of gaps in the current bicycle infrastructure.  These recommended gap closures will create a basic regional bicycle system that provides both north/south and east/west connections, and also connects all the WSCCOG jurisdictions with each other and the City of Los Angeles. Individual cities within the WSCCOG will then be encouraged to develop projects that improve or close these gaps on their route systems.

The following priority gap closures were presented to the WSCCOG Board on January 19, 2012:

• Expo Light Rail Bike Path/Bikeway (from La Brea Blvd. to the western terminus of Phase 2)
• Santa Monica Blvd./Broadway (from La Brea Blvd. to Ocean Ave.)
• San Vicente Blvd. (from Sunset Blvd. to La Brea Blvd.)
• Barrington Ave./McLaughlin Ave./Slauson Ave. (from Sunset Blvd. to the Ballona Creek Bike Path)
• Beverly Dr./Beverwil Dr./Duquesne Ave./Jefferson Blvd./Overland Ave.(from San Vicente to Westfield/Culver City Transit Center)

The five corridors were selected from twenty priority gap closures recommended by a Bicycle Advocates working group (that included 2 of us at Santa Monica Spoke, 2 from LACBC, and well as Lucy Dyke from the City of Santa Monica) .  The recommended corridors were selected based on: (a) connectivity between the most jurisdictions; (b) feasibility/attainability (currently planned in at least one jurisdiction’s bicycle plan); and, (c) accessibility to the largest number of cyclists of varying skills (perceived safety/ease of use).

The Board directed staff to open a 30-day electronic comment period so that interested members of the public could review, and provide input on, these recommendations.  The results of the comment period will be brought to the Board at its March 15, 2012 meeting which will be held in Culver City.  A special email address,Bikeinput.wsccog@gmail.com, has been created for the public to provide comments and to find additional information.

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