Getting that green paint to stay on Spring Street's asphalt proved a bit of a bother, but according to numbers from the nonprofit Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, it translated to a major increase in Downtown cyclists. After the lane, which runs from Cesar Chavez to Ninth, went up in late November, there was a 52 percent increase in cyclists on Spring Street, a 161 percent increase in female riders on the street, and 250 percent more weekend bikes on the strip (29 before, 108 after) by April, notes Streetsblog. The count on Spring was released yesterday, the same day the LACBC put out their LA Bike Count (pdf), which tries to track the number of cyclists in the city (coincidentally or not, Bike Week LA starts on Monday). Preliminary results were released in December. Thirty-three city intersections underwent "complete counts" (a full morning, evening, and weekend count) in September and "there has been a significant increase in the number of people who bicycle in Los Angeles" since 2009, according to the report. The greatest increases were found where bike infrastructure (lanes, signage) was added and, according to the report, many of the new riders are using their bikes for practical purposes, like commuting or errands. Sadly, while more women are utilizing the Spring Street bike lane, female cyclists aren't greatly increasing citywide.
The LACBC conducted counts during three time periods over the course of two days, on Tuesday, September 7 at both 7?9 am and 4-6 pm, and on Saturday, Sept. 13 11 am-1 pm (the same dates and times were studied in 2009). Of the 33 intersections that underwent complete counts, the following were the busiest:
1. Ballona Creek & Marvin Braude (Marina del Rey): 1,903
2. 30th & Hoover (USC): 1,425
3. Washington & Marvin Braude (Marina del Rey): 1,132
4. Seventh and Alvarado (Westlake/MacArthur Park): 661
5. Seventh and Figueroa (Downtown/Financial District): 516
6. Century & Central (Florence/South LA): 509
7. Venice & National (Culver City-adjacent): 372
8. Ohio & Sepulveda (West LA/Westwood): 365
9. Woodman & Orange Line (Valley Glen): 357
10. Sunset & Hyperion (Silver Lake): 333
Only 17 intersections underwent complete counts in 2009, so LACBC pulled those intersections to make comparisons. There was a 32 percent increase in cyclists between the two years, with 14 intersections recording increases. The biggest jumps were in MacArthur Park, Highland Park, and Valley Glen. Photo by Elizabeth Daniels
· LACBC [Official Site]
· Add a Buffered Green Lane and Riders Explode [Streetsblog]
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