The unfathomable happened this week in Southern California when L.A. converted 2.2 miles of road into a bike lane that stretches along 7th Street from Koreatown to Downtown.
Reporting for The Los Angeles Times, Ari Bloomekatz writes, "Cycling advocates cheered the news as one of the strongest indications yet that Los Angeles is slowly introducing more paths for those pedaling on two wheels. Officials estimate some 27,000 Angelenos ride a bicycle daily."
"Cyclists are not only middle-class white urbanites who can afford a car but choose to not always drive, but also transit-dependent residents in low-income minority communities," notes Allison Mannos of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition.
The newly dedicated bike lane is part of the Bicycle Master Plan that the county adopted earlier this year. But even at a relatively low cost of under $100,000 per mile, "[t]he bike plan calls for more than 200 miles of new routes every five years. [S]ome officials and cycling advocates say there does not appear to be enough funding to reach that goal," adds Bloomekatz.
FULL STORY: In traffic-choked L.A., a car lane is given to bicycles
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