The new bike lanes in San Pedro on Capitol and Westmont are part of the City of LA 2010 Bicylcle Plan, which was approved by the City Council in March 2011.

(Read the Plan here: http://planning.lacity.org/cwd/gnlpln/transelt/NewBikePlan/Txt/LA%2...)

Public participation in the development of the 2010 Plan initiated with four public workshops from February to March in 2008. The workshops were held in the San Fernando Valley, Central Los Angeles, West Los Angeles and the Harbor areas. The website www.labikeplan.org was launched during the same time period to provide a location for the public to submit bicycle route suggestions and provide written comments.

The materials presented at the public workshops were posted on the project website. Over the next year (March 2008-May 2009) City staff made presentations to, and received feedback from, various groups including Neighborhood Councils, university students, and bicycle advocacy groups. In May 2009, the first draft of the maps was released which was followed in September 2009 by the release of the first draft of the 2010 Plan.

Following the release of the 2010 Plan in the fall of 2009 five public workshops were held between October and November 2009. During the public comment period which extended from May 2009 to January 2010 over 1,000 public comments were received by letter, comment card, e-mail and via an on-line comment form. A comprehensive list of public comments was compiled and made available via the project website. In particular an extensive number of suggestions were received on potential bicycle routes. These route suggestions were compiled and made available on the project website. And finally, an electronic survey was conducted to assess community preferences regarding bicycle infrastructure, policies and programs. The survey received over 1,000 responses. A summary of the survey is available on the project website.

The 2010 Bicycle Plan (2010 Plan) represents a new commitment by Los Angeles to move away from the auto-centric approach of the past, and toward a sustainable transportation system-a system which supports motor vehicle use, but also enables the use of streets by other modes, such as bicycling, walking, and transit, and acknowledges the use of streets for other purposes, such as recreation, retail and public gatherings.

The 2010 Plan which designates 1,684 mile bikeway system and introduces a comprehensive programs and policies has three goals: increase the number and types of bicyclists who bicycle in the City; make every street a safe place to ride a bicycle, and make the City of Los Angeles a bicycle friendly community.

The 2010 Plan was created through intensive collaboration between the Department of City Planning, the Department of Transportation, members of a multi-agency Technical Advisory Committee, the bicycling community, and the City’s consultant team, Alta Planning + Design.

The 2010 Plan reflects best practices from cities around the country; it is the product of extensive public input, research, and detailed field work. Collectively the policies, programs, projects and recommendations in this 2010 Plan will create an environment that increases, improves and enhances bicycling in the City as a safe, healthy, and enjoyable means of transportation and recreation for bicyclists as diverse as the general population.