Cycling in more bike amenities in Glendale

CITY HALL — As the city moves closer to establishing a plan to improve conditions for pedestrians and cyclists, a recent report highlights how far Glendale has to go.

The city has three miles of established bikeways, compared with 96 miles in Long Beach and 67 miles in Pasadena, according to the Glendale Quality of Life Indicators Report. Santa Monica, with less than half the population of Glendale, has 35 miles of bikeways, while Burbank offers 19.5 miles.

Glendale also has far fewer bike racks and is the only city analyzed that has no public bike map, according to the report.

City Councilwoman Laura Friedman, who often rides her bicycle to City Hall, said she was not surprised by the results.

“As far as I can see it, bicycles have just never been a big priority in the city in recent times,” she said. “Part of changing that is sending a real clear message from the council that this is something we are interested in and we want to change. It is sort of a new philosophy from the council.”

The relative lack of bicycle amenities is likely keeping potential cyclists from hitting the streets, officials said.

“I think there are more people who would like to ride, but they don’t because they are hesitant,” said Colin Bogart, a liaison with the nonprofit Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition. “If we take steps to put in facilities to make it more safe for riding, I think there are more people who will.”

Bogart has been working with city officials to improve conditions since last year, when the city was awarded a $305,000 grant from the coalition to create a “Safe and Healthy Streets” plan to improve conditions for cyclists throughout Los Angeles County.

Simple moves — such as adding more bike racks — can improve conditions, Bogart said.

“In order to expect people to ride bikes more often, you have to make it viable,” he said. “Putting more bike racks citywide is going to make it a more viable option.”

Next week, Bogart will host the last of five community meetings to gather input to help shape the plan. Friedman has attended several of the meetings.

“I hear a lot of people say that they would love to be able to bike around, but they are afraid to,” she said. “The more bikes you have on the road, the safer it becomes for bikes.”

In addition to decreasing air pollution and traffic congestion, Friedman said encouraging residents to walk and bike more often could help address the city’s rising obesity rate.

About 15% of the city’s population was classified as obese in 2007, with nearly 42% classified as overweight, according to the Quality of Life Indicators report.

The City Council has expressed support for implementing the plan’s policy recommendations.

“We should make all of those things that the bike coalition is recommending just a part of what we do every time we look at a street,” Friedman said.