The results of the count — which logged hundreds of bicyclists and thousands of pedestrians during each of three two-hour periods — will be used to help shape policy recommendations for safety improvements and education efforts for a city long plagued by pedestrian-vehicle collisions.
“I think this bike and pedestrian count sort of helps clarify that there are a lot of people out there,” said Colin Bogart, a liaison with the nonprofit Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition who’s been working with city officials to implement a Safe and Healthy Streets plan.
While some bicyclists stick to the sidewalks because they are afraid to ride in the streets, riding on the sidewalk puts people at greater risk of being hit by a motorist because drivers don’t expect to encounter cyclists in driveways or crossing from one side walk to another, he said.
But in order to persuade cyclists to stay in the streets, conditions must improve, Friedman said.
“You have to make the streets safe enough so that they feel comfortable riding there,” she said.
Such improvements include adding bike paths or street markings, known as sharrows, which indicate where cyclists should travel on the road to avoid being hit while remaining as visible as possible to passing motorists.
Last week, the markings were added to Grandview Avenue, the first Glendale street to receive the treatment.
Of the 24 counting sites, the intersections with the most bike and foot traffic included Brand Boulevard and Broadway; Ocean View Boulevard and Honolulu Avenue; Glendale and Wilson avenues; and Los Feliz and San Fernando roads.
The highest volume of bicyclists, or 94 within a two-hour period on a weekend, was at Flower Street and Sonora Avenue.
Bogart said he plans to spearhead a similar count in September, which would allow for the first year-to-year comparison.
Gauging the most-used roadways will help city officials determine priorities for installing bicycle and pedestrian improvements, Bogart said.
