In 1897, a Bicycle Superhighway Was the Future of California Transit

[n2doc]

By Brian Merchant



In 1897, a wealthy American businessman named Horace Dobbins began construction on a private, for-profit bicycle superhighway from Pasadena to downtown Los Angeles. It may seem like a preposterous notion now—everyone knows Angelenos don't get out of their cars—but at the time, amidst the height of a pre-automobile worldwide cycling boom, the idea attracted the attention of some hugely powerful players. And it almost got built.

Dobbins was able to win the support of an ex-governor of California, who in turn strong-armed a nay-saying legislature to get the bike highway approved. It was officially dubbed the California Cycleway. Here's a Google Map of its intended route:



Read more: http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/in-1897-a-bicycle-superhighway-was-the-future-of-california-transit

[jollyreaper2112]

1. Just got back

Beautiful place ruined by Americans. The car culture is a pathological disease. Oh, if only they had gone this way instead. It's so beautiful.

[n2doc]

3. Can you imagine how popular this would be now?

They would have to widen it to 4 or maybe 6 lanes. Houses near it would be worth more, and businesses would fight to be next to its offramps. If it has been expanded to include all of the Universities there , even better. Oh well.

[Gregorian]

5. Car crazed. I just got back from a bike ride. It's a different mentality now.

Very impatient. Designed around the car.

Even on my bike ride today, people had driven hundreds of miles just to ride this place. I forfeited a lot to live where I ride.

It's a consciousness. I had to be pushed into riding. But once I was riding, I never went back.

Think of the healthy, happy people we could have. And quieter communities. And and, and...

[jollyreaper2112]

7. Yeah

We had a whole new set of traumas invented by car accidents. You never saw stuff like that outside of farm and industrial accidents and war. And we accept that risk in our lives. The only damage you get like that on a bike is from another car. Bike injuries are a lot more survivable.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

10. Wagon accidents could be pretty brutal.

I had an ancestor, I believe a great-grandmother, who was thrown out of a wagon she was riding in, broke her neck, lived for about a week and then died.

[Loudestlib]

11. The car industry spread the infection

GM bought up city trollies and tore them down while lobbing for new roads.

[JDPriestly]

12. That is such a great idea. Far superior to mixing bike lanes with cars.

Putting the bikes up above the streets means safety for all.

I like it and don't see why we can't do that now -- at least between downtown LA and Pasadena as a trial. It could be built next to the Gold Line tracks for much of the distance.

Actually, part of the bikeway already exists and is very beautiful.

The Arroyo Seco bicycle path is an approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) long Class I bicycle path in Los Angeles, California. The path connects Montecito Heights Recreation Center, Ernest E. Debs Regional Park, and Hermon Park in the Highland Park district, and runs parallel to State Route 110, and ends at San Pascual Stables in South Pasadena.

. . . .


The Southwest portion of the path, approximately a quarter of a mile, runs along the higher ground overlooking Arroyo Seco through chain-link fence, and descends into the floor of Arroyo Seco flood control channel. Following the channel hydraulics, there is a very slight and mostly consistent uphill grade in the northeast direction with some stretches (notably under overpasses) with slightly greater slope.

In addition to north and south entrances, the path is accessible through a pedestrian bridge from Hermon Park. The path crosses several pedestrian and vehicular bridges along the way.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arroyo_Seco_bicycle_path

. . . .

The path continues as a equestrian trail from its north terminus. Only horses and pedestrians are allowed beyond San Pascual Stables. However, bicyclists can continue on Arroyo Blvd, a quiet residential street that extends towards Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arroyo_Seco_bicycle_path

Don't try it if it is raining or has recently rained unless you know the Arroyo is dry. The Arroyo is a waterway when we get rain. (A rare event in the past couple of years, but next year we could have a lot of rain and flooding.)

Also, if you come to LA by train and bring a bike, you can take the Gold Line North, get off at a
the Southwest Museum stop and up to Sycamore Park (not far from the Southwest Museum Stop), cross the bridge and you are at the bicycle path. It is also good for pedestrians and hikes.

[AverageJoe90]

14. It wouldn't have been practical after a while, though. n/t

[petronius]

2. What an amazing idea! An elevated bike route might be worth exploring

in some places - it would be cheaper than building elevated light rail, and could extend commuter networks at either end. It would be neat to drive (or carpool) to a remote parking area, bike safely to a light rail line, and then bike quickly and safely to work or wherever...

[jollyreaper2112]

4. I'd heard how awful the traffic was

Still couldn't prepare me. People live like this? It's madness. It's disgusting. It's degrading to the human condition. California is toxic. I can't even fathom how people aren't bothered by it.

[Lordquinton]

18. You should break out of that east coast mentality

LA does not represent anything more than LA, once you get out of the area it's completely different, come up north, for example, much slower paced, and laid back. SF is a great place to go and see things out of a car, the air is cleaner too.

We are bothered by it, but we are also hamstringed by tons of factors, like the Rs obstructionism (which we are beginning to overcome) and millions of outside $$ being funnled in to influence our political processes.

[Le Taz Hot]

19. Southern California is NOT California.

It's a part of California and neither is California "toxic." The vast majority of California does NOT have anywhere near L.A.-type traffic. Geez!

[jollyreaper2112]

21. Good

It would be awful if the whole state lived like that.

[Ron Green]

6. I was just in So Cal for about 10 days; took the train from OR but of course had to

rent a car while we were there. I saw bike lanes all over the place (a recent development, it seems to me) but very few bikes in them.

[petronius]

16. There does seem to be a lack of bicycle commuting in LA - due I suspect to a

combination of distances, infrastructure, and culture. I've been visiting the Bay Area for the last few days, and the level of cycling has been strikingly high. I actually got a little worried yesterday that I had strayed onto a 'bikes-only' road - I was the only car among dozens of cyclists...

[ellisonz]

8. Such a structure would likely have to be concrete these days...

[Yavin4]

9. That's the thing that I hate about Los Angeles

It has great weather 90% of the year, but they designed it so that people spend the majority of their time in their cars instead of being outdoors. It's a tremendous waste of good weather.

You should be to bike and walk every where you go. Not hop in a car and sit in traffic.

[Nika]

13. That is the best way I have heard that put.

It has great weather 90% of the year, but they designed it so that people spend the majority of their time in their cars instead of being outdoors. It's a tremendous waste of good weather.

It seems so common sense and beyond belief logical, it's hard to understand the insanity of the way LA is in the early 21st Century.

[Yavin4]

17. I Live in L.A., and now I Live in NY

I figured this out because once the weather gets nice in NY, everyone is out and about. People are riding bikes. They're walking. Everyone is enjoying the nice weather.

[AverageJoe90]

15. It's a nice idea, and certainly would be safer for bicyclists, too.

Wouldn't solve L.A.'s congestion issues, though. Still nice to think about as an alternative to automotive transport.

[reformist2]

20. A little scary!