A master plan to make bicycle travel safer and easier in Los Angeles has sparked controversy in San Pedro after a street's bike-friendly transformation cut out some traffic lanes.
The addition of bike lanes on Westmont Drive resulted in the loss of automobile traffic lanes on both sides of the road, reducing the road to one traffic lane in each direction.
Some in the community protested the change. Some bicyclists, however, held out hope that it would push more Angelenos to bike.
The two groups were expected to clash in protests Monday afternoon.
"What we're really against is taking away a lane of traffic from a congested thoroughfare between two main streets," said neighborhood activist Charles Eldred, Jr.
City Councilman Joe Buscaino said the lane reduction only modestly affects traffic during 20-minute busy periods in the morning and afternoon. He said the bike lane improvements were done to comply with state law.
Information and maps detailing the city's 2010 Bike Plan are available at bicyclela.org. For in-depth details and documents, go to the Los Angeles Planning Commission website.
