Last Thursday it was announced that protected bike lanes, pedestrian-friendly upgrades and other changes could be coming to a two-mile stretch of Main and Spring streets in downtown Los Angeles.
The city will hire a consultant to look into ways to reconfigure the two streets between Cesar Chavez Avenue and Olympic Boulevard, said Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar on Thursday.
Huizar said the project is part of a series of measures catering to the needs of pedestrians and bicyclists that he hopes to launch under his DTLA Forward initiative in downtown.
The protected bike lanes would feature physical barriers between bicyclists and vehicle traffic. One possible configuration would use parked cars as the separator, but the actual barrier used would depend on what is ultimately recommended by the consultant.
Other features aimed at improving pedestrian flow along the streets would also be considered under the planned changes for the two streets.
Some preliminary changes along the two streets could show up as early as this fall, with permanent upgrades expected in 2017, according to council aides. The cost of the reconfiguration project is still being worked out.
Other measures said that will take place under Huizar’s initiative include “green alley” projects that re-purpose under-used or blighted alleys as a community gathering spot, and changing the timing of stop lights to give pedestrians a head-start before cars are given the signal to turn.
