City of Burbank Adopts Far-Reaching Bike Master Plan!

December 16, 2009 at 8:08 pm | Posted in Bike News | 6 Comments
Tags: Burbank Bike Master Plan, the Valley

After a culmination of 6 years of research and community input, Burbank’s bike master plan was approved by city council last night! The newly adopted bike master plan, which was well-written and researched by Community Development planner staff Cory Wilkerson and David Kriske, now gives Burbank a framework upon which to build its bicycle infrastructure and community for the next 20 years.

Members of the Burbank and Burbank-adjacent communities offered their support in droves, citing the long-term needs of the community for safer and cleaner streets. They also lobbied for the current proposal to do a road-diet and stripe bike lanes on Verdugo Ave., which also received council approval, despite fears that car-driving residents would oppose the project.

Key in the Burbank bike master plan are 18 separate projects connecting streets in the city of Burbank to its adjacent cities including Glendale, North Hollywood, and Griffith Park.  Each of these projects will be up on a case-by-case review by the council and community members, but you can review it at burbankbike.org

Map of Proposed Bike Facilities

Unique in the plan were projects covering bicycle parking and bicycle safety education.  The bicycle parking requirements would include both bike racks for short-term parking and bike lockers for long-term parking along places of employment and transportation hubs.  Increased bicycle parking assures bicyclists of the safety of their bikes and increases the viability and visibility of biking as a transportation option.   Bicycle safety education would be taught in both BUSD (Burbank Unified School District) to youngsters and in adult education programs.

Recognizing the extraordinary reach, vision, and feasibility of the plan, Councilmembers Dave Golonski and Jess Talamantes and Mayor Gary Bric offered their full support.  Amidst initial concerns of the costlier aspects of the project, Councilmember Dr. David Gordon ultimately offered his support, making it a 4-0 unanimous approval.

While there was concerns of cost amongst council, Burbank’s master plan calls for the city to locate as much outside funding (while listing those sources) as possible.

The work on Burbank’s bike master plan offers a visionary model for bicycle planning in Los Angeles.  LACBC will make sure to keep up the inspirational momentum for better bike facilities  as the murky LA bike master plan saga continues.