After many years of planning, local leaders broke ground last week on a project that will add 3 miles of protected bike lanes in North Hollywood.
According to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT), the Chandler Bicycle Connection will upgrade existing, 5-foot-wide bike lanes along Chandler Boulevard to protected bike lanes by adding physical barriers like bollards to separate the bike lanes from vehicle traffic.
LADOT said the project is designed to close the gap between the existing Orange Line Bike Path and Chandler Bike Paths with “a seamless, low-stress bicycle corridor for people of all ages and abilities, not just experienced riders.”
A map of the Chandler Bicycle Connection along Chandler Boulevard.
Los Angeles City Councilmember Adrin Nazarian said the task at hand is all about making the streets safer for Angelenos.
“Protected bike lanes work,” Nazarian said at a press conference. “They reduce crashes, they slow traffic, they make it clear where everyone belongs on the road.”
Nazarian said the project is designed to strengthen connections across the San Fernando Valley by linking neighborhoods to the North Hollywood Metro Station and the NoHo Arts District.
“If we want people to use public transit, we have to make it safe and easy to get there,” he explained.
The Chandler Bicycle Connection will also feature 33 upgraded crosswalks, 15 bike signal intersections, and 35 bike crossings.
“I want to build a city where you don’t have to get in the car for every single trip, where families feel comfortable biking together, where seniors feel safe crossing the street, where infrastructure actually reflects how people live,” Nazarian added.
The protected bike lanes are expected to be completed over the next few years.