At the Dec 18th, the La Verne City Council Meeting heard recommendations from staff regarding a bike path/bike lanes along Arrow Highway (which was originally proposed in a grant the City received). Due to conflicts with the Gold Line, the Council approved discontinuing the effort to put a dedicated bike path (Class 1) next to Arrow Highway. This is logical as the Gold Line has informed the City it will require all the space available, and there will not be room for the bike path.
However, because the original grant included the Class 1 path, there is concern that Cal Trans may require the return of a portion or all of the grant funds, which would inhibit the City from making other improvements across the City for bicycling. Alternatively, Cal Trans is asking the City to remove a lane in each direction and add bike lanes on Arrow Highway to keep with the intent of the grant. Removing lanes on Arrow Highway obviously raises other concerns, and several residents spoke out against this.
The City Council asked staff to pursue further discussions with Cal Trans, and explore options available. The results of these discussions are expected to come back to the Council at a later date.
This is the second time better accommodations for bicycling was discussed at the City Council in the last two months. Again all the members and the Mayor spoke of the importance and the need to improve. It’s encouraging to see the topic increasingly be part of the mixture at the City Council level reflecting its growing importance.
