Jefferson to be altered for walking, biking
Jefferson Boulevard will be altered to provide a more pedestrian-friendly environment as part of the new Village at USC plan.
Bicycle · Plans show the university will add bike lanes on both sides of Jefferson Boulevard when The Village is constructed. - Ani Kolangian | Daily Trojan
The existing parking lanes will be converted to pedestrian and bicycling lanes, but the current travel lanes will remain intact.
The change is intended to provide a pedestrian link between university facilities and reduce the flow of automobile traffic.
Brian League, executive director of university real estate development, said the bike lane proposal, which needs approval from the City of Los Angeles, is intended to provide a safer environment for the community and students.
“When we implement this new plan those bicyclists will have 6-foot dedicated bikes lanes on both lanes of Jefferson,” League said. “The bicycle lanes make much safer conditions for pedestrians and cyclists.”
Dept. of Public Safety Capt. David Carlisle said the new pathways on Jefferson will help reduce traffic flow and create a more student-friendly environment.
“[Altering] a street or the number of lanes are effective techniques that engineers use to slow down traffic,” Carlisle said. “If [traffic flow on] Jefferson is [altered] then both the traffic and speed will be reduced, which will make it safer for all bicyclists and pedestrians.”
Adrienne Scotti, a senior majoring in psychology, said installing bike lanes could help prevent accidents involving cyclists and pedestrians.
“Jefferson could be safer for bikers,” Scotti said. “If bike lanes are added, it might force people to be more considerate of other bikers that also share the road.”
Tyler Hicks, an undeclared sophomore, said she does not see the point of making Jefferson more pedestrian friendly because it would cause more problems than it would solve.
“It is not a good idea to [alter] the street because a lot of traffic runs through Jefferson,” Hicks said. “It’s a major inconvenience for the people that live around Jefferson.”
Good to hear about these plans and that USC is planning ahead in order to avoid future accidents with the bikes when the new Village opens. We urgently need more bike lanes to improve the traffic in the neighborhood. As a commuter, I expect that the changes would benefit the drivers too. I hate driving during rush hour on Jefferson, Hoover and surrounding streets, because some (not all) bike riders are usually distracted and literally invade not only the bike lane but also the car lanes; there are so many that go on the same direction at the same time and they get in between cars and buses. I understand we all have to share the road, but I really hate seeing irresponsible bike riders (and some car drivers too) distracted texting, talking on the cellphone, listening to their music and riding on the opposite direction. At one point there were issuing tickets, but not anymore. I hope this plan also includes ticketing irresponsible people again when the Village opens, so everybody is more careful.