After Saturday’s LA Bike Summit, I’m confident that using a bike in LA will start to become a little easier. The Summit brought together people from all walks of life, with just one commonality, bikes. It just so happened that on Friday, I decided to take advantage of the great weather, so I packed up my bike and went to a small section of the Los Angeles River trail.
Being from the Midwest and East Coast, I am very familiar with the term “river,” and what one should look for when finding one. However, the LA River is unlike any I’ve ever seen:
Over the years, the Los Angeles River has gone through several changes, starting with the plan to control flooding, by having the city engineers completely encase the river’s bed and banks in concrete, which results in only a trickle of water usually flowing down its middle.
This started after the devastating 1938 flood of Los Angeles, which killed approximately 115 people and destroyed 5,601 homes.
In 2005, the City of Los Angeles’ Department of Public Works-Bureau of Engineering, started looking for ways to revitalize the River. After several studies, the City of Los Angeles implemented a 20-year blueprint for development and management of the Los Angeles River.
Several non-profit groups and state agencies have also joined in its efforts:
Although fairly short, my 8+ mile bike ride was full of panoramic views of the city, the Los Angeles River, wildlife, and even a few people. Over the next few days, I’ll be highlighting different aspects of the River–which is indeed a river in every sense of the word, including the urban Los Angeleno’s penchant and flair for graffiti.
March 19th, 2009 → 6:51 am
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