La Cañada plans new bike route

It’s time to delve into the depths of your garage and dust off the two-wheeler.

The city of La Cañada Flintridge has completed design plans for a 3.4-mile bike route and will begin striping work in July, city traffic engineer Erik Zandvliet said.

The bike lanes will run along parts of Verdugo Boulevard, Descanso Drive and Berkshire Avenue and then will connect with La Cañada’s only existing bike lane on Oak Grove Drive. Named the Red Route, it will also connect with the city of Pasadena’s most westerly bike lane.

“Our hope for it is that it will be used by both the recreational and commuter bicyclists,” Zandvliet said.

The $50,000 project is being funded by a Metro grant that the city applied for in 2001. It includes moving existing striping, painting new striping and installing safety signs, Zandvliet said. The installation of the bike lanes does not require new pavement, curbs or gutters, he said.

The foothill communities attract hundreds of cyclists from throughout Southern California, said Joe Kertes, a La Cañada resident and a member of the La Cañada Cyclists, a local group of bicycling enthusiasts. He said he was excited about the new lanes, adding that it will facilitate safe and fun riding for everyone.

“Bicycle lanes and share-the-road signs will indicated to cyclists that this is a bicycle-minded community and a bicycle friendly community, and that would encourage perhaps even more cyclists,” Kertes said.

The new route is part of La Cañada’s bike transportation plan and has been on the general plan for many years, Zandvliet said.

Last year, the county of Los Angeles added bike lanes on Foothill Boulevard from Pennsylvania Avenue to Briggs Boulevard in La Crescenta. La Cañada officials would eventually like to expand its network of bikes lanes to connect with those, Zandvliet said.

“This next year we are going to put a capital project together and ask the city to fund a connection,” Zandvliet said.

The installation of the bike lanes is expected to take about one month, Zandvliet said, adding that the city hopes to host an inaugural ride sometime thereafter.