Showing posts with label biking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label biking. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

A Guide For Accessing the LA River Bike Path From Glendale

A friend asked how to enter the LA River Bike Path if you're coming from Glendale. Several of the entrances aren't well marked, so I made an annotated Google Map:


View LA River Bike Path Entrances near Glendale in a larger map

via Fairmont flyover/Glendale Riverwalk:

Towards the north end, you can take the Fairmont flyover bridge from Glendale towards Dreamworks. The bridge, which looks like a freeway bridge but is in fact perfectly legal to bike on (and almost entirely empty), will deposit you on Flower near Dreamworks. From there, you can enter the brand new (and lovely) Glendale Narrows Riverwalk, which ends at the Bette Davis Picnic Area. Cut across the park, cross the Riverside Drive Bridge towards Griffith park and you're at the northernmost entrance to the bike path.

via Chevy Chase:

Take Chevy Chase Drive west until you hit the river. You'll find the newly expanded and re-landscaped North Atwater Park. You can ride the east bank of the river alongside the LAPD stables and the Los Feliz par 3 golf course, which will deposit you a block away from the Los Feliz Blvd entrance to the bike path.

via the Sunnynook Footbridge:

From Los Feliz or Glendale Blvds, take Valleybrink or Glenfeliz to Sunnynook Drive and head west. You'll find a footbridge that connects to the bike path.

from Glendale Blvd:

Stay right (heading UNDER the bridge) at the split for the Hyperion Bridge. The entrance is on your right - watch out for the lip of the curb.
the hole in the fence just south of Los Feliz

BONUS - to access the quiet, pretty, not-really-a-bike-path route on the eastern bank of the river between Glendale Blvd and Los Feliz Blvd:

you have a few options:
  • The Sunnynook Footbridge (see above)
  • A hole in the fence (!) just south of Los Feliz Blvd
  • From the south side of Glendale Blvd you can walk UNDERNEATH the Hyperion Bridge (it can be a little creepy) and you'll be right on the eastern riverbank.
I regularly walk the scenic east bank between Los Feliz and Glendale Blvd and wish there was a more welcoming way to access it than looking for a hole in a fence or ducking under the Hyperion Bridge. Get on that, city of LA!



Let me in!




Saturday, July 14, 2012

The Show Ponies Play Glendale's Oldest Bike Shop

Clayton Chaney works at Bicycle Land, Glendale's oldest bike shop (since 1946!) and is also in a great rootsy band called The Show Ponies.  The Show Ponies filmed a performance of their song "Whiskey and Wine" in the backroom of Bicycle Land:


Support a local band and buy their album at Amazon or iTunes!

(thanks to Jen at The Cave for the tip)


Monday, May 14, 2012

Pictures From The Montrose Historical Bike Ride

On Saturday, I -- in collaboration with The Glendale Historical SocietyWalk Bike GlendaleMontrose Patchthe City of Glendale Community Services and Parks Department, and The City of Glendale Public Works Department -- led a group of 56 riders on the Montrose Historical Bike Ride.  We had an excellent group of riders of all levels of ability who enjoyed a beautiful day exploring Montrose on their bikes.  After meeting at the Montrose Bike Shop (since 1952!) we covered quite a bit of Montrose history with an extra special stop inside the gates of the former Rockhaven Sanitarium.  Thanks to the City of Glendale for letting us in!

In addition to Rockhaven, we stopped at and discussed the history of the La Crescenta Women's Club, the American Legion Hall (where 12 people died during the New Years Flood of 1934), the Verdugo Wash, Crescenta Valley park and the former Hindenburg Park, the defunct Montrose Railway and
the Montrose Shopping Park.  You can find out more about these sites and many others at The Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley's website.

Here are a few of my pictures from the ride.  I also have an expanded version of this set at Flickr.

riders on Honolulu

riding through the Montrose Shopping Park

Montrose Patch editor Nicole Charky discusses the La Crescenta Women's Club

Michael Morgan, City of Glendale Historic Preservation Commissioner, tells us about the history of Rockhaven


exploring Rockhaven


Rockhaven


riders on La Crescenta Ave

a beautiful watercolor by rider Ricardo Cerezo


Colin Bogart in front of old stone country club gates near Crescenta Valley Park.  He is pointing towards the Verdugo Wash and explaining how an access road alongside the wash could be adapted into a grade-separated bicycle path.

Erik Yesayan of Walk Bike Glendale


riders on Honolulu

Colin Bogart of the LA County Bicycle Coalition, who was invaluable in helping optimize our route

Councilperson Laura Friedman rode with us.  She has been absolutely fantastic on bike and pedestrian issues in Glendale.  She and Erik explained the proposed road diet on Honolulu, which has very low traffic volumes and is plagued by speeders and difficult to cross on foot.


gorgeous fixie

An extra special thanks to The City of Glendale's Fred Zohrevand, who has been instrumental in improving Glendale's bike parking situation, particularly in downtown Montrose.  I meant to thank him at our last stop in the shopping park but forgot.  Thanks, Fred!

Friday, March 30, 2012

City Council Approves Draft Bicycle Master Plan!

The Glendale city council voted on the draft bicycle master plan Tuesday and it's moving forward!  Fantastic news.

From the Glendale News-Press:
The first of its kind in 15 years, Glendale’s new draft Bicycle Transportation Plan includes recommendations for new bike lanes and routes, coloring in some lanes, adding more shared lane markings — known as sharrows — and even slimming down some roads to make way for dedicated bicycle lanes. 
“I think there are many, many reasons to do this and very few reasons not to,” said Mayor Laura Friedman during the special City Council meeting. 
A HUGE THANK YOU to Mayor Laura Friedman, who has been incredibly supportive from day one, and the rest of the council (except Weaver).  Laura even organized and led the first ever Glendale "Mayor's Ride" in September.  Check out photos from that ride on my Flickr.

Mayor Friedman with Glendale police officers Josh Luna and Sue Shine. [photo by Martin Orozco]


If you are interested in these issues, I highly recommend you follow local advocates Walk Bike Glendale to stay up to date:




Monday, March 26, 2012

Important: City Council Reviewing Bicycle Plan*

"The City Council is reviewing the proposed Bicycle Transportation Plan in a special study session on Tuesday, March 27 at 3:00 PM.  The meeting will be held at City Hall Council Chambers at 613 E. Broadway, Glendale, CA.  It is CRITICAL that community members share comments that support progressive bike friendly treatments. Biking is on the rise in all the major cities but the Glendale’s City Council must see support from the community to make it happen here."
If you can't make it to the council meeting tomorrow night, at the very least, please send an e-mail to the council ASAP expressing support for bike-related projects in Glendale.

Council e-mails and information are here: 

The photo on the cover of the Bike Transportation Plan is of this huge group of riders on Glenoaks that I took as I was leading the last Glendale History Ride. Love this photo.


*Update: Yay, they passed it!