Protected bike lanes might come to NoHo’s Lankershim Boulevard next year

In 2014, the city of Los Angeles designated Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood one of 15 Great Streets, earmarking it for improvements for drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians. Even before the title became official, it was easy to make the case: Lankershim has two subway stations, a creepy mannequin car dealership, and NoHo’s only In-N-Out location.

Now, the boulevard is only going to get better. Several improvements are on the way in 2017. At a pop-up event December 3, city officials gave NoHo residents a preview of what a great Lankershim might look like, reports Streetsblog LA.

One of the biggest proposals is the addition of protected bike lanes. Protected bike lanes move street parking away from the curb, replacing it with a dedicated bike lane, with parked cars providing a physical barrier between bicyclists and traffic.

The city is looking to improve Lankershim from Van Owen Street south to Magnolia Boulevard. Whether protected bike lanes will be added to that entire segment remains to be seen, as some portions of the road may not have the proper width to accommodate the new lanes.

Protected bike lanes funded by Metro’s Call for Projects are also slated for nearby Chandler Boulevard. Those lanes would run east from Coldwater Canyon to Vineland Avenue. Depending on the design of the Lankershim bike lanes, both projects could overlap, creating the possibility for LA’s first four-way protected bicycle intersection.

In addition to bike lanes, other possible Great Streets improvements for Lankershim include pocket parks, a public plaza, more visible crosswalks, and "green street" elements. Residents may complete a survey about what design elements they’d most like to see in the future, and a community open house is planned for January 2017.

• Protected Bike Lanes May Be Coming To Lankershim Blvd In 2017 [Streetsblog]
• Lankershim Boulevard [Great Streets]
• The First 15 LA Streets Getting Big Great Streets Makeovers [Curbed LA]