Short-sighted efforts by crime-weary residents, impatient politicians and over-burdened law enforcement are disconnecting the Ballona Creek Bikeway from the communities it serves. Attacks on cyclists (the most recent reported one occurring last August around 1 p.m.) continue that disenfranchisement and negative opinion continues to fester that the creek route is not safe — a liability to be avoided not a resource to be revered.
On my commutes to work and back I make a point to include what’s considered the most troubled section of the path, between Inglewood and Sepulveda boulevards. Many people have opted to avoid it even in broad daylight. Here in a 38-second timelapse video — now with extra grain and blur! –Â made Monday night I roll it after dark from Inglewood Boulevard by the Mar Vista Gardens projects to Duquesne Avenue in Culver City, and find it far more serene than sinister.
Spearheaded by Streetsblog LA’s Damien Newton, I’m somewhat on the sidelines of the team of Ballona Creek enthusiasts he’s gathered and who’ve taken up the name The Concerned Bicyclists of the Ballona Creek and the call to increase public awareness and usage of the creek’s bikeway. Their first event is slated for October 25, centered around a ride along the waterway from Sawtelle to the sea. I’ll be there.
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