Broadway People

Woman at the corner of 5th & Broadway

Nikon D70s w/Nikkor 18-55mm f3.5 AF DX

Bicycles on Broadway

Bicyclist and pedestrians on sidewalk, Broadway and 5th Street

Some pundit once observed that "nobody walks in LA", which is not only an untrue statement, but something of a put-down of Los Angelenos in general, as it makes us all look like slaves to our automobiles, not to mention obese and otherwise out-of-shape, which is certainly not the case for yours truly. 

The reality is far removed from the stereotype. I can't traverse a single block of the Historic Core, the Broadway corridor or Gallery Row, the Toy, Jewelery or Fashion districts without encountering dozens of bicyclists, and while I can't direct you to a single authoritative count, the general consensus is that downtown LA - after Portland, Oregon - is probably one of the most intensely bicycled places in the United States.

Even the police department has bicycle cops on white Smith & Wesson mountain bikes. The downtown business district is patrolled by bike-mounted purple-shirted members of the Downtown Center Business Improvement District's (DCBID's) Safe & Clean team. According to the BCID website, the "Purple Patrol" serves as additional eyes and ears for the Los Angeles Police Department, as well as being unofficial concierges who assist lost tourists, monitor area cleanliness as well as backstop downtown residents in spotting and reporting unwanted drug sales and unruly behavior. 

Unlike some other jurisdictions, it's perfectly legal to ride a bike on a sidewalk in LA, which has lead to certain problems in more congested areas of downtown. To address the situation the city council recently passed a set of progressive ordinances setting rules of the road specifically for bicyclists, which include anti-harassment from automobiles measures.

Most visible to visitors though are dedicated bicycles lanes in downtown and certain other areas of LA where bike use is heavy, as seen in the masthead of this blog.

For the record, I don't have a bicycle at the moment, but rest assured that will be changing in near future. I have my eye on a fluorescent lime green fixie.

Today's image was taken with a Nikon D70s w/Nikkor 20mm f2.8D AF

Streets of Gold

In the jewelry district, corner of Broadway and 6th in Los Angeles. 

Nikon D1x / Nikkor 18-55mm f3.5-4.5 AF DX