Bicycling Downey

Lars more than rose to the challenge when he created for us a picture of beauty, and then documented for us the early history of bicycling in Downey.

Although partly retired, Lars still cycles to work in Culver City several days a week.  By taking well-protected bike lanes and paths, he achieves an almost zen-like meditation while riding “in the zone.”  His first slides were of dawn on a Saturday morning on wide and deserted streets.

Lars began by asking how many Rotarians are regular bike riders, and although many of the club own their own bike (not the one they gave their daughter for her seventh birthday), few ride more than once a week.  The shining exception to that is our Mario Guerra, who rides 25-50 miles a week, on the program of healthy living he undertook several years ago  (Mario lost over 70 pounds and has kept them off, with an active life style of walking and biking).

Keeping to his twin themes of aesthetics and history, Lars then showed us slides of early Downey.  The chain driven, rear wheel-driven bicycle of Kirkpatrick Macmillan became widely popular when pneumatic tires were invented in 1888 by another Scotsman, Dr. John Dunlop.  And here on Downey Avenue is a picture with horses and buggies and, wait for it, a bicycle.

Here Lars paused to thank Gabe Enamorado of Stay Gallery, a fellow bike enthusiast, for the historical slides.   Pictures of a bike rack outside the Avenue Theatre in the late 19430’s followed, and the old Downey City Library had two fancy new Schwinns parked at its front door.

What is Downey doing now for bikers?

The state-mandated master City Plan of 2005 states that bicycles are encouraged as an alternate form of transportation.  A down-town specific map of Downey for 2010 shows a bicycle backbone network leading to the country-maintained bike paths along the Los Angeles River, which is the western boundary of Downey, and to grass-lined pathways on the 605 freeway’s San Gabriel River which defines us to the east.

For 2014’s Rock and Ride Event, which was held in conjunction with Make Music Downey, a map shows progress.  The city is combed with both north-south and east-west paved streets which have protected bike lanes.  The highlighted ride is the Los Angeles River bed path, parallel to the 710 Long Beach Freeway, which goes all the way down to Long Beach, past the Queen Mary and Shoreline Village and ends at the Harbor Light House on the point.

For 2015, look for a new master plan for bicycling, to be approved by the Downey City Council at their next January meeting.  On April 11, coinciding with the Downey Street Faire, there will be a second Tour de Downey.  That means bike rides within the city and beyond, sponsored by the Downey Bike Coalition and the City.

And in 2016, there is talk of incorporating Downey in the Ciclovia event which the City of Los Angeles sponsors. On this day many streets are closed to automobile traffic, and bikes and pedestrians have them all to themselves.  An idea which originated in Bogota, Columbia, Ciclovia points to a way to make the air more breathable.   As a question from a member pointed out, when fossil fuels are eliminated, the climate is healthier and we all breathe better.