Biking Around Echo Park Lake Was Never Legal, City Says

Should bike riding be allowed on the new Echo Park Lake path?

Echo Park-Silver Lake Patch

Most chimed in with "Sure."  Some even remembered doing so on the old Echo Park Lake path, removed during the current rehabilitation.

This comment was typical:

I grew up in Echo Park and have very fond memories of riding my bike around the lake with my cousins.

But, according to Andrea Epstein of the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks, people riding on the path were doing so illegally.

In an email she pointed us to Los Angeles Municipal Code Section 63.44B16 that reads:

No person shall drive or ride any cycle or vehicle, whether powered by a motor or human power, except on paths, roads or drives designed and provided for such purposes

A similar ordinance governs throughways designated as trails.

According to Epstein, it would take a vote by the commissioners of the Recreation and Parks Department to change that.

Epstein pointed to Lake Balboa in Encino as an example of where a special lane for bikes is designated.

A motion could conceivably be initiated by a community group, she added.

The new path planned for Echo Park Lake would be made of a "pervious" material, which could present special issues.

Readers commenting on Echo Park-Silver Lake Patch represented a range of views on how to solve the problem.

One reader suggested a completely different path be constructed for the bikes.

Others thought a commited lane would do the trick.

Still, others thought a lane OUTSIDE the park would be the way to go.

What do you think?

Should bikes be brought back to Echo Park Lake?