Arcadia Council Wants Bike Lanes on School Property, Not in Streets

ARCADIA —  City Council has asked the Arcadia Unified School District to place bike lanes on school property rather than have the city require them on streets bordering Arcadia High School.

The council had received requests from two residents for bike lanes on Campus Drive and Duarte Road, which are just north and south of the campus, but it took no action on the requests.

City Manager George Watts told the council Tuesday that street bike lanes posted with no-parking signs would result in the loss of 152 much-needed parking spaces in the area. He added, however, that there would be no way to force students to use bike lanes on school land.

The issue arose after David Andrew Taylor, 16, was killed in November in a bicycle accident on Duarte Road in front of the school. A student opened the door of a parked car, knocking Taylor into the path of an oncoming car. The student, a juvenile, has been charged with involuntary manslaughter.

School and city officials have said that if parking is allowed in a bike lane, an accident similar to Taylor’s could not be prevented. There have been no other fatal bike accidents in the area.