County officials presented a bike master plan Tuesday night that could include an east-to-west bike boulevard that would span Altadena and could include traffic calming measures designed to slow drivers down.

The proposed bike boulevard would run along Harriet Street, then switch to Calveras Steet, and wind through Mendocino Street, Midwick Drive, Glen Canyon Road, and down Coolidge Avenue (the proposed boulevard route is highlighted in purple on the map on right). 

The idea would be to provide marked bike lanes and signage, and possibly also physical barriers called "chicanes" that would jut out into the road, narrowing it and forcing vehicles to slow down, according to Abu Yusuf, the county's bikeway coordinator (a photo of a chicane can be viewed here).

Those barriers or any other measures designed to slow down traffic would only be implemented if there was a clear indication of community support, Yusuf said.

"We'd want to hear from stakeholders on how it would impact them--from business owners, residents," Yusuf said.

Besides the bike route, the county's bike plan also calls for miles of bike routes in Altadena, which are streets that the county advises as most safe for cyclists.  There would also be new bike lanes painted on the shoulder of Marengo Avenue, Lincoln Avenue and Woodbury Road.

Local cyclists could also benefit from a distinct bike path system in the Eaton Canyon Wash flood control area that is being proposed under the plan.  If completed that bike path would run eight miles and link up with the Rio Hondo Bike Path, providing an stretch of un-interrupted bikeway from the border of Altadena all the way to Long Beach.

The problem, as it often is, is that the county does not yet have any committed funding for the project, and consequently, there are not any set completion dates for any single portion of the plan.

Yusuf said the county will continue to seek funding where it can, applying for grants for individual parts of the plan. 

As for the chicanes, Altadena's neighbor to the south has had some experience with them.  Until about six months ago the barriers were installed in a residential neighborhood on South El Molino Avenue.

The neighborhood had had problems with through commuters from South Pasadena, Alhambra and the 10 Freeway coming through on the wider portion of the road and not slowing as the road narrowed and went into the residential area.

After a two year test period, people in the neighborhood voted to have them removed, which they subsequently were. 

Pasadena Councilman Terry Tornek, who represents the area, said the number one complaint was that the eliminated street parking.  Residents also said that some motorists crashed into them rather than slowing down, and speed data from the city showed that drivers got used to them and learned how to navigate the street without slowing, Tornek said.

"Many people hated them from the start," Tornek said.

As the plan is still in draft form, the chicanes or other traffic slowing measure are very much up in the air.  Those who want to submit an official comment on the plan to county officials can do so online any time before May 20.

Dorothy Wong, a local cycling advocate who attend Tuesday night's meeting said that while a lot of the plan is still vague, she is encouraged by any plan that encourages cycling.

She said though, that Altadena has a long way to go before most people are comfortable biking on the roads.

"Ultimately if you want to grow cycling, only 1 percent of people are like me are on streets, where they are not that worried about car traffic," Wong said.  

She noted that the county surveyed riders and found most wary about biking on a lot of county streets.

"Sixty percent of people who are interested in biking probably are not fearless and are too worried about their safety to try it," Wong said.

She said that even though she bikes frequently, some of the streets where the county is proposing bike lanes still make her feel nervous to ride.

"I don't feel comfortable riding on Lincoln or on Lake even if they painted in lines and made it a bike lane," Wong said.