Hawaiian Gardens Council reviews draft citywide bicycle master plan, urges more study before final adoption

The Hawaiian Gardens City Council on March 12 reviewed a draft citywide bicycle master plan prepared by Tool Design Group and voted unanimously to receive the draft, solicit further comments and return the plan to council for final adoption in June 2025.

The draft plan, funded in part by a $370,000 Active Transportation Program (ATP) Cycle 6 grant and commissioned by the city in March 2024, outlines a network of proposed bike facilities intended to improve safety, expand affordable travel options and increase connectivity within Hawaiian Gardens and to neighboring jurisdictions.

Tool Design Group principal Roger Palayo told the council the plan could help the city “unlock a lot of transportation funding grants” once adopted, and described the draft network and outreach to date. Project manager Leila Singer Burke said the plan’s goals are safety, equity and connectivity and emphasized bilingual outreach and engagement across age groups. "Safety ... is a huge priority for your community," Singer Burke said, summarizing survey responses.

The consultant described three facility types proposed in the draft: conventional bike lanes, buffered lanes and separated bike lanes (with vertical separation), plus neighborhood bicycle boulevards aimed at slowing traffic on residential streets. The draft highlights improvements or upgrades on corridors including Norwalk and Carson, a proposed buffer on Civic Center Drive, conventionally striped lanes on other identified streets, and a recommendation to study the Artesia‑Norwalk storm drain/channel as a potential linear walking and biking facility.

Consultants said community outreach included two community advisory committee meetings, events at a city car show and National Night Out, visits to a senior center and teen centers, a parent meeting at Hawaiian Elementary (conducted primarily in Spanish) and door‑to‑door outreach to about 20 businesses on Norwalk and Carson. According to the presentation, more than 70% of survey respondents rated improving safety for people who bike as their top priority, and roughly 75% of respondents agreed with the consultant’s draft network recommendations.

Council members asked about the data behind the network. The consultant said the team had not performed a citywide time‑of‑day bicycle count but had relied on community feedback, mapping of high‑activity destinations and 10 years of crash data. "In the 10‑year period, there were about 44, a little more than 40 crashes with bicycles in the city," the consultant said, and noted that some of the most serious crashes occurred on Norwalk and Carson.

Council discussion also noted that the Artesia‑Norwalk channel is Los Angeles County flood control property and that any conversion to a trail or linear park would require partnership with the county and further study of crossings and environmental review. The consultant said placing the corridor on the city’s bicycle plan would make the city more competitive for outside funding to study and design crossings and other improvements.

Council voted unanimously to receive the draft and direct staff to return the plan for final adoption in June 2025. The vote was recorded as: Council Member Farfan — yes; Council Member Roa — yes; Council Member Vargas — yes; Mayor De Pala — yes.

Next steps listed by the consultant include a final phase of outreach, incorporating council and public comments, prioritizing candidate projects for grant applications and returning a final plan and recommended priority projects for council approval in summer 2025.