Bicyclists propose 'freeway' bike routes

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- A bicycling advocacy group in Los Angeles is proposing a network of long-distance bike routes they say would be comparable to the city's freeways.

The L.A. Bike Working Group says a current plan being considered by the city and hired consultants doesn't include enough new bike lanes and is a confused tangle of routes and paths incomprehensible to the average bicyclist, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.

The group proposes a system of long-distance routes intended to provide safe cycling between areas of the city and along major boulevards carrying heavy vehicular traffic, the Times said.

"The city really is more palatable when you have a straight shot through it, with less lights and less stop signs," said Mihai Peteu, 28, who helped design the map for the proposed network. "I think cyclists deserve to have something similar to the freeway system."

The group's proposed Backbone Bikeway Network calls for painting bike lanes, improving pavements and creating shared car-bike lanes to provide cyclists a faster way around the city.