Finally a Councilmember who not only can utter the word “bicycle” but who also promotes it and tries to change the world, one bicycle at a time. Councilmember Eric Garcetti worked to bring new locker and shower facilities to encourage employees to bike to work. Now I’d love to see some bike racks at his field office and then I’m ready to vote for Garcetti as President!

LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles Council President Eric Garcetti today announced that showers, bicycle and shower lockers, and additional bicycle racks are now available for City of Los Angeles employees working in the Downtown Civic Center area.

“If we’re going to reduce traffic in this city, then people need to have real alternatives to driving a car to work everyday. A few city employees already bike to work, but my hope is that these new facilities will make it possible for more people to do it. I encourage city employees who have ever thought about biking to work to give it a try,” said Council President Garcetti. “It helps reduce traffic. It helps our environment. And it’s great exercise.”

The new facilities are located underneath City Hall East on level P3 and will be accessible using city employee ID badges. Employees who want access to the showers must visit the Commute Options and Parking Section to have their badges programmed to allow entry. Employees who regularly bike to work may also be eligible to receive a subsidy through the City of Los Angeles Bike/Walk to Work program, which is administered by the Personnel Department.

Council President Garcetti worked with the City of Los Angeles’s Department of General Services, Personnel Department, and Department of Transportation to develop the new facilities and implement the process for acquiring access. The Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition provided assistance with making the new facilities effective for cyclists.

For more information on the City of Los Angeles’s bike/walk to work options, visit www.lacity.org/per/bikewalk.htm.