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The Los Angeles to Pasadena cycleway was a big idea for a short time around 1900.

Given the popularity of bicycling in Portland, I’m surprised no one has proposed an idea like this here: An elevated bike path for commuters.

While it may sound crazy today, it was taken very seriously at one time in the Los Angeles area. The idea was a “cycleway” from Pasadena to downtown Los Angeles.

No kidding. A bikes-only route through one of the most car-crazy cities in the country.

But the idea was born in a much different time. Car-craziness hadn’t actually happened yet.

The cycleway was meant for commuters and the plan was to charge 10 cents for a one-way trip and 15 cents for a round trip.

In 1900, an elevated, wooden cycleway was actually constructed with the idea of giving bicyclists a dedicated route between Pasadena and L.A. That was a time when cycling was very much the craze and the plan seemed to have wheels, so to speak.

And if you think about, 1900 was also a time when the automobile was a novelty. It was often referred to as a “horseless carriage.” One story about the cycleway says that there were about 30,000 bicyclists in the L.A. area at the time. That means they would have vastly outnumber motorized vehicles.

There was even an Oregon connection, apparently.

says that the cycleway was constructed “almost entirely of Oregon pine.” It had room for as many as four bikes abreast, was lit with incandescent lights.

Some old stories seem to indicate that it was completed. Others say only a 1.3-mile portion was finished.

But either way, the idea didn’t last. The car was coming, and streetcars were gaining popularity.

So after a few years, the cycleway faded into time.

Still, there are several articles online about the effort. Of those that I checked, one at

was among the more informative.

– John Killen