By Steve Shaheed
Hyde Park Bikepath Brings New Life To South LA’s Streets
I have walked this city in ways most people would not understand. Through Griffith Park with a shopping cart. Along the LA River near Atwater Village. Down Lankershim from Camarillo to Magnolia to Wellington. Up Mt. Baldy the day before the Palisades caught fire. I know what it means to move through Los Angeles on foot when nobody is building anything for you.
So when the Rail-to-Rail Active Transportation Corridor finally opened in May 2025, it meant something. Not because it was new infrastructure. Because it was our infrastructure. Right through Hyde Park, Chesterfield Square, Harvard Park, Vermont-Slauson, South Park, and Central-Alameda. 5.5 miles of separated bike and walking lanes built on the bones of the old Harbor Subdivision freight railroad. $166 million invested in neighborhoods that Los Angeles has ignored for decades. LA Connexion has been following this story because when South LA finally gets something, the community needs to know about it and claim it before somebody else does.
I walked the Rail-to-Rail from 11th Avenue all the way east. Past Arlington. Past Western. Past Normandie. I made it to Figueroa and Broadway near the Harbor Freeway overpass before I stopped. But the path keeps going, all the way to the Slauson Blue Line station at Long Beach Avenue. That is the full stretch. I have seen walkers on it at dawn. Runners pushing pace in the afternoon. Cyclists moving through at all hours. I have also seen unhoused people using the path as a place to sleep. That is the reality of South LA. The beautiful and the broken exist on the same corridor.
Why Does The Hyde Park Bikepath Matter For Families Who Cannot Afford A Gym?
Let me be direct about something. You do not need a Planet Fitness membership. You do not need Orange Theory. You do not need to pay anybody a monthly fee to move your body and take care of your health. This path is free. It is lit. It has security cameras. It has shade trees and benches. About 4,300 pedestrians and 2,500 cyclists use it every single day. That is nearly 7,000 people who figured out that Los Angeles built them something they can actually use.
South LA has been one of the most park-poor areas in this city for as long as I have been alive. Families here have fewer green spaces per capita than almost any other neighborhood in Los Angeles. Between 2020 and 2024, this city reported over 3,100 bike accidents and 71 fatalities. Those numbers land hardest in communities like ours, where the sidewalks are cracked, the streetlights are stolen, and the drivers are not looking for you.
The Rail-to-Rail changes that equation. Parents can push strollers here. Kids can ride without their mothers holding their breath. Elders can walk without dodging traffic. As LA Sentinel reported, the 108,000 people who live near this greenway now have a place to stroll, bike, skate, run, or just breathe under the sky. Organizations like We Grow LA are already out there on Saturdays near the Slauson SuperMall hosting free grocery giveaways and family events. This is not just a bike path. It is becoming a gathering place. A living room for the neighborhood.
In a world where everything costs money, where gentrification prices you out of your own block, where a gym card is another bill you cannot afford, this path is a statement. You can live in this city for free if you go about it right. That is what I am here to expose. No rock unturned. The crevices of Los Angeles that the people need to know about.
What Comes Next For The Hyde Park Bikepath And Can South LA Keep It?
This is only Segment A. Segment B is already in the works. The extension will push through Huntington Park, Bell, Maywood, and Bell Gardens, eventually connecting across the LA River into the larger 32-mile LA River path network stretching from the San Fernando Valley to Long Beach.
Think about what that means. A resident in Hyde Park could eventually ride a continuous protected path from their block to the river and beyond. No car. No bus fare. No permission needed. Just movement. Just freedom.
The 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games are driving investment in active transportation across the city right now. But the question South LA should be asking is this: will these investments stay after the cameras leave? Or will we get built up for the world’s viewing pleasure and then forgotten again? Streetsblog LA documented neighborhood youth enjoying safe rides along the Slauson corridor on opening day. That energy was real. That joy was real. It needs to stay real.
I have been called a lot of things in my life. Some of those words came from people who should have had my back. But I am still here. Still walking. Still writing. Still fighting for this city. Use this path. Claim it. Make it yours so completely that nobody can take it back. For resources on building skills and opportunities in your community, visit WIN University Online.
📊 South LA Hyde Park Bikepath Community Impact 📊
🚴 Path Length: 5.5 miles (Segment A) connecting 6 South LA neighborhoods, Hyde Park, Chesterfield Square, Harvard Park, Vermont-Slauson, South Park, Central-Alameda. Opened May 2025.
💰 Project Cost: $166 million funded via Metro Measure M, the largest active transportation investment in South LA history.
👥 Daily Users: Approximately 4,300 pedestrians and 2,500 cyclists use the path daily, putting nearly 7,000 daily trips on safe, separated lanes instead of dangerous streets.
🌿 Green Features: Hundreds of shade trees, benches, lighting, and wayfinding signage transform a formerly abandoned freight rail corridor into a usable green space for a park-poor community.
🔜 Expansion: Segment B will extend the path through Huntington Park, Bell, Maywood, and Bell Gardens, connecting to the 32-mile LA River path network. Expected completion 2027.
📋 Action Resources For Hyde Park Bikepath Users 📋
🚴 Metro Bike Share — Download the Metro Bike app. Single rides $1.75. All ages welcome. Call (213) 922-6235.
🗺️ Rail-to-Rail Path Info — Visit metro.net/projects/railtorivera or email railtorail@metro.net. Free public access.
🌿 We Grow LA Community Events — Free grocery giveaways and family events on Saturdays near the Slauson SuperMall. Follow on Instagram at wegrowla.org.
🚌 LADOT DASH Transit — Connects to the path corridor. $0.50 per ride. Download the Transit app for free. Call (213) 808-2273.
📢 Report Path Issues — Call 311 or use the MyLA311 app to report maintenance, lighting, or safety concerns. Available 24/7. Free.
📞 Community Contacts 📞
🚴 Metro Los Angeles — Path information. Call (213) 922-6235. Email railtorail@metro.net. Mon-Fri 8am-5pm. One Gateway Plaza, LA 90012.
🌿 We Grow LA — Community events and food access. Email info@wegrowla.org. Saturdays near Slauson SuperMall.
📢 LA 311 — Path maintenance and city services. Call 311 or MyLA311 app. Available 24/7.
🚌 LADOT Transit — Bus connections and route info. Call (213) 808-2273. Email ladottransit@lacity.org.
🏥 211 LA — Social services, housing, food assistance. Call 211. Available 24/7.