I love riding my bike. I love working to make the world a better place to ride a bike. After over eight years as a carless bicycle commuter in Los Angeles, I’ve put a lot of miles on my bike. Now I’m ready to put some miles on my tennis shoes, hiking boots and…flip-flops. I’m glad I work for a company that does planning and design on such a wide range of bicycle, pedestrian and trails projects. And I can park my bike in the office. Go Alta!
Matt Benjamin is the manager of Alta’s Los Angeles office. He brings extensive experience in leading complex technical planning and public outreach projects. Mr. Benjamin has worked with the Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies, the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. He specializes in developing innovative strategies to achieve the goals of the client and the public.
Recent Projects
- City of Los Angeles Bicycle Master Plan
Mr. Benjamin is currently managing the update of the Bicycle Master Plan for the City of Los Angeles. This project includes a detailed analysis of the City’s roadways and project-level feasibility work to identify a bikeway network that serves bicyclists of varied skill levels. This project will also include policy recommendations, a non-motorized analysis of the Playa Vista development and a technical design handbook for city engineers. - Dubai Bicycle Master Plan
The Regional Transport Authority of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contracted Alta to develop a Bicycle Master Plan suited to the unique conditions of this rapidly expanding metropolis. Mr. Benjamin was responsible for initial fieldwork and existing conditions analysis. The plan includes a series of short-term demonstration projects to assess the viability of the proposed network as well as policies related to safety education and future development standards. - Metro Bicycle Transportation Strategic Plan This project developed strategies for promoting bicycle use in a county with 88 independent cities and a population of nearly 10 million. Mr. Benjamin was responsible for developing a database of bikeway information from all jurisdictions within Los Angeles County. He was also responsible for importing this data to a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) database and producing over 40 unique maps for this project.Alta recently began working on a major planning effort for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Authority (Metro). The Metro Bicycle Strategic Plan will focus on bicycle transit connections at selected transit hubs, inventory and mapping of existing and proposed facilities, and gap closure along the regional coastal and river bikeway network.
- Eastside Light Rail Bike Interface Plan
Mr. Benjamin managed all aspects of this effort to improve bicycle access to eight new light rail stations, using context-sensitive design principals and innovative techniques to develop a low-impact infrastructure model that educates and encourages cycling. Routes were selected based on station connectivity, physical roadway attributes, population and employment densities, and access to major activity centers. Mr. Benjamin coordinated this effort with Metro, Caltrans, the City of Los Angeles, and the County of Los Angeles. Mr. Benjamin also ensured implementation of the project, working with the First Supervisorial District on securing funding. The project is now funded for design and construction.
