From LATimes.com
By Kerry Cavanaugh
In 2015, the Los Angeles City Council adopted an ambitious new transportation planthat called for adding hundreds of miles of bus-only lanes and protected bike lanes, along with sidewalk and streetscape improvements across the city. The Mobility Plan 2035 was designed to make L.A.’s car-dominated streets safer and more inviting for pedestrians, bicyclists and transit users over 20 years.
It was a huge shift in priority for a city so committed to the car that for decades it focused on relieving congestion and moving motorists as fast as possible. Mayor Eric Garcetti and a majority of the City Council drew national attention for agreeing to sacrifice some car lanes to make room for faster buses and safer cycling and walking.
But, as is so often the case in L.A., the implementation of the Mobility Plan has not matched its ambition.
Since its adoption, the city has only made bike, bus and pedestrian upgrades to 95 miles out of 3,137 miles identified in the plan — or 3% in a little more than six years. Time and again, city leaders have ignored or torpedoed bike and bus lanes outlined in the Mobility Plan. At this rate, it will take nearly 200 years — not 20 — to fulfill the plan’s vision.
Photo by Owen Lystrup on Unsplash