MacArthur Park’s Alvarado Street Triple Scramble Boosts Pedestrian Safety

Last month SBLA reported on one new scramble at the intersection of Alvarado Street and 7th Street. It turns out that was only part of the story. That diagonal crossing is just one-third of a triple scramble - three adjacent diagonal crossing intersections.

In November, as part of its Vision Zero initiative, the city Transportation Department (LADOT) installed three pedestrian scrambles along Alvarado Street, at 7th Street, Wilshire Boulevard, and 6th Street. These are all along the east edge of MacArthur Park, and all a short distance from the Metro Red/Purple Line MacArthur Park subway station.

In a statement to Streetsblog L.A., LADOT General Manager Seleta Reynolds called these Alvarado Street Vision Zero improvements "common sense safety improvements in the places that need it the most." Reynolds further stated, "MacArthur Park and the Westlake neighborhood are home to some of the busiest intersections for people walking in our city. Scramble crosswalks ensure that everyone can travel safely through these three intersections - people driving, walking, taking transit, and biking."

This three block stretch of Alvarado is one of the 40 priority corridors identified in the city’s Vision Zero Action Plan. According to LADOT, the MacArthur Park neighborhood is among the worst in the city for traffic deaths and injuries. In the last decade, 39 people have been killed in traffic crashes; 27 of those people have been killed while walking. The most recent death was that of Jesús Mariscal. On September 19, 2017, Mariscal was walking across the intersection at 6th and Alvarado when a driver crashed into him. Mariscal was rushed to the hospital and pronounced dead a few hours later.

Kudos to all involved in these needed safety upgrades.