Streetsblog Los Angeles is happy to endorse Healthy Streets L.A., the ballot initiative that would create over 1,500 miles of safer, greener, and more efficient streets by requiring that Los Angeles City re-stripe streets to comply with the city Mobility Plan whenever streets are repaved. L.A.'s Mobility Plan 2035 was passed in August of 2015, yet only three percent (95 miles of street of 3,137 miles) of the plan has actually been implemented.
The Mobility Plan is not perfect, but if the city actually followed it, the change would be dramatic. In just a few years, the city would become a much safer, healthier, and more welcoming place to walk. New and expanded bikeways would generate a long-promised connected bike network. Expanded bus lanes would mean faster-moving transit. Angelenos would have a multi-modal system offering multiple convenient and safe options. Car traffic would be reduced. The air would be cleaner.
If this sounds like a tall order, it is.
Streetsblog Los Angeles has never endorsed a ballot measure before it has qualified for the ballot, but this is a special case and a unique opportunity. Streets For All, one of the main community groups behind the measure, doesn't have the kind of big-money donors to pay signature gatherers to stand outside of grocery stores or be at public events. So they are relying on volunteers. With a deadline looming at the end of May, and a goal of 90,000 signatures needed to qualify for the November ballot, there's no time like the present to get out there and gather signatures.
For information on how to volunteer, visit the Streets For All website. If you would like to sign the initiative but aren't able to volunteer, you can fill out a campaign form and someone will get in touch.
Read the full text of the Healthy Streets initiative.
