Rush hour in Los Angeles, March 2015. (Photo: Eric Demarcq/flickr/cc)
Aug 12, 2015
Marking a major departure for a city known for its over-reliance on cars, the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday evening approved a 20-year transportation plan that aims to encourage walking, biking, and public transit over automobiles.
"The car capital of America is officially changing its tune," wrote LA Weekly.
The 'Mobility Plan 2035,' described in the LA Times as "a sweeping policy shift," calls for hundreds of miles of new bicycle lanes, bus-only lanes, and other road redesigns throughout the city. It targets about 10 percent of the city's major streets for lane reductions.
ABC 7-Los Angeles reports that about 47 percent of trips taken in the city are less than 3 miles, and of those trips, 84 percent are taken by car. The city's Environmental Impact Report suggested the plan, which passed the council 12-2, would reduce the amount of car travel by 1.7 million miles a day.
According to the LA Times, the plan (pdf) "also seeks to cut the fatality rate from traffic collisions to zero within 20 years, in part by keeping cars within the speed limits."
Responses to the plan have been mixed. In advance of the vote, the MoveLA coalition said the plan was "excellent" because it "addresses the adverse health and environmental impacts of air pollution and climate change, and the question of how we can grow the city more sustainably."
"LA has been slow to join the worldwide movement to re-orient streets away from cars and back towards people and community life by prioritizing the safety of all road users and emphasizing the public right to use what are undeniably public spaces," MoveLA's Gloria Ohland wrote on Monday.
The plan also "prioritizes investments in areas where car ownership rates are low or the number of bike and pedestrian collisions are high so as to serve the areas of greatest need," Ohland noted.
Editorializing in favor of the plan earlier this week, the Times wrote: "It's time for L.A. to shed its traditional automobile-centric approach and evolve into a modern, multimodal city."
At Tuesday's hearing, public testimony was limited to 20 minutes, and was reportedly heavily in favor of plan approval.
But the Los Feliz Ledger reports that one group of opponents has already announced that it will sue the city over the plan, claiming it will increase traffic congestion and hinder the movement of emergency vehicles.
On the other hand, pro-transit Streetsblog LAreminded readers: "Ultimately, it is just a plan."
Noting that a 1999 plan had similar language and goals but failed to materialize, Streetsblog continued, "Communities will need to organize and press to translate the Mobility Plan's multimodal vision into improved safety and broader mobility choices in L.A. neighborhoods."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
Marking a major departure for a city known for its over-reliance on cars, the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday evening approved a 20-year transportation plan that aims to encourage walking, biking, and public transit over automobiles.
"The car capital of America is officially changing its tune," wrote LA Weekly.
The 'Mobility Plan 2035,' described in the LA Times as "a sweeping policy shift," calls for hundreds of miles of new bicycle lanes, bus-only lanes, and other road redesigns throughout the city. It targets about 10 percent of the city's major streets for lane reductions.
ABC 7-Los Angeles reports that about 47 percent of trips taken in the city are less than 3 miles, and of those trips, 84 percent are taken by car. The city's Environmental Impact Report suggested the plan, which passed the council 12-2, would reduce the amount of car travel by 1.7 million miles a day.
According to the LA Times, the plan (pdf) "also seeks to cut the fatality rate from traffic collisions to zero within 20 years, in part by keeping cars within the speed limits."
Responses to the plan have been mixed. In advance of the vote, the MoveLA coalition said the plan was "excellent" because it "addresses the adverse health and environmental impacts of air pollution and climate change, and the question of how we can grow the city more sustainably."
"LA has been slow to join the worldwide movement to re-orient streets away from cars and back towards people and community life by prioritizing the safety of all road users and emphasizing the public right to use what are undeniably public spaces," MoveLA's Gloria Ohland wrote on Monday.
The plan also "prioritizes investments in areas where car ownership rates are low or the number of bike and pedestrian collisions are high so as to serve the areas of greatest need," Ohland noted.
Editorializing in favor of the plan earlier this week, the Times wrote: "It's time for L.A. to shed its traditional automobile-centric approach and evolve into a modern, multimodal city."
At Tuesday's hearing, public testimony was limited to 20 minutes, and was reportedly heavily in favor of plan approval.
But the Los Feliz Ledger reports that one group of opponents has already announced that it will sue the city over the plan, claiming it will increase traffic congestion and hinder the movement of emergency vehicles.
On the other hand, pro-transit Streetsblog LAreminded readers: "Ultimately, it is just a plan."
Noting that a 1999 plan had similar language and goals but failed to materialize, Streetsblog continued, "Communities will need to organize and press to translate the Mobility Plan's multimodal vision into improved safety and broader mobility choices in L.A. neighborhoods."
Deirdre Fulton
Deirdre Fulton is a former Common Dreams senior editor and staff writer. Previously she worked as an editor and writer for the Portland Phoenix and the Boston Phoenix, where she was honored by the New England Press Association and the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. A Boston University graduate, Deirdre is a co-founder of the Maine-based Lorem Ipsum Theater Collective and the PortFringe theater festival. She writes young adult fiction in her spare time.
Marking a major departure for a city known for its over-reliance on cars, the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday evening approved a 20-year transportation plan that aims to encourage walking, biking, and public transit over automobiles.
"The car capital of America is officially changing its tune," wrote LA Weekly.
The 'Mobility Plan 2035,' described in the LA Times as "a sweeping policy shift," calls for hundreds of miles of new bicycle lanes, bus-only lanes, and other road redesigns throughout the city. It targets about 10 percent of the city's major streets for lane reductions.
ABC 7-Los Angeles reports that about 47 percent of trips taken in the city are less than 3 miles, and of those trips, 84 percent are taken by car. The city's Environmental Impact Report suggested the plan, which passed the council 12-2, would reduce the amount of car travel by 1.7 million miles a day.
According to the LA Times, the plan (pdf) "also seeks to cut the fatality rate from traffic collisions to zero within 20 years, in part by keeping cars within the speed limits."
Responses to the plan have been mixed. In advance of the vote, the MoveLA coalition said the plan was "excellent" because it "addresses the adverse health and environmental impacts of air pollution and climate change, and the question of how we can grow the city more sustainably."
"LA has been slow to join the worldwide movement to re-orient streets away from cars and back towards people and community life by prioritizing the safety of all road users and emphasizing the public right to use what are undeniably public spaces," MoveLA's Gloria Ohland wrote on Monday.
The plan also "prioritizes investments in areas where car ownership rates are low or the number of bike and pedestrian collisions are high so as to serve the areas of greatest need," Ohland noted.
Editorializing in favor of the plan earlier this week, the Times wrote: "It's time for L.A. to shed its traditional automobile-centric approach and evolve into a modern, multimodal city."
At Tuesday's hearing, public testimony was limited to 20 minutes, and was reportedly heavily in favor of plan approval.
But the Los Feliz Ledger reports that one group of opponents has already announced that it will sue the city over the plan, claiming it will increase traffic congestion and hinder the movement of emergency vehicles.
On the other hand, pro-transit Streetsblog LAreminded readers: "Ultimately, it is just a plan."
Noting that a 1999 plan had similar language and goals but failed to materialize, Streetsblog continued, "Communities will need to organize and press to translate the Mobility Plan's multimodal vision into improved safety and broader mobility choices in L.A. neighborhoods."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.