Project Spotlight: The Main Street Complete Streets Project

As of July 2021, the City of Los Angeles has finalized construction on virtually all elements on the $12.6 million Main Street Complete Streets Project — a project undertaken by LADOT in collaboration with the Bureau of Engineering that improves safety and accessibility for all through the reconstruction of sidewalks, streets, and the implementation of new safety treatments, including intersection tightening, bicycle turn boxes, leading pedestrian intervals, left turn arrows, new traffic signals, new sidewalks and curb ramps, and other new features. Main Street was selected for the city’s Complete Streets Program because of both safety and pavement surface issues. Between 2009 and 2019, 97 people were killed or severely injured in traffic crashes on the segment of Main Street that this project addresses.

For more information, please click here to visit the LADOT Livable Streets Main Street project page.

Setting City Speed Limits

Earlier this month, the Los Angeles City Council adopted a resolution to support California State Assembly Bill (AB) 43, which would grant municipalities greater control in setting speed limits on city streets. Currently, the California Vehicle Code requires cities to conduct regular speed surveys to set and enforce speed limits, which are determined by the 85th percentile of driver speeds recorded in the survey. In practice, this process results in streets where speed limits regularly increase with every survey cycle regardless of local safety concerns.

This week, the Los Angeles Times supported the effort to reform California’s municipal speed limit processes, publishing the editorial Speed kills. It’s time for California to slow down cars. Like the Los Angeles Times and the Los Angeles City Council, LADOT supports AB 43 as an effective means for bringing about greater traffic safety.

Passed by the Senate Committee on Transportation, AB 43 is now under review by the Senate Appropriations Committee prior to a vote by the state senate.

New DASH Route Rolls Out This Weekend in Sylmar

On Saturday, July 31, LADOT Transit will launch service for its 32nd and newest DASH route. Serving the community of Sylmar, the new route will operate from the Sylmar/San Fernando Metrolink station, with service running from 6:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. on weekdays and 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. on weekends. Implemented as part of LADOT Transit's and the city's New Service Plan, which aims to expand and improve transit accessibility across Los Angeles, DASH Sylmar will be joined by five additional and new DASH routes slated for launch over the next three years.

For information about the New Service Plan, including details about DASH Sylmar, please visit ladottransit.com/wegotogetherla.

LADOT Initiates Curbside Pick-Up Pilot Program

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all restaurants in Los Angeles County were required to temporarily close all dine-in services to support public safety and social distancing. Because of this closure of dine-in services, many restaurants struggled to get by and many created takeout and delivery services to support themselves. In response to these sudden and drastic changes, LADOT launched the temporary Food Pick-Up Zone Program in order to install temporary food pick-up zones near restaurants to support their new delivery and pick-up services. Soon after, LADOT also launched the Retail Pick-up Zone Program to assist retail stores that were struggling due to the limitations caused by the pandemic. As LADOT began considering the possibility of transitioning these temporary programs to a permanent program for curbside pick-up zones, the department started surveying businesses that joined the temporary pick-up zone programs. With this survey, LADOT received an overwhelming response from businesses indicating that the temporary pick-up zones should be maintained even after businesses return to normal operations.

Due to the response from the survey, LADOT initiated the Curbside Pick-Up Zone Pilot Program to gather additional information and feedback from pilot participants and their customers who use the newly installed zones. The pilot program consists of several installations to evaluate two different zone configurations, which will help assess the best design and feasibility for a permanent program. For more information about this pilot program, please click here.

This Week in Photos:

LADOT field crews installed a new roundabout at the intersection of Ainsworth Street and 125th and 126th streets to improve and calm traffic conditions for those who travel in the Harbor Gateway neighborhood. Roundabouts provide a safer environment for those who walk, bike, and drive by slowing traffic in an orderly, effective manner and reducing vehicle conflicts.