Los Angeles City Council Supports Legislation to Give Cities More Flexibility in Setting Speed Limits

The Los Angeles City Council adopted a resolution last week to support California State Assembly Bill (AB) 43 that 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.

With speed being the primary factor in determining the severity of a crash, AB 43 gives cities an opportunity to save hundreds of lives. A person struck by a vehicle going 35 miles per hour has a 68 percent chance of survival — a rate which plummets to 35 percent if the vehicle is going 40 miles per hour. Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, Los Angeles experienced an epidemic of speeding on streets, resulting in a similar number of fatal and severe injury crashes during 2020 compared to prior years despite a significant decline in overall traffic volumes. This trend disproportionately impacted low-income communities in Los Angeles.

“How we set speed limits within Los Angeles is a matter of life and death,” said LADOT General Manager Seleta Reynolds. “Current law forces cities to raise speed limits based on how fast drivers can go in cars that are larger and faster than ever before. We urge the California legislature to pass AB 43 so that we can set speed limits in a common-sense way that will end the cycle of ever-increasing speeds and ever-increasing loss of life.”

Introduced by Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) and accompanying legislators, AB 43 was passed by the California Assembly in May 2021 and is currently in committee prior to receiving a vote by the California Senate. For additional information about AB 43 — including the text of the bill and its procedural history — please click here to visit the California legislative information website.

CicLAvia to Return August 15

This past week, CicLAvia announced its impending return to hosting open streets events for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic last year. With three upcoming dates announced for 2021 — one on August 15 in Wilmington, another on October 10 in downtown Los Angeles, and the year's finale on December 5 in south Los Angeles — LADOT looks forward to joining CicLAvia as it resumes its mission of providing fun and safe open streets for people who bike, walk, jog, and roll.

"The return of CicLAvia is a bright light as we slowly recover together as a city," said LADOT General Manager Seleta Reynolds. "Our streets and public spaces should be places of joy and connection for communities. There is no event like CicLAvia to make that real for Angelenos."

For more information about CicLAvia’s highly anticipated return, please visit ciclavia.org.

LADOT to Host Mobile Town Hall Tour Event and Broadcast

This weekend, LADOT invites all to attend or tune in to the next Mobile Town Hall Tour, a in-person, radio, and online event that will explore issues affecting people living in Los Angeles. The upcoming session, which is part of a series led by LADOT Creative Catalyst Renée Reizman and Transportation Planner Kevin Ocubillo, will examine the subject of how Angelenos may make their voices heard through public comments and the impact that this has on Los Angeles communities.

The upcoming in-person event, hosted in collaboration with the Koreatown Youth & Community Center (KYCC), will take place on Saturday, July 10 from 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. at KYCC’s Menlo Family Housing facility, located at 1230 Menlo Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90006. Conducted through a partnership with local independent radio station Dublab, Saturday’s broadcast will be available online at www.dublab.com and on the radio at 99.1 FM KLDB.

LADOT Crossing Guard Program Now Hiring

LADOT is now accepting applications for new crossing guards. Crossing guards provide traffic guidance at designated street intersections, allowing for a safer and calmer environment for students and their families as they travel to and from school. The city crossing guard program — jointly administered by LADOT's District Engineers, Traffic Control, and Safe Routes to School program — uses needs-based analyses to direct safety improvements and personnel to school zones.

For detailed information regarding how to apply to the city crossing guard program, please visit ladot.lacity.org/crossingguard.

Relocation of Van Nuys Parking Adjudication Office

LADOT is pleased to announce that its Van Nuys Adjudication Office is moving to a new location to accommodate the evolving needs of the department and the public we serve. Beginning July 12, 2021, the Van Nuys Adjudication Office will be located at 5990 Sepulveda Blvd, Suite 225, Los Angeles, CA 91411. LADOT will continue to offer teleconference and written declarations by mail-in hearings in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and in-person hearings by appointment only.

The Parking Adjudication Division thanks all who made this project possible, including its colleagues at LADOT, the Office of the City Administrative Officer, the Information Technology Agency, the General Services Department, SAAIA, Unisource Solutions, Conduent, Conducorp, All Net, First Fire Systems, and Birtcher, Anderson, & Davis.

For more information about the LADOT Bureau of Parking Management and the Parking Adjudication Division, please visit ladotparking.org.

This Week in Photos:

LADOT hosted a pop-up demonstration of street safety elements at Meridian Street and Avenue 50 in Highland Park to showcase the functionality of new permanent features that will be installed at the intersection.

LADOT by the Numbers:

The City of Los Angeles is improving Adams Boulevard with traffic safety and accessibility elements. Changes will include pavement repair, signal upgrades, bike lanes, lane reduction, pedestrian beacons, pedestrian refuge islands, and other safety treatments.

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