Assembly Bill 43 Passes in Legislature, Awaits Governor's Signature

Last week, California Assembly Bill (AB) 43, which would grant municipalities greater control in setting speed limits on city streets, was passed by both the state senate and state assembly. The bill has now advanced to the legislative Office of Engrossing and Enrolling, where it awaits the signature of Governor Gavin Newsom prior to implementation.

LADOT has long been a proponent of speed limit reform and participated on the Zero Traffic Fatalities Task Force that informed the changes proposed by AB 43. Last April, the Los Angeles City Council approved LADOT’s proposal to seek legislation that empowers cities to set safe speed limits, and formally supported AB 43 by resolution in July. 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. AB 43 seeks to remediate this process by providing additional speed limit discretionary powers to city governments and agencies.

With speed being the primary factor in determining the severity of a vehicle crash, AB 43 will provide cities an opportunity to save hundreds of lives. When observing traffic collision data, analyses have found that a person struck by a vehicle traveling 35 miles per hour has a 68 percent chance of survival, a rate that 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 years prior despite a significant decline in overall traffic volumes — a trend that disproportionately impacted low-income communities in Los Angeles.

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.

Walk to School Day 2021

On Wednesday, October 6, thousands of students, parents, teachers, and school staff across the City of Los Angeles will participate in Walk to School Day 2021: a nationwide safety event highlighting the importance of providing safe routes for students to travel to and from school. LADOT and Safe Routes to School invite all school community members and families to participate in this year’s event. For details, please click here to visit the LADOT Livable Streets Walk to School Day page. Additionally, for more information about the Walk to School Day event nationwide, please visit walkbiketoschool.org.

Open Streets Program Request for Proposal Now Open

LADOT is seeking qualified organizations to plan, program, and deliver the city's Open Streets Program, which transforms our streets into vibrant public spaces for walking, biking, rolling, play, and connections. LADOT's program envisions expanding models of public events to increase access to Open Streets and reach more communities in L.A. throughout the year.

This Request for Proposal is for services beginning in 2022 through 2024. More information is available on the Los Angeles Business Assistance Virtual Network. Please click here to register for the mandatory virtual pre-bid conference.

Getting to Work on San Vicente

The City of Los Angeles is getting to work on a safer, more connected San Vicente Boulevard between Olympic Boulevard and La Brea Avenue. The resultant project, titled the San Vicente Safety & Mobility Project, will implement the city’s Mobility Plan policies to prioritize the boulevard for high-quality bicycle enhancements and a more comfortable street for all users. This project proposes to repurpose one travel lane in each direction to calm traffic, and to make space for bike lanes.

To help inform members of the public about the San Vicente Safety & Mobility Project, LADOT invites all to attend the San Vicente On-the-Street Safety Walk, an in-person event that will take place on Saturday, September 18 from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. on San Vicente Boulevard between Olympic Boulevard and La Brea Avenue. For more information about this upcoming event, and to sign up for the San Vicente Boulevard project mailing list, please click here. Additionally, LADOT asks all interested parties to submit commentary about this project through the project feedback map, located on the San Vicente project web page.

Upcoming Resurfacing on Adams Boulevard

Upcoming Resurfacing on Adams Boulevard

LADOT is currently conducting a redesign of Adams Boulevard that will improve safety for all forms of transportation. To facilitate this process, street resurfacing will be conducted on the boulevard during the next two upcoming weekends. LADOT asks those who plan on driving on or near Adams Boulevard during Sept. 18-19 and Sept. 25-26 to please plan accordingly as street lanes will be affected.

For more information about the Adams Boulevard Safety project, please click here.