Los Angeles has long been America's most car-centric city, but a movement is currently underway to change the way Los Angeles gets around.
NBC4 News reports that Los Angeles voters have approved Measure HLA, an initiative that holds city officials accountable while requiring city streets to be redesigned to be safer for pedestrians and bicyclists. ing.
What can you do by measuring HLA?
The HLA measure, also known as Healthy Streets LA, would require the city of Los Angeles to implement Mobility Plan 2035, which was adopted a decade ago to encourage more bike lanes and wider sidewalks, but has seen little progress. There are no results.
The ballot measure would require the city to implement mobility planning projects, such as adding protected bike lanes, every time the city improves a road.
The HLA measure requires the City to implement street improvements as specified in the Mobility Plan whenever it improves at least 18 miles of road or sidewalk.
Supporters of the initiative argue that the voting system would force city officials to repave streets to accommodate buses, pedestrians and bicycles.
“In Los Angeles today, most people generally only feel safe driving a car, and that still isn't safe because car accidents cause so much damage,” the advocacy group Street・For All” founder Michael Schneider said. “It's about giving Angelenos a choice.”
Supporters also argue that Measure HLA will keep pedestrians and public transit users safe, as Los Angeles had more traffic fatalities than homicides in 2023.
Why opponents want voters to say “no” to HLA measurements
Opposition to the ballot measure is led by the Los Angeles Fire Department union, which argues that the reconfigured roads with fewer lanes will impede 911 response.
“It's a public safety issue and it's going to delay the response time of the members I represent,” said Freddy Escobar, president of the Los Angeles Unified Fire Department.
The union also cited a report by City Administrator Matt Szabo, which argued that the HLA program would be costly for the city, requiring $3.1 billion in unfunded debt.
“If we don't have the funding to accomplish that, we're going to add to the mandate,” Szabo said at the Feb. 16 City Council meeting.
Supporters of the HLA measure said Szabo's estimates were exaggerated.
