Streetsies 2012: It Was the Worst of Times

Worst Story of the Year: As we outlined yesterday, 2012 was a banner year in a lot of ways for Livable Streets in Los Angeles. That being said, there were some dark moments as well that are outlined below. No matter how well thing went in 2012, there are still two major challenges that a future mayor has to face, two challenges that undercut all the good work that the city is doing: our sidewalks continue to deteriorate and our rates of hit and runs is a national disgrace.
The Nominees: City's Sidewalks Continue to Deteriorate, City's Hit and Run Epidemic Continues Unabated
Editor's Choice: How do you choose between two ongoing catastrophes? If I had to pick one, and I do, I would say the city's complete lack of a plan on how to deal with its repair bill for city sidewalks takes the cake for bad urban everything.

For Lord's Sake, We're Still Writing About This?: Part of me can't believe we're still writing about this. How many of these are Metro related? Jeesh.
The Nominees: Beverly Hills Unified School District v Metro, TAP and Fare Gates, Neighbors for Smart Rail Still Suing, HOT Lane Transponders, Fracking Is Totally Safe, Crenshaw Line Missing Leimert Park Stop
Editor's Choice: TAP and Fare Gates at Metro 

Worst Law Enforcement Story: It seems that even with the "new" LAPD there are plenty of bad examples of law enforcement. Of course, there are so many law enforcement agencies, it's not their fault there are still so many high profile misdeeds.
The Nominees: Hide Your Daughter's Fatal Hit and Run, Get Slap on Wrist, Sheriffs Punch Mentally Disabled Woman in Face on Metro Bus, Metro Aids in Cover-Up, Cover-up or Something Else in Death of Venice Woman, The Weird Case of Susanna Schick, Long Time City Council Staffer Kills Pedestrian in Valley in City-Owned Car, Pasadena Weekly Focuses on Woman Assaulted by Sheriffs on Gold Line over Missing Ticket
Editor's Choice: Given our involvement trying to get to the bottom of the Sheriff's assaulting a mentally disabled woman passenger last January, I have to give that one the nod. A note to Metro, last year you stonewalled an underfunded independent news outlet. We have more resources now, and won't be bullied next time.

Worst Local Story:
The Nominees: State Powerless to Stop Fracking in Baldwin Hills, Chair Woman Boxer Not Much Help on MAP-21, No Shade for Too Many Waiting for the Bus,
Editor's Choice: No Shade for the Waiting in South L.A.

Worst Sacramento Story:
The Nominees: Legislature Passes on Fracking Reform, Planning Association Fights Common Sense Parking Reforms, Incoherent Brown Rejects Give Me 3
Editor's Choice: I know that the majority of people are going to pick the Governor's increasingly bizarre vetos of the "Give Me 3" legislation, but the American Planning Association's lobbying against common sense parking reform didn't just kill a good piece of legislation, it showed that Smart Growth Advocates have to fight the planning association for parking reform? Give me a break.

Worst Use of a Bike Lane in Downtown:
The Nominees:The Spring Street Buffered Bypass, Film Crew Parking, LAPD Parking
Editor's Choice: LAPD Parking in front of LAPD Headquarters

Worst 710 Project:
The Nominees:The One in Long Beach, The One in the SGV
Editor's Choice: The One on Long Beach 

Worst Sign of Things to Come:
The Nominees: Nightingale Middle School Students Demand Bike Lanes, Still Waiting, Lean Bars Instead of Bus Benches in Less Affluent Communities,  New Development in Santa Monica Goes from Parking Free to Having Massive Robo Garage, 50 Parks Initiative Doesn't Do Enough for Park Poor South L.A.
Editor's Choice: Lean Bars Instead of Bus Benches in Less Affluent Communities. Despite all the bright and shiny new projects, this series of stories that includes the crumbling sidewalks and "desperately seeking shade" paint a dire picture of the day to day life for too many of the city's pedestrians and transit riders.