From Biking in LA: The Pedestrian Free Crosswalk

2_9_09_biking.jpg

Via BikinginLA, the above image captures so much of what is wrong with pedestrian planning in Los Angeles:

They say no one walks in L.A. And that may be true soon, if our local department of transportation continues their policy of removing crosswalks for the safety of pedestrians.

No, seriously.

Then there’s this intersection in Westwood,
which features what may be the world’s first crosswalk where no
pedestrians are allowed — despite the presence of a working pedestrian
signal.

Kind of makes you wonder just who it’s intended for, doesn’t it?

  • Gaaahh!!!

    WTF?!

    Would it really be that wrong to just rip that stupid sign down? I’ll pay for the darn tools.

  • mechazawa

    its not going to improve traffic. which is big motivator for the city to make odd policies. but this right here…why are they trying to restrict people? Or is it that they did not get what is happening when they made it.

  • It makes sense to me to tear the signs down — there are at least three No Pedestrian signs there — but the question is, why did they go up in the first place? This intersection has always had a crosswalk there, and now that they’ve built a supposedly pedestrian-friendly live/work complex on that corner, they try to actively discourage pedestrians. Does that make sense to anyone?

  • Clarence Eckerson

    WTF? This might be screaming for a Streetfilm! I mean, most crosswalks aren’t done that nicely with beautiful pavers and such….and then to have it illegal to cross? Wow. Crazy times.

  • fail!

  • Yes, this does make sense:

    “TDM” and “Live/Work” are obviously double speak for “stuff to make people shut up and let us keep on designing roads for cars”.

    There are no standard in the General Plan, or any extant plan I am aware of, that call for measurement of pedestrian access. The LADOT barely measures car throughput (relying on old models for LOS, ADT, and VMT), and in a domain where only civil engineers are called on for design standards (not sociologists, urban planners, anthropologists, or locals) this, I gues, is no surprise at all.

    The crosswalk is eye candy in L.A., like those ridiculous bits of “nature” stapled to the outside perimeter of strip malls that “mitigate” the sheer ugliness of things.

  • Wow… just wow.

    I’m new to LA Streetsblog and this is just an incredible sight.

    I wonder if anyone has received a ticket for crossing at this crosswalk. The sign is meaningless without enforcement.

  • I have a couple of emails into LADOT asking for clarification. I’ll let you all know if/when I hear anything.

  • Evan

    This sounds like Bush’s plan to reduce forest fires – cut down all the trees!
    I have a better idea to improve cross walk safety: remove the cars instead.

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

STREETSBLOG USA

Traffic Engineers Still Rely on a Flawed 1970s Study to Reject Crosswalks

By Angie Schmitt |
When St. Louis decided not to maintain colorful new crosswalks that residents had painted, the city’s pedestrian coordinator cited federal guidance. A 2011 FHWA memo warns that colorful designs could “create a false sense of security” for pedestrians and motorists. That may sound like unremarkable bureaucrat-speak, but the phrase “false sense of security” is actually a cornerstone of American engineering guidance […]
STREETSBLOG USA

Blaming Pedestrians While Absolving the Streets That Kill Them

By Angie Schmitt |
It didn’t take long for Louisville to notch its first pedestrian death of the year. Brian O’Neal, 46, was killed on the sixth day of 2016 while trying to cross Dixie Highway. The fact that Dixie Highway was the site of this fatality shouldn’t have surprised anyone who’s paying attention to pedestrian safety in Louisville. The city’s first pedestrian injury also happened on Dixie […]

Scramble Crosswalks Ready for Their Star Turn in Hollywood

By Damien Newton |
Responding to community concerns that the high volume of pedestrian traffic at the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue was creating an unsafe crossing, City Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell and the Department of Transportation recently announced that a “pedestrian scramble” will be installed by the end of the year. The pedestrian scramble, aka The Barnes Dance, […]