Murphy, presenting for the MyFigueroa project team. Photo:##http://www.flickr.com/photos/29300710@N08/5430309996/##LA Streetsblog/Flickr##
Over the course of this year, I wanted to take time ever now and then to introduce you to members of our L.A. Streetsblog team here in Los Angeles by letting you hear them discuss transportation issues in their own words. Previous articles have focused on CicLAvia's Joe Linton and the Safe Routes to School's National Partnership's Jessica Meaney.
Today, we focus on Deborah Murphy. Long time Streetsblog readers might wonder, "Hey, didn't we meet Murphy already," but given her role not just with L.A. Walks, but as a key member of the My Figueroa project team that could change South Park forever, now seems like a great time to check back in.
For those of you that haven't read/listened to a Streetscast, I'll provide the topic and a quick quote before posting the audio.
Murphy and her traveling companion, Rhone, a the GOOD party for CicLAvia in March. Photo: GOOD L.A.'s Editor, ##http://www.flickr.com/photos/gelatobaby/tags/goodlovesciclavia/##Alissa Walker/Flickr##
Topic 1: Pedestrian Safety
"Everyone thinks of Los Angeles as the city for cars...It wasn't always that way when I was a kid. Los Angeles was the place where when you stepped off the curb, everyone stopped, and not just because you were a kid."
Topic 2: Murphy Updates Us on the My Figueroa Project and Explains the Team's Vision
"11th Street is something we want to look at in particular between Figueroa Street and Broadway...We can really turn the street into an outdoor linear park...maybe an outdoor living room..."
Topic 3: Proposal for L.A.'s first Bikestation
"...at the corner of Pico and Figueroa Street..."
Topic 4: The Growth of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advocacy Communities in Recent Years
"It's been great since Streetsblog came around...We can fight for a better piece of the transportation pie."
Topic 5: If You Could Change One Thing About Transportation in Los Angeles
Foothill Transit CEO Doran Barnes credits their successes to a "commitment to community," a "spirit of innovation," and fruitful collaborations with numerous partners
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