A second elected official has come out against the proposed redesign of the Hyperion Viaduct over the Los Angeles River. This time, the writer is Glendale Council Member, and former mayor, Laura Friedman. Friedman, a regular bike commuter, worries both about the impact on the regional bike network of not striping bike lanes in the city's bike plan and the impact of speeding up traffic entering the communities surrounding her city of Glendale.
Friedman writes:
While we continue our work to improve the Los Angeles River together, improvements to the Hyperion Bridge will also help make our cities more interconnected. By reducing the speeds on Hyperion Bridge, Glendale and the surrounding communities will greatly benefit from the increased bicycle traffic versus vehicular traffic. With our ever growing populations, we need to be conscious of density issues and the impacts of decisions we make today. Including a bicycle lane and pedestrian sidewalk, while also reducing the speeds of vehicular traffic is a safety position I am proud to stand behind.
With Council Member Mitch O'Farrell's support for the project uncertain, the Hyperion Bridge redesign now has as many elected officials warning that the project is not a good one as it does officials singing the projects praises. Is this enough to move Council Member Tom LaBonge or Mayor Eric Garcetti to reconsider their support for the project? Time will tell.
A full copy of Friedman's letter can be found after the jump.
