The City of Los Angeles is in the process of updating the transportation portion of the city's General Plan. The new citywide transportation plan is called Mobility Plan 2035. The Mobility Plan was recently approved by the City Planning Commission. It is expected to go to a joint meeting of the City Council's Transportation and Planning and Land Use Management committees next week, on Tuesday June 23.
Though it could go further, there's a lot for livability advocates to like in the latest version of the Plan. More than the 1999 plan in effect today, Mobility Plan 2035 outlines a multi-modal future for Los Angeles, including complete streets, less road widening, and a Vision Zero commitment to make streets dramatically safer for everyone.
The latest version of the Mobility Plan has a great deal of support from a fairly diverse spectrum of interests - from active transportation allies to the business community. At the Planning Commission hearing, supporters included the Valley Industry and Commerce Association (VICA), Lyft, the Sierra Club, T.R.U.S.T. South L.A., Community Health Councils, the L.A. County Department of Public Health, and many others. But, because the Mobility Plan shows a future that some Angelenos stuck in their cars aren't used to, it's starting to get just a bit of backlash, for example, this topsy-turvy CityWatch commentary.
The Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, Los Angeles Walks, and others, have called today "Mobility Monday L.A." They urge people who bike, walk, use transit, drive, live, and/or breathe in the city of Los Angeles to contact City Council representatives and urge support for the plan. For lots more details, see the Bike Coalition alert page. Councilmember information and sample wording are after the jump.
Please join us for #MobilityMondayLA on Monday, June 15th, in support of Mobility Plan 2035:
Email and call your councilmember (find your councilmember here) - sample belowShare/tweet that you did it! (sample tweet: “I just called @PaulKoretzCD5 to support Mobility Plan 2035. You should too! www.la-bike.org/mobilityplan #MobilityMondayLA”)CD1: @gilcedillocd1CD2: @PaulKrekorianCD3: @BobBlumenfieldCD4: @TomLaBongeCD5: @PaulKoretzCD5CD6: @CD6NuryCD7: @Fuentes4LACD8: @BernardCParksCD9: @CurrenDPriceJrCD10: @HerbJWessonCD11: @mikeboninCD12: @Mitch_EnglanderCD13: @MitchOFarrellCD14: @josehuizarCD15: @JoeBuscaino
Sample EmailTo: (find your councilmember here)@lacity.orgBcc: hyeran@la-bike.orgSubj: Support Mobility Plan 2035 for safe & sustainable streets!
Dear Councilmember _________,
I support adopting Mobility Plan 2035, including all of its proposed networks. As a ___________ (e.g. bike rider, pedestrian, transit user, driver, business owner, student, parent, etc.), I strongly support this Plan because I believe that it will help make L.A. streets better for all of us walking, biking, taking transit, and driving.
A well-connected network of protected bike lanes and other complete streets improvements that the Plan includes will give people healthier options to get around our neighborhoods and our city. Calmer traffic and safer streets are critical to protect and enhance our quality of life. We need this plan to build on the progress made by the 2010 Bicycle Plan and make all modes of transportation work together for our city. The modal networks in the Plan were carefully crafted to balance the needs of all who will use them. We can't afford to piecemeal them to appease local naysayers without undermining the networks’ citywide effectiveness.
This Plan also supports LADOT's goal of eliminating all traffic deaths by 2025. Right now, a pedestrian or bicyclist is killed on L.A. streets every three days. We know that good design, along with education and enforcement, is essential to meeting this goal. This Plan gives all city agencies the tools and the direction to work together toward making L.A. a safe city to move around.
(Personal comments)
Please support Mobility Plan 2035 so that we can all travel safely on the streets of L.A.
Sincerely,
(Your name)(Your address)
